All socks

• Try it on before you finish: check the fit before the toe (cuff-down) or the bind-off (toe-up). Adding or removing a few rnds is easy now and a pain once the ends are woven in.
• Heel-corner holes: pick up 1–2 extra sts at each corner and k2tog or ssk them away on the next rnd. Patch any you missed with duplicate st from the inside. Picking up through the back loop twists the new st closed.
• Fewer ends: join a new ball with a Russian join (any yarn) or a spit splice (non-superwash wool only). For a contrast heel or toe, catch the new tail behind your working yarn for the first few sts. A spit splice felts the ends together, so it won't hold on superwash, cotton or synthetics.
• Weaving in: work along the back of a column of sts on the inside, out and back, on the instep or leg, never the sole or heel. In colorwork, weave each end into its own color. Splitting the plies grips better. Superwash is slippery, so weave its ends longer. Bulk under the foot rubs and wears through.
• Ladders at needle changes: snug the first 2 sts after each change, or move the split 1–2 sts every few rnds. Ladders already there can often be eased out by tugging the sts across the rnd before blocking.
• Reinforce heels and toes: hold a strand of reinforcing thread with your yarn there, or duplicate-st over worn spots later.
• Fix a wrong colorwork st: duplicate-st over it in the right color instead of ripping back.
• Matching pairs: use the Sock 2 counters, note any changes you made to sock 1, and start striped yarn at the same point in the color sequence.

Cuff-down

• Stretchy cuff: cast on over two needles or one a size larger, and check the cuff slides over your heel before you knit the leg. A tight cast-on is the most common reason a cuff-down sock won't go on.
• Clean join: make sure the cast-on isn't twisted before joining, and use the cast-on tail to close the little jog at the top of the cuff.
• Gusset pick-up: pick up under both legs of each slipped edge st, and knit the picked-up sts through the back loop on the first rnd. Slipping the first st of every flap row is what makes those neat edge chains; knitting them tbl twists them snug so no holes show.
• Start the toe on time: try the sock on and start the toe when it reaches the base of your big toe.
• Grafting: graft loosely, then snug each st with the needle tip from one end to the other. If the corners poke out ("ears"), ease them in from the inside with the tail. Next time, end with one more dec on just the corner sts before grafting. The Star toe setting skips grafting altogether.

Toe-up

• Tidy the cast-on: after a few rnds, snug the loose Judy's Magic Cast-On loops with the needle tip, and close the toe corners with the cast-on tail.
• Split your yarn: weigh the ball before you start, then knit the leg until half the weight is left. Or wind two equal balls first. Toe-up lets you use every last bit, but only if you know where the halfway point is.
• Try it on twice: before the gusset or heel, and again before the cuff.
• Heel corners: pick up the strand at each heel corner and work it together with the next st, as the Heel turn note says.
• Bind-off: leave a long tail, test the stretch over your heel before you cut the yarn, and use a needle 1–2 sizes larger if it's snug. Stretchy bind-offs like JSSBO use 3 or more times the cuff width in yarn.
• Charts: a chart written for cuff-down socks is upside down when knitting toe-up. Work it from the top row down if the motif has a direction.

You need

• Wool wash, ideally no-rinse (like Soak or Eucalan), or a little gentle soap
• A basin or sink and a clean towel
• Sock blockers sized to the foot length (optional; flat drying works too)

Steps

1. Weave in ends, but leave the tails long. Trim them after blocking, once the stitches have settled, so the ends don't pop out.
2. Soak in lukewarm water with wool wash for 15–20 min. Push the socks under and let them fill with water. Don't swish or rub.
3. Press out the water; don't wring. Squeeze gently, then roll each sock in a towel and press or step on it to soak up the rest.
4. Shape on sock blockers, or lay flat and pat into shape. Smooth the heel and toe, line up the ribbing and make both socks match.
5. Dry away from heat and direct sun, about a day. Turn them over or flip the blockers halfway through so both sides dry.
6. Trim the tails once dry.

Tips

• Superwash (your yarn): it can grow when wet, so don't stretch it on blockers. Dry flat or on blockers a size small. Many superwash yarns snug back up with a short, low tumble dry; check the label first.
• Non-superwash (your yarn): cool water only, with no rubbing and no sudden temperature changes. Never use the dryer. Heat, agitation and big temperature swings make wool felt, which shrinks and thickens it for good.
• Colorwork: blocking evens out puckers. Ease the fabric gently over the blocker so the floats relax.
• Textured stitches: light shaping is enough. Cables and textures like the show-off stitch don't need stretching.
• Ribbed cuffs: don't stretch the ribbing; it should spring back.
• Block both socks together so they come out the same size.
• Quick touch-up: hover a steam iron just above the sock, never pressing, and let it cool before moving it. Skip steam on acrylic blends; heat can flatten them for good.
• Blocker size: pick by foot length. No blockers? Cut a sock shape from a plastic folder or bend a wire hanger.
• Gifting: block just before wrapping and tuck in a care note. Superwash: machine wash cool, gentle. Wool: hand wash cool, dry flat.