Toes-Up

I've been searching the web looking for toe-up sock patterns and, while they're not as numerous as cuff down ones, I have found a few. In doing so, I've discovered that there are a number of ways to start said toes. Last night, I spent some time practicing on worsted weight yarn and size 10½ needles and completed two samples.



This one follows the pattern for the Falling Leaves socks on Knitty.com in which you knit to the last stitch, turn, YO, purl across to the last stitch, turn, YO, and so on, then coming back, untwist (?) the YO and knit it together. I don't think I understood the directions completely because this is what the "seams" looked like when I was done - not very pretty is it?:



The second sample was from Wendy's basic sock pattern and used wraps when working from the provisional cast on down to the toe and then double wraps coming back on the decrease side. Wendy also has a great How-To article at Knitty.



The "seams" on this one look much better:



The other versions that I haven't attempted yet are the one where you do a figure-8 cast on over two needles and then work out and pick up on the sides and another that's similar, but uses a provisional cast on to start a small rectangle that then becomes the end of the toe. If I have time, I may make samples of at least the latter this evening to see how it looks. In the meantime, I need to swatch with the Snappy Stripes and see what my gauge will be.