Sock construction is endlessly fascinating to me. That you can choose from which end of the sock you start at (or even somewhere in the middle!), as well as selecting from myriad heel options means that there should be a well-fitting sock for everyone.

I generally knit socks from the cuff down, simply because that’s how I learned to knit socks, and I can make that sock, to fit me well, without having to look up a pattern. However, there are times when working from the toe-up is preferable:

• With a new to me yarn, I can guesstimate the needles to use and then increase until the sock fits me

• When the yarn is special and I want to use as much as possible

• Just for a change!

This month’s Boost Your Knitting technique is a toe-up heel with a gusset. A gusset is a series of increases that gives more space at the upper foot, and the construction used in Wendy D. Johnson’s cute Alcedo Socks is nifty, since it avoids any need to pick up stitches.