Emily’s easy asymmetric / anatomical toes

I am visiting my parents back in Indiana this week and it’s given me some quality, relaxing knitting time. They have a lovely window seat that I didn’t fully appreciate as a youngster. My mom’s cross-stitched portrait of a beloved family pooch from when I was born looks on. It’s heavenly.

Anyway, all this relaxation has gotten me thinking as my normal insane brain loop of workworkworkworkwork has been circumvented. And here’s the thing. Feet are not symmetrical… shoes are not symmetrical… why are socks supposed to be symmetrical? I say we revolt, dear readers! Ignore, if you even can, the pasty whiteness of my foot and look at the basic shape…

I always do toe-up socks… My basic formula is to take the number of increases from toe to foot and divide it by 3. Two-thirds I work as 4 increases/row (one at each end of both needles) every row after the cast on. The last third I work every other row on just one side (if you were to put the sock on it would be either the pinkie toe side or the big toe side). If it’s not evenly divisible by 3, then do the extras up top in the every row increase part. For this sock, I cast on 10 sts on each of two needles. I ultimately needed 34 sts/needle. So, on each needle I had to add 24 sts. 24 / 3 = 8. So I worked 8 rows increasing 1 stitch at each end of each needle every round (+ 2 sts/needle/round). 10 + 16 = 26 sts/needle. Next I worked the asymmetric increase rows EVERY OTHER ROUND. For these I increased on just one side of the sock (1 st/needle) 8 times. 26 + 8 = 34 sts/needle. And I end up with a shape that looks nuts.

But look at it next to my foot – looks just right!

And when it’s on – feels like handknit sock perfection.