Melissa Morgan-Oakes - Toe-Up 2-At-A-Time Socks: Yet Another Revolution in Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle! Includes 15 New Sock Patterns

Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks

MELISSA MORGAN-OAKES

Photography by John Gruen

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Edited by Gwen Steege and Kathy Brock
Art direction and book design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky

Photography by John Gruen
Photo styling by Raina Kattelson
How-to illustrations by Alison Kolesar
Charts by Leslie Anne Charles

Indexed by Nancy D. Wood

2010 by Melissa Morgan-Oakes

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Morgan-Oakes, Melissa.
Toe-up 2-at-a-time socks / by Melissa Morgan-Oakes.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-533-9 (hardcover with concealed wire-o : alk. paper)
1. KnittingPatterns. 2. Socks. I. Title. II. Title: Toe-up-two-at-a-time socks.
TT825.M6663 2010
746.432041dc22

2009052447

For Gene,
The other day I was breathing,
you know, in and out, in and out?
And suddenly I realized that
what I was breathing was you.
Thank you.

As soon as the last word was written for 2-at-a-Time Socks, the idea of a toe-up sock book began to grow in my mind. Id made a decision to stop with socks for a bit, just a little bit, and knit things that were not socks, and not two at a time on one long circular needle. I sat down with yarn and needles, and considered what I could create. Within a few minutes and without fully realizing it, I had cast on for a pair of toe-up socks, two at a time, reasoning that they were not really the same as regular socks; after all, they began at the opposite end of things, right? Nice try, but in the end what I had were socks. More socks, still two at once, still matching when theyre done, just upside down. Obviously I wasnt going to get out of socks that easily.

Not being a fan of the shortrow heel, I played around with unraveling the heel turn and flap of a top-down sock in my mind, and soon came up with my own way of doing things. Now, I am sure that someone out there is doing the same thing I do, and for all I know theyve written it down already. There are only so many ways to do a thing, after all. But this is my personal take on a particular knitting technique, and I am, as before, biased in its favor. Like 2-at-a-Time Socks, this book does reflect my personal preferences in terms of heels, toes, yarns, and such. Its my book, so I get to be biased. The heels in this book are all turned heels with a flap of sorts. I believe that they fit better and are more comfortable than a short-row heel. And as with 2-at-a-Time Socks, I encourage you to use whatever heel method you prefer. Once youve mastered the technique, it can be applied to just about any sock pattern. Toes to the top, top to the toes: Now youre covered in both directions!

Since writing the first book, Ive been asked a few questions consistently enough that I think I should include the answers to them here. Most of the questions I hear, when not relating to specific patterns in 2-at-a-Time Socks, are about needles, yarns, yarn substitutions, and sizing. Ive also included a bit here about casting on and binding off in ways that are appropriate for toe-up sock knitting. I think its important for knitters to experiment with different techniques and determine what works for their individual knitting styles. And a word about fit: Fitting toe-up socks is not the same as fitting a top-down sock. Some math is required, but not anything too horrible. Truly, if I can do it, you can too!

Knitting cannot happen without needles. As time has passed, Ive been introduced to more and more choices in knitting needles. Metal or wood, firm or flexible cables ultimately the choice is your own. Here I present my favorites and the reasons why theyve won me over.

Addi. As a rule, those of us who love Addi Turbo nickel-plated brass needles really, really love them. They take a beating and remain attached to their cable. The join is good and stable and does not catch the yarn. It is likely that you could run them over and theyd be fine, unless you kinked the older kind of cable then you had a problem. Not any more! Addi has replaced its old steel wire cable with new flexible plastic cables. My new favorites are Addi Natura needles, made of bamboo, which combine the comforting nature of wood with a flexible cable and the same high-quality components as the Turbos. The smallest size currently available is a US size 2, but I live in hope. My next favorites are my beloved slick Addi Turbos, available in sizes beginning with US 000. And after these come the Addi clear-coated brass lace needles (also starting in a size US 000), which have a sharp point that is perfect for lacework on shawls (or socks). With three types of circular needles to choose from, Addi offers options for every project. I am very hopeful that Addis new Clicks will expand to include interchangeable tips of all three types, and smaller sizes. Addi needles are still, in my opinion, the best way to go.

Inox. I discovered these aluminum needles with their flexible black cable sometime between finishing up the first book and its actual release date. By the time the book came out, I was using the Inox fixed circular needles more and more. They are less expensive than Addis, to be sure, which is important for many of us. After all, inexpensive, goodquality tools mean more money to spend on yarn! The needle itself holds onto the yarn a bit more than Addi Turbos do, so if you have issues with stitches that run away, these are a great alternative.