The star toe is a great toe style for knitters whose middle toes are longer than their big toe. This is also a useful technique for knitters who don’t enjoy grafting stitches together at the end of the wedge toe, because this method decreases to just a few stitches and then the tail is drawn through those remaining stitches just like the top of a hat.
In this blog post, I’ll share my formulas for how to work this toe cuff-down and toe-up so that whatever method you want to use for your sock knitting, you can still use this toe shape.
Cuff-Down Star Toe
This toe starts out being worked across a multiple of four stitches. If your total number of stitches is already evenly divisible by four, work a set-up round by knitting all stitches in that round.
If your total number of stitches is not divisible by four, work a set-up round that includes evenly-spaced decreases to take your total number of stitches down to the next number that is divisible by four.
Then work the following steps:
- Divide the stitches for your sock into four even sections.
- *K to two stitches before the end of the first quarter, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.
- Knit to end of round.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have decreased to half the original number of stitches in your sock.
- Repeat step 2 until you have eight total stitches remaining.
- Thread yarn through remaining stitches, draw closed, and secure.
Toe-Up Star Toe
Cast on eight stitches using the magic ring method.
- Divide the stitches for your sock into four even sections.
- *K to one stitch before the end of the first quarter, kfb, repeat from * to end of round.
- Repeat step 2 until you have about half the intended final number of stitches on your needles (e.g., if your sock will have 60 stitches, at this point you’ll have 28).
- Knit all stitches in the round.
- *K to one stitch before the end of the first quarter, kfb, repeat from * to end of round.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have the intended final number of stitches on your needles.
As always, I enjoy your newsletter and especially your Advent digital calendar, what a great variety and lovely idea! Thanks you so much! I am a fan and subscriber to your sock society every year and look forward to your patterns, it makes sock knitting such a pleasure!
Oh, this comment made my day. Thank you so much for the kind words, and I can’t wait to show you the first sock for next year’s club.
I started knitting socks a few months ago, and wedge toes were uncomfortable for my foot shape. I found your blog and your instructions, and since then I’ve been using your method for both cuff‑down and toe‑up socks, for every pattern I knit. It’s my favorite type of toe now. So thank you!
I am so glad to hear this! Thanks for coming back to share an update.