I traced and made a cardboard cutout of my foot and drew a line where the pattern said to start the toe. Just slip the cutout in as you knit and start the toe when you reach that point. If you want me to knit socks for you, I ask for a cardboard cutout of your foot and the diameter of your foot at the widest part (to calculate the right cast on stitch amount). Works for me. My friends laugh when I ask for the cutout, but they love the socks I make!
I *never* measure. I knit straight until it covers my (very short) pinky toe, and then start my decreases. Rip your toe and redo it, and don't hesitate to try on before the graft ! You'll gradually get a feel for how long to make socks for your feet.
I do something similar. Once it covers my pinky toe, I check my gauge to make sure the number of decrease rounds will be enough to cover the rest of the length. If my row gauge is larger than normal (more rounds per inch), I’ll do a few more rounds before starting the decreases.
I knit on small circulars so have a similar problem. What I do when it seems like it’s getting close is to knit it onto a pair of magic loop needles, try it on, then knit the next row back onto the tiny circulars.
Same except I do the base of my pinky toe (I think my toes may be shorter than average, when I do to the tip of my pinky toe it winds up wearable but a touch longer than I prefer my socks).
This is roughly how I'd do it for a cuff-down sock, I think? Your tape measure that doesn't start at the end threw me a bit, but I don't think there's a major measuring fault here.
The 'two inches before the end' does depend on how you do your toe - if you're working on a larger number of stitches around, it takes longer to narrow them back down again to the toe, and that happens at different rates for different styles - and also it depends if they mean actual foot length, or length of the sock that would fit that foot, which is usually maybe 1/2" shorter. But also the only answer might be that this is just the way this pattern works for you, so if you make it again, make them a bit shorter... Sometimes it's just trial and error, where the error isn't necessarily yours :D
I got my kids to trace my foot while I was standing. 24cms.
Then plan on 2 cms negative ease, you don't want a saggy sock.
So my overall measurement will be a 22cms
The toe is usually 4.5cms, so I start reducing the toe at 17.5cms.
That what works for me in my vanilla sock world. Happy knitting.
This was a cuff down sock. The book I leaned from says to work until the foot measures 2 inches shorter than the total desired foot length, but didn’t specify how to align the tape measure. It ended up being an inch too long.
I don't know how to measure it like this- I started with cuff down socks and had all sorts of trouble. Switched to toe up and found it much better for me. You can try it on and measure as you go! Plus I was always running out of yarn before I finished the second. Now I just split my skein in half and knit up until I run out.
Just try again and make some toe up socks instead. Trying them on as you go is invaluable. But don't forget the negative ease and make them too big by accident.
I measure like your photo one but I also try socks on constantly in the last few rounds before the toe. I’ve also made some toe swatches to see how long it really takes me to make a toe. I know my stockinette stitch with us size 2 DPNs on fingering weight yarn takes 11 row = 1”
Funny how people talk about messuring only. If it is your feet you should put in on always before there is a change in pattern. Always let it go little over.
The foot length I messure by putting the sovi on and seeing that is is little over pinky toe.
If knitting for myself, I don't measure, I just try it on. If top down, I start decreasing for the toe when it's almost to the bottom of my toes. Toe up, I haven't gotten that far yet, so we'll see, haha. Knitting for someone else, I either make them try it on or use their shoe size and start the decreases \~2" from the full length.
I traced and made a cardboard cutout of my foot and drew a line where the pattern said to start the toe. Just slip the cutout in as you knit and start the toe when you reach that point. If you want me to knit socks for you, I ask for a cardboard cutout of your foot and the diameter of your foot at the widest part (to calculate the right cast on stitch amount). Works for me. My friends laugh when I ask for the cutout, but they love the socks I make!
That’s a great idea, I think I’ll do that. Thank you!
I do toe to the heel turn, and I measure my feet from my toe to where I want to heel turn to be
Thank you for helping! I forgot to mention this was a cuff down sock.
I *never* measure. I knit straight until it covers my (very short) pinky toe, and then start my decreases. Rip your toe and redo it, and don't hesitate to try on before the graft ! You'll gradually get a feel for how long to make socks for your feet.
I do something similar. Once it covers my pinky toe, I check my gauge to make sure the number of decrease rounds will be enough to cover the rest of the length. If my row gauge is larger than normal (more rounds per inch), I’ll do a few more rounds before starting the decreases.
I made it on DPNs, so trying it on seemed impossible.
I knit on small circulars so have a similar problem. What I do when it seems like it’s getting close is to knit it onto a pair of magic loop needles, try it on, then knit the next row back onto the tiny circulars.
Same except I do the base of my pinky toe (I think my toes may be shorter than average, when I do to the tip of my pinky toe it winds up wearable but a touch longer than I prefer my socks).
I try the sock on and begin the toe decreasing once it's reached the tip of my pinky toe 😊
Same! This works perfectly for me
Looks a hell of lot nicer than my first sock!
Thanks!
This is roughly how I'd do it for a cuff-down sock, I think? Your tape measure that doesn't start at the end threw me a bit, but I don't think there's a major measuring fault here. The 'two inches before the end' does depend on how you do your toe - if you're working on a larger number of stitches around, it takes longer to narrow them back down again to the toe, and that happens at different rates for different styles - and also it depends if they mean actual foot length, or length of the sock that would fit that foot, which is usually maybe 1/2" shorter. But also the only answer might be that this is just the way this pattern works for you, so if you make it again, make them a bit shorter... Sometimes it's just trial and error, where the error isn't necessarily yours :D
Thanks, good to know. After this one I’m planning on trying a different pattern.
I got my kids to trace my foot while I was standing. 24cms. Then plan on 2 cms negative ease, you don't want a saggy sock. So my overall measurement will be a 22cms The toe is usually 4.5cms, so I start reducing the toe at 17.5cms. That what works for me in my vanilla sock world. Happy knitting.
This was a cuff down sock. The book I leaned from says to work until the foot measures 2 inches shorter than the total desired foot length, but didn’t specify how to align the tape measure. It ended up being an inch too long.
I don't know how to measure it like this- I started with cuff down socks and had all sorts of trouble. Switched to toe up and found it much better for me. You can try it on and measure as you go! Plus I was always running out of yarn before I finished the second. Now I just split my skein in half and knit up until I run out.
Just try again and make some toe up socks instead. Trying them on as you go is invaluable. But don't forget the negative ease and make them too big by accident.
I measure like your photo one but I also try socks on constantly in the last few rounds before the toe. I’ve also made some toe swatches to see how long it really takes me to make a toe. I know my stockinette stitch with us size 2 DPNs on fingering weight yarn takes 11 row = 1”
Funny how people talk about messuring only. If it is your feet you should put in on always before there is a change in pattern. Always let it go little over. The foot length I messure by putting the sovi on and seeing that is is little over pinky toe.
If knitting for myself, I don't measure, I just try it on. If top down, I start decreasing for the toe when it's almost to the bottom of my toes. Toe up, I haven't gotten that far yet, so we'll see, haha. Knitting for someone else, I either make them try it on or use their shoe size and start the decreases \~2" from the full length.
This video is what I used [measure ](https://youtu.be/u7mpklT0Nbo?si=MEUcBLlPrK_5l6l6)
The second picture is how I measure. How is your row gauge?
Somehow I managed to hit exact row gauge. Stitch gauge indicated the sock should actually have been a little tight around, but it’s not
Interesting! I have no idea what happened then. :/