Tutorial: How To Cast On Toe Up Socks Using DPNs

Tutorial: How to Cast On Toe Up Socks Using DPNs

March for my SnB group marks the "Month of Socks". I am affectionately referring to it as Sock It To Me March and if you are interested in joining the KAL, please pop over to the Ravelry group! We would love to see you there.

A few of the girls are interested in learning toe up socks using DPNs. Enter me, always eager to be the teacher (see Mom and Dad- that teaching degree isn't going completely to waste). This is my first video tutorial so please bear with me; it's pretty weird knitting while reaching around a camera!

I added text here and there in the video but let me briefly describe the process:

• While holding 2 DPNs in your right hand, place the yarn over your "top" needle (the one further away from you and resting on your fingers/the bottom needle is resting on your thumb). The tail will come off the top and the working yarn is in between. Hold the yarn on the needle with your finger or thumb, whichever is more comfortable. Do not use a slip knot. 
• Now with your left hand pinch your first finger and thumb together and place that between the drooping tail yarn and working yarn. Grasp the strings with your remaining three fingers and spread open your first finger and thumb placing tension on the yarn. 
• Since the yarn is over the top needle making the first stitch we will start with the bottom needle. 
• Rotate your hand so your finger brings the yarn from the bottom over the bottom needle and in between the two needles. 
• Then, rotate your hand so your thumb brings the yarn between the needles and over the top needle.
• Now, rotate your hand so your finger brings the yarn from the bottom and over the bottom needle again. 

You now have two stitches on each needle. You will always start and end with the bottom needle to get an equal number of stitches on the needles. 

• Once you have the number of stitches required by your pattern, you will turn the needles 180 degrees so they now point to the right and you are ready to start knitting. 
• Knit all the stitches on the top needle first (you can use a new needle when you are half way to help ease the tension on the stitches) pulling the tail to tighten the first stitch. 
• Then turn your work and knit all the stitches on the bottom needle inserting a new needle half way across. You now have 3 or 4 needles and you have knit all your cast on stitches. 

You are now ready to continue knitting. The next round will be your increase round and you are on your way to having toe up socks on DPNs!