[B]Please, please, please[B] can someone help me? I have a pattern to make socks and I don’t understand the very 1st instruction. It reads like this: Cast on 8 sts. Next row: (RS) Knit. (I think I understand those two things, here is where it goes terribly wrong) Turn work upside down. With WS facing and another needle, pick up and knit 8 sts along cast on edge. 16 sts. (this is done on the double point needles). first of all, if I turn the work upside down the working thread is at the bottom and this makes it impossible to work stiches…also, i can’t figure out how I will end up with 16 stiches, perhaps it is because i don’t know what 'pick up and knit 8 sts along the cast edge means…please help me if you can…this is my first time attempting to make socks but I’ve been knitting for a while now…thank you!
The easiest way, I think, would be for you to look under the videos at the top for how to pick up sts. Basically, you’ll be inserting your needle under one of your cast on sts and knitting. You will have the 8 sts on one needle, and the 8 sts you pick up on another needle. Someone else might be able to clear this up better than I could.
The video to pick up sts is in the “Tips” section, and is the 4th from the bottom.
Are these toe-up socks? If so, it seems like it would be much easier to just do a provisional cast-on rather than casting on 8 and then picking up 8. Without seeing the pattern, it’s hard for me to say if there’s a reason for that, but it seems unnecessarily difficult to me. Check the video section of this site for a great video on provisional cast-on.
Thank you both for your replies, I am still a little confused though…why would the pattern instruct me to turn the work upside down??? Also, in answer to your question, this pattern is called an “upside down sock”, not sure what this means…The problem is, after I get through this first part of the pattern I think I understand the rest of it, but I can’t even get started! Really am determined to do this as a gift for my daughter who turns 21 in January!
I finally went Patons site to look for help and found there is a correction for this pattern! Page 40
Incorrect Text: Cast on 8 sts. Next row: (RS) Knit. Turn work upside down. With WS facing and another needle, pick up and knit 10 sts along cast on edge. 16 sts.
Correct Text: Cast on 8 sts. Next row: (RS) Knit. Turn work upside down. With WS facing and another needle, pick up and knit 8 sts along cast on edge. 16 sts.
I hope this is in time to help you! I was about ready to rip my hair out!
The correction is that they put ten stitches instead of eight. However, as for actually doing what they’re talking about, I would do what someone else mentioned and check the video on picking up and knitting on the cast-on (should be the exact same as pick up and knit or pick up and knit from bind-off) but other than that, what you do is drop the other needle you worked stitches onto and just hold onto the opposite side of the work, having the wrong side facing you. That should contain purl stitches. Then, you do the pick up and knit with that cast-on edge and a free needle that contains no stitches. It kind of seems like they’re having you work the toe that way… Now, the reason it says you have 16 stitches when you only have 8 on the needle you just did the pick up and knit with is because you have another needle on the other side with 8.
Essentially what you are doing is attaching that heel to the front of the sock. If you insert your needle into the heel (holding the heel on its side) you wrap the yard around your needle and pull it through and you have cast on one stitch. Doing that 8 times gives you eight stitches and you are usnig your eye to make it fit. It is so easy if you see a video. I have made so many pair of socks as the person who taught me to knit had me make argyle socks first and when I was finished with all the bobbins and such she told me that I had just learned how to make almost every stitch I would almost ever need in knitting. Today I am grateful for that.