SallyPecor

It's versatile and can be used with ANY number of stitches. (I'll tell you how I "fudge" any extra sts.) It's a cool toe for changing colors with.
And it fits my foot better (my 2nd toe is longer than my big toe, for whatever that means). Besides, it's arithmatically elegant.

No running away screaming those of you who claim to be mathematically inept! This is just numbers and counting of stitches and you count sts every day! The elegance just appeals to my artistist/analytical personality. You don't have to go anywhere near if you don't want to.

Round toe instructions:
K2tog, kX
kX rows plain
Mark the decrease row. Count only the finished rows between decrease rows , do NOT count the sts on your needle as a row.

k2tog, kX-1
kX-1 rows plain
k2tog, kX-2
kX-2 rows plain, etc.
End with K2tog around. Cut yarn leaving about 6 inches. Using a tapestry needle, thread the yarn tail through the remaining sts and pull tightly. (I thread through every other sts again, too.) Pull yarn to the inside and weave in.

You will notice that the number of sts between decrease sts is the same number of plain rows you make between decrease rows.

For example: xxxxx said she was working on 42 sts for her sock, and had 8 row to the inch. Total sts around and rows/rounds per inch are ALL you need to make your calculations -- no "I'm not a math person" here; this is just arithmatic. And 42 divides evenly by either 7 or 6.

Generally figure 2 or so inches of length for the toe on a woman's sock 7-9 inches around; 3 for a man's 9 inches or larger; and proportionally smaller for children's. In the example above, at 8 rows per inch you would need 16 rows worth of toe sts.

K2tog, k5 (a multiple of 7 sts) requires 21 rows to complete, or about 2.5 inches. You measure your working sock FROM THE BACK OF THE HEEL to within about 2.5 sts to the finished measurement and begin the toe decreases.

For k2tog, k4 (a multiple of 6 sts) you need 15 rows to complete, or about 2 inches.

The following table will give you the number of rows needed to complete the toe from different starting points. (I have a copy of this crib sheet with me at all knitting times. I can
almost instantly figure out how to start the round toe decreases, as soon as I count the row/round gauge.)

k2tog around (multiple of 2 sts) = 1 round
k2tog, k1 (multiple of 3) = 3 rounds
k2tog, k2 (multiple of 4) = 6 rounds
k2tog, k3 (multiple of 5) = 10 rounds
k2tog, k4 (multiple of 6) = 15 rounds
k2tog, k5 (multiple of 7) = 21 rounds
k2tog, k7 (multiple of 8) = 28 rounds

I doubt you'll need a bigger multiple than that. But you use these same decreases when making hats, so if you need the next in the sequence, just add the plain knit number of sts to the number of rounds.

Odd number of sts: If your number of sts simple won't divide evenly, here's a couple of tips. For just one st extra, make a double decrease as the first decrease of the first decrease round. It's on the bottom of the foot and won't show.

Or for more than one sts extra, simply knit those sts plain and begin the decreases with the first complete multiple. When the number of "odd" sts equals the multiple for the round you've worked to, just incorporate them in the round and carry on!

<pedantic mode off>

Graciously allow to be posted by Sally [email protected]