YarnCalculator
Sizing

Sock calculator

Measure a foot, add your gauge, and get the numbers for a top-down sock: cast-on, heel flap and when to start the toe.

Measure around the ball of the foot and its length, then add your gauge.

How to use it

  1. Measure around the ball of the foot, and the foot's length from heel to toe.
  2. Enter your stitch and round gauge from a swatch knit in the round.
  3. Cast on, work the leg, then the heel flap and turn, and knit the foot to the length shown before the toe.

Questions

How many stitches do I cast on for socks?

About 90% of the foot circumference times your stitches per inch, rounded to a multiple of 4. For an 8 inch foot at 8 stitches per inch, that's 56 stitches.

How much negative ease do socks need?

About 10%, so the sock hugs the foot. Very stretchy rib can take a little more; colorwork, which doesn't stretch, takes less.

When do I start the toe?

When the foot measures the full foot length minus the toe's length. The calculator works out the toe length from your round gauge for a standard wedge toe.

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