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.
Tutorials
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.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER – MARY E. ROSE
Mary learned to knit as a young child and it has had an impact on her life ever since. As a teen, when her friends were getting jobs at fast food restaurants, Mary worked at her LYS, where the hours and working conditions were much better.
As with many knitters, when she couldn’t find patterns for what she wanted to knit, she started designing her own.
She currently lives in Central Ohio with her three children, who also craft. She can be found on Ravelry and her blog, or with knitting needles in hand, guarding her stash.
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