I love self-striping yarn, and socks are perfect for it! The yarn gives me an excuse to use colors I’d never use (or wear) otherwise, and they look so much more complicated than they are.
This simple cuff-down anklet uses a worsted weight yarn so it’s super-quick to work up and the Strong heel keeps the stripes mostly uninterrupted. It’s a great intro to this fun heel and the best part (for me) is no picking up of stitches!
Yarn
1 skein (218 yards) Knit Picks Felici Worsted in Time Traveler.
Needles
One pair of US #6 (4.0 mm) circular needles in your preferred length for magic loop. I prefer 24” for this so I can avoid a lot of sliding of the yarn on the cables, but many people prefer 32” or even 40”.
Gauge
22 sts and 28 rows = 4”/10 cm
errata added August 13, 2017 and October 19, 2020
Notions
Yarn needle
Abbreviations
Please see our standard abbreviations.
RLI – Right Lifted Increase
LLI – Left Lifted Increase
See our tutorial on Lifted Increases.
Socks
Cuff
CO 44 sts and join in the round, being careful not to twist.
Rnd 1: *K2, p2, rep from * around.
Work above round for 1”.
Heel
For the rest of the sock, Needle 1 (N1) has the instep sts and Needle 2 (N2) has the heel sts.
Move 2 sts from N1 to N2 so N2 starts and ends with a K2. You’ll have 24 sts on N2.
Rnd 1: (N1): Work in est ribbing patt; (N2): k1, rli, k until 1 st rem, lli, k1
Rnd 2: (N1): Work in est ribbing patt; (N2): k around.
Rep rnds 1 and 2 until there are 46 sts on N2.
Heel Turn
This part is worked flat, just over N2.
Turn the sock so you are ready to work a WS row.
Setup Row 1 (WS): Sl1, p22, pm, p1, p2tog, p1, turn.
Setup Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k3, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 1 (WS): Sl1, p until 1 st of gap, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k until 1 st of gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Rep above 2 rows until all side sts have been worked and N2 is back to 24 sts.
Instep
Return to knitting in the round.
Next Rnd: Work in est ribbing patt; (N2): k around.
Rep above rnd until you have 2” of the foot rem.
Toe
Move the 2 sts back from N2 to N1 so each needle has 22 sts.
Dec Rnd: (N1) K1, k2tog, k until 3 sts rem, ssk, k1, rep for N2 (4 sts dec’d)
Plain Rnd: Knit around
Rep above 2 rnds until there are 14 sts on each needle (a total of 28 sts).
Then, just work Dec Rnd until there are 8 sts on each needle (a total of 16 sts).
Finishing
Join the 2 edges with Kitchener Stitch.
You’re done! Now CO for Sock #2 before you lose your mojo.
I’ve been looking for a pattern to make my first pair of socks. These are right up my alley! Is it possible to use a 12″ circular needle instead of working in ML? I’d also like to add a small k1, p1 ribbed top at the ankle. Could I do this prior to beginning the normal k2, p2 per the pattern? Your help will be greatly appreciated!
you definitely can use a 12″ circular needle! whatever works for you! i’ve tried the 12″ and i love the concept, but they just don’t work for me.
and yes, the k1, p1 rib should work fine!
what yarn and colorway are you thinking of using?
What does “rli” and “like” stand for? I checked std abbreviations and didnt find anything.
“lli” is what I meant, not “like”
RLI is Right Lifted Increase and LLI is Left Lifted Increase. Here’s the link on how to do them https://knotions.com/techniques/how-to-knit-lifted-increases/. I’ll also add the link to the pattern (I meant to!).