Cybersocks
Denise's Toe-up Sock
Instructor: Denise Powell
Preliminary Lesson: Symmetrical Increases
When you knit socks from the top down, you learn to make symmetrical decreases for the instep gussets and for the toes. When you knit socks from the toes up, you must learn symmetrical increases for the same places.
This preliminary lesson covers three ways of making pairs of increases - try them out to decide which works best for you!
All of these increases are referred to as M1 (make 1).
Method A:
Make a backwards loop on the right hand needle on one round and then knit it in the next round. You can twist the loop either clockwise or counterclockwise - thus getting a pair of symmetrical increases. Since the loop is already twisted, both forms of this increase are knitted in the front loop on the next round.
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Right twisted loop increase
Left twisted Loop increase
Method B: Raised Increase
This increase is made by lifting the thread between the stitch you have just knit and the next stitch, placing it on the left hand needle, and knitting it. The direction in which you place the stitch on the needle (it will look like either \ or / from above), and whether you knit into the front or the back of the new stitch, determine the direction of the increase. This increase actually occurs in the row before the current one (because the stitch is raised from there!)
Raised Increase - Slants like \ when viewed from top - knit into BACK
Raised Increase - Slants like / when viewed from top - knit into the FRONT
Method C: Yarnover Increase
(My current favourite - subject to change!) Although yarnovers are usually made in lace work to produce an open effect, they can be used for regular I-don't-want-any-holes increase, PROVIDED you treat them correctly in the next row!
Once again, they come in pairs, sitting like / or \ on the needle when viewed from the top. If it looks like /, knit it in the front to twist it. If it looks like \, knit it in the back to twist it.
Yarnover Increase - slants like /, knit into FRONT on next round
Yarnover increase, slants like \, knit into BACK on next round
Choose your Increase!
You should also decide which one of the pair you want to use when you're increasing to the left of a stitch and which when you're increasing to the right. The look will be different depending on which you pick, so make a decision and be consistent!