A sock toe is shaped with decreases, with the exception of the short-row toe. Each toe is about 2 inches long, so the leg is worked until 2 inches from the desired length, measured from the back of the heel. The toe is most often worked in stockinette stitch, even if the leg and foot are patterned.
In the Basic Round Toe, you work decreases on the sides of the sock to the tip of the toe, which is then closed.
The round begins at the middle of the bottom of the sock:
Work the toe decreases.
Round 1: Needle 1: K to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Needle 2: K1, ssk, k to end of needle.
Needle 3: K to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Needle 4: K1, ssk, k to end of needle.
Work Round 2.
Round 2: Knit around on all sts.
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until you decrease the total number of stitches to 50%.
Be sure to end with a Round 2.
Repeat Round 1 only until approximately 2 inches’ worth of stitches remain.
Between 10 and 18 stitches will remain depending on gauge. Continue to close the toe using the Kitchener stitch.
For a wider toe, decrease fewer times and leave more stitches to graft. For a narrower toe, decrease more times and leave fewer stitches to graft.
Arrange the stitches on the needles so that all the stitches from the top of the foot are on one needle and all the stitches from the bottom of the foot are on another needle, with the working yarn attached at one edge.
To close the tip of the toe, you can graft the stitches together using the Kitchener stitch. This creates a seamless closure at the end of the sock.
Cut the working yarn.
Leaving approximately 15 inches of yarn as a tail, thread the tail onto a darning needle.
Hold the sock with the needles parallel.
The working yarn should come off the back needle, on the right edge.
Bring the darning needle through the first stitch on the front needle purlwise.
Bring the needle through the first stitch on the back needle purlwise, and remove this stitch from the back needle.
Bring the needle through the next stitch on the back needle knitwise.
Bring the needle through the first stitch on the front needle knitwise, and remove this stitch from the front needle.
Repeat steps 4–7 until you work all the stitches.
Adjust the tension of the grafted stitches by carefully using the darning needle tip to pull up any slack in the stitches, working from right to left across the toe.
After you work most of the slack across to the left side of the toe, pull the tail of yarn to tighten.
Bring the tail to the inside of the sock and weave in the end.
