Sidewinders: Act III

Today I bring you Act III -- the 4th installment -- of Sidewinders: A PerpenSOCKular Pattern.  If you need to get caught up, you can find the previous installments here: The Prologue, Act I, and Act II.

My friends, you're halfway through!  You've flown through paired decreases, conquered paired increases, mastered short rows, and negotiated stitch markers -- please, take a well deserved MCS.  In the next 2 Acts, we'll be doing more of the same. 

In this Act you'll shape the second half of the toe using paired decrease like you did with the heel.  Did you get that?  Just like the heel!  As I said before and will say again -- ad nauseum, I know -- what I love about the Sidewinders is that the heel and toe are shaped in the exact same way.  Symmetry is a beautiful thing.

Things start off easy today.  Shall we get going?

Sidewinders Act III: Toe In

Instructions

Finishing the Toe

Work straight for (7, 8, 9), [(7, 8, 9), (7, 8, 9), (8, 8, 10)]  rows.

nonaSays  Here's my trick for keeping track of which row I'm on.  I count the ridges and valleys of the Double Garter cuff.  Each ridge -- or valley -- is 2 rows.  Once counted, I add 1 for the first setup row and subtract 6 for the 6 short rows worked in Act I.  What technique are you using?

Next Row -- Row (43, 48, 55), [(43, 50, 55), (45, 52, 57), (48, 52, 60)] -- Complete the toe shaping by working paired decreases every row as follows:

RS Rows:  Work to 2 stitches before the center toe marker, k2tog, skp, work to end of row

WS Rows:  Work to 2 stitches before center toe marker, ssp, p2tog, work to end of row

nonaSays  If you forget how to work any of these decreases, please refer back to Act I for details.

Repeat the decrease row (10, 11, 13), [(10, 12, 13), (11, 13, 14), (11, 13, 14)] more times.  You'll know you're done when you're back to 2 stitches between the center toe marker and the end of the toe.

Last Decrease Row -- Row (53, 59, 68), [(53, 62, 68), (56, 65, 71), (59, 65, 74)] -- When working this last decrease row reposition your stitch markers as follows:

Keep the cuff marker and center heel marker.
Remove the center toe marker.

When finished with this row, you should be back to:

8 cuff stitches,
(41, 41, 41), [(43, 43, 43), (43, 43, 43), (46, 46, 46)]  leg stitches,
2 heel stitches -- 1 on either side of the center heel marker -- and
(39, 38, 33), [(41, 38, 35), (42, 37, 36), (45, 41, 39)] foot stitches

For a total of (90, 89, 84), [(94, 91, 88), (95, 90, 89), (101, 97, 95)]  stitches.

Go back and mark the last toe edge stitch by slipping a safety pin around the edge stitch on the needle.   Again, you'll be glad you did when we get to the Grand Finale.

Intermission

Can you see the toe forminig, kind of like a little pocket?  Are you tempted to slip your toes inside?  Go ahead, no one’s looking.

Tomorrow in Act IV, you'll finish shaping the heel using paired increases.  You're getting so close!