Fire in the Sock Chimney

I have waxed lyrical previously about the wonders of the internet and how you can found out something about anything. Through this marvelous means I was directed to Lucy Neatby and her method for finishing sock toes. Her method is to start in the middle of the toe and work to each edge. The web page had photos with explanations - seemed straight forward. So one afternoon I sat in a sunny window and finished my sock.

Here is a picture of the sock with the rows of waste yarn

and here is a picture of the finished toe.

Did you spot that there's something wrong? The toe isn't finished. I managed to get the stitches back on the needles and finished the toe. No damage.

So when I finished the second sock (remember I always knit two) I decided to have another go at the sock chimney. I made a couple of changes; as I tend to knit my socks inside out I continued working this way and worked only a couple of rows in waste yarn and left the stitches on the needles.
I was hoping by doing this I would be able to see more clearly where to sew. I opened the web page and followed the directions again but after a few stitches I realised where I had gone wrong previously - in following the waste yarn I had followed the line of the first row of scrap yarn whereas I should have been going into the stitches of the last row of main yarn. I took out my yarn and started again and ended up with this nice toe.



I like this method of finishing but don't like the three ends that have to be sewn in. It is definitely easier to work from the wrong side and it is not easier if you keep the stitches on the needles.

And here is the finished sock.





The pattern is Rick from Cookie A's new sock book and the yarn is Regia 4 Ply worked on 2.75 mm dpns.