Whether we use a seamless cast on for our toe-up socks, or close the stitches of the toe part of our top-down socks with the Kitchener stitch grafting method, we often end up with pointy sides known as “ears”, “dog ears” or “donkey ears”.
They do look a bit like ears, and even though they do not affect the fit of a sock, the sock toes look more sleek and well-finished without those pointy stitches.
The “ears” are not formed by the cast on or the grafting. They are formed by the stitches of the last round of the fabric. That’s why we can minimize the size of the “ears” if we pull the yarn at the very beginning and the very end of the cast on or grafted edge, but this does not eliminate the “pointy stitches” completely.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to get rid of this issue. Let’s see how it works step by step.
This method works great for all types of seamless cast ons and all kinds of grafting. You can even use it when you bind off stitches using the three-needle bind off method. Whatever technique you choose to use, the sides of the cast on and bind off edges will be slightly curved without a hint of those pesky “ears”.
If you enjoyed this tutorial,
here’s something else you might find helpful:
“Neat Side Edges” Book
Learn twelve ways to make side edges of a knitted project nice and tidy. Plus, ways to fix side edges, and a way to improve edges of finished projects.
Happy knitting!
