When I set the goal of learning something knitting related every month I thought it would involve me seeing if there were better ways of me doing things I’m doing already, but sometimes you don’t have to go looking.
Although I’ve knitted a lot of socks, I’ve always knitted them top down. Â But last week I decided to knit a sock with a pattern that I knew would look better if I knitted it toe up.
While I might not have knitted any toe up socks, I know enough to know the best cast on is Judy’s Magic Cast On. However, the phrase ‘magic cast on’ made me think I needed Harry Potter like powers to perform it. But when I looked on Youtube and had a go, I discovered Judy’s magic cast on was the easiest cast on I’d ever tried.
![20170506_215534[8622]](https://dartmoorcreative.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/20170506_2155348622.jpg?w=768)
What strikes me is a lot of people say they don’t like Kitchener stitch. So if that’s you, I totally recommend giving toe up socks a go.
And that’s it, my learning goal achieved for May! And a pair of socks cast on.
Dartmoor Creative 
As much as I would love to own a pair of hand knitted socks that fit my tiny feet perfectly, it has to be admitted I am sock knitting challenged! I had many, many attempts at getting Judy’s Magic Cast On mastered. I still have never completed a pair of socks – and in some cases, like toes up ones, I’ve never really got started. I am sticking with scarves, wraps and shawls 🙂
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As long as you’re happy with what you’re knitting, who cares if can knit socks? 🙂
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Socks are definitely on my to-make list. Thanks for sharing!
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Excellent! look forward to seeing them. Have a great weekend.
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I learnt this when making a pair of socks a few years ago. It was a challenge to do top up after only knitting top down before. One thing, which I’m sure you know is to do a stretchy bind off, I didn’t then had to undo and find a tutorial on YouTube!
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Oh No! At least you got there in the end.
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I have’t a clue about kitchener stitch, magic cast ons etc,, BUT well done on learning something new, it is so good to stretch oneself mentally, and you will have some fab socks. Win Win, I’d say.
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Definitely win win. And I do love learning new things 🙂
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I actually use a slight variation on Judy’s- I use figure of 8, which doesn’t involve guessing how much of a tail to leave. But yes, there are many excellent ways to do socks
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Thank you. Know you’re an experienced toe up sock knitter, so good to hear about your variation. Have you got a link for the figure of eight or did you modify it?
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I only ever do toe up socks (she says, having made 3 pairs in total) but I’m not sure I used Judy’s Magic Cast On, I thought I used her Magic Cast Off to get the bit of stretch round the leg. I might be mis-remembering as my last pair was a couple of years ago now.
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Not heard of Judy’s magic cast off. Will give it a google 🙂
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OOps! It was Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy cast off
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How thoughtless of them both to have names being with J.
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….and with only 4 letters and ending with a ‘y’. Honestly, no wonder I get confused.
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Had a look at it and it’s what I’ve always know as a yarn over cast on. Think this Jeny’s adopted it just to confuse you. And I ask you, why would you spell Jenny with one ‘n’ if you weren’t up to no good’?
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That’s how I feel about Lynns who spell it Lyn 😉
Are you trying to confuse me now – why would a yarn over cast on become a surprisingly stretchy cast off?
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Mmmm I feel that way about Bekki’s who spell their name Beki 😉 No, not trying to confuse you. It’s that damn Jeny confusing me, I meant cast off!
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