Whether you are knitting top-down or a toe-up sock, you still have to decide which kind of sock toe to use. Frankly, the choices can be pretty bewildering.
The first question to ask is, how do you feel about Kitchener stitch? If you cannot stand it, and cannot do it without weeping, then you will definitely want to knit toe-up socks. No grafting with those, I promise.
If you are okay with Kitchener stitch, and you want to do top-down socks, then your choices become a little simpler. I like to use a basic toe where you start about an inch from the end, decrease two stitches on each side (one on each needle, top and bottom) every other round until you have decreased by half. Then graft the ends together and boom: a good, square-ish sock toe.
There are other options, of course. But I think most top-down sock knitters use a variation of this.
Toe-up, things get more complicated. I personally do that exact same toe but in reverse: I cast on half the stitches (using Judy's Magic Cast On), increase two stitches each side every other round until I have the right number of stitches, then get to it.
If you hate casting stitches onto those itty bitty DPNs, or you plan to use the Magic Loop method, and you are okay with short rows, then you might want to try Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock toe. You cast on the stitches along the top, knit around the toe to the bottom (creating a cup shape), then pick up all the stitches you originally cast on and knit away.
The benefit to this method is that it doesn't leave you a seam at the toe, which some people can't stand.
There are dozens of sock toes out there. Sock knitters, what's your favorite, and why?
Image courtesy Flickr/madelinetosh
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