How to Knit a Round Toe

One of the best things about knitted socks is how customisable they are. There are so many heel and toe variations that you will definitely be able to find one or more that fit you perfectly. And once you find a toe that you like (and enjoy knitting) you can just use it instead of whatever the pattern tells you to do.

A round toe is a great alternative to the more commonly used wedge toe. It is fairly long and roomy, and is great if your toes aren’t flat across the top, or your middle toes are longer than your big toe. Here we’re looking at socks that are knitted from the top down, and the rounded shape is created by decreasing evenly around the toe, and gradually reducing the number of stitches and rows between decreases as you get closer to the tip.

One big advantage of this shaping is that it doesn’t use kitchener stitch. Instead you decrease until you have very few stitches left, and then draw the remaining yarn through those stitches to close up the hole.

There are lots of different variations on the round toe, but my favourite comes from the excellent Folk Socks by Nancy Bush:

Method

This decrease works on socks with a multiple of 8 stitches.

Row 1: *Knit 6 stitches, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 6 rounds plain

Row 8: *Knit 5 stitches, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 5 rounds plain

Row 14: *Knit 4 stitches, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 4 rounds plain

Row 19: *Knit 3 stitches, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 3 rounds plain

Row 23: *Knit 2 stitches, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 2 rounds plain

Row 26: *Knit 1 stitch, Knit two together. Repeat from * all around.

Work 1 rounds plain

Row 28: Knit 2 together all around.

Thread the end of the yarn onto a blunt needle and pull it through the remaining stitches. Pull tight and weave in the end.