Smocked Leaves Sock

Spring is such a wonderful time of the year. Perfect for walks in the park and holding hands with someone you love.  Perfect for sitting on a bench, knitting in hand, looking at the new growth of the vines that grow over and through the fence. I can almost watch the leaves unfolding.  These top down socks capture all those things –  a bright sunny color, stitches that seem to hold hands and leaves that grow through the twisted ribbing.

Size

Women’s medium 8 inch (20 cm) circumference, length adjustable.

Yarn

Sample Shown in Cascade Heritage Solids, 437 yds (400 meters)/100 gms (3.53 ounces) 1 skein.  Any fingering weight yarn can be substituted. Shown in Lemon.

Needles

Size US 1 (2.5 mm): circular or dpn needles for working in the round.

Notions

St markers, large eyed tapestry needle for grafting and weaving in ends, optional sock blockers.

Gauge

32 sts and 36 rows = 4” [10 cm] in St st after wet blocking.

Pattern Notes

This pattern is worked in the round from the cuff down.

Any fingering weight sock yarn can be used.

Any style heel and toe can be used, if you have a favorite.

Double Smock Stitch: *Insert RH needle between sts 4 and 5 of LH needle, wrap yarn around as if to k, pull through and place this loop on LH needle, repeat from * one more time, k3tog (the two new loops and the next st), p2, k1tbl. (The two loops will twist together and “hold hands” at the front of the work.

Chart

Sock Instructions

Cuff

CO 72 sts, pm, join to begin working in the round being careful not to twist.

Ribbing

Rnd 1: P1, *ktbl, p2, repeat from * to last 2 sts, ktbl, p1.

Repeat Rnd 1 a total of 12 times.

Leg

Work chart rnds 1 – 68.

Heel Flap

Set up Row 1 (RS): P1, *k1tbl, p2, repeat from * a total of 5 times, k1tbl, p1, turn. (18 sts)

Set up Row 2 (WS): Sl1, p35.

These 36 sts make up the heel flap. The other sts will rem unworked while you create the heel flap.

Row 1: *Sl1, k1, repeat from * across 36 heel sts.

Row 2: Sl1, p35.

Repeat these two rows a total of 18 times. (36 rows worked)

Turn the Heel

Row 1 (RS): Sl1, k20, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 2 (WS): Sl1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 3: Sl1, k8, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 4:  Sl1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn.

Repeat rows 3 & 4, working one additional st before each decrease until all sts have been worked. (22 sts rem on this needle.)

K22, pick up and knit 19 sts along the gusset, pm, working twisted rib as established over instep, pm, pick up and knit 19 sts along the gusset. K 11 sts to center heel.  (Place a different m if desired, this is our start of round position. This m is not included in the Gusset or Toe instructions.)

Gusset

Rnd 1:  K to within 3 sts of the first m, k2tog, k1, sm, work twisted rib as established across 36 sts, sm, k1, ssk, k to end of rnd.

Rnd 2: K to first m, sm, work twisted rib as established across 36 sts, sm, k to end of round.

Repeat these two rounds until 36 sts rem on the sole. 72 sts total. (Leave the markers in for ease in working the toe decreases.)

Checking foot length frequently, maintain twisted ribbing as established across the instep and k all sts across the sole until 2.5 inches [6 cm] less than desired length.

Toe

Rnd 1:  K to within 3 sts of first m, k2tog, k1, sm, k1, ssk, maintain twisted ribbing as established to within 3 sts of second m, k2tog, k1, sm, k1, ssk, k to end of rnd (4 sts dec’d).

Rnd 2: K to first m, maintain twisted ribbing as established to second m, k to end of rnd.

Work these two rnds a total of 10 times (10 repeats of the 2 rows), 32 total sts rem.

Repeat rnd 1 (decrease rnd) 4 more times. (16 sts rem)

K across to first m. Resituate sts, if needed, so that all the instep sts are on one needle and all the sole sts are on another.  Cut yarn, leaving a long tail and graft the two sides together using a Kitchener St.

Finishing

Weave in your ends, block if desired and unless you were working two at a time, knit the other sock, taking care to match row counts from first sock.

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