Everything you ever wanted to know about socks but were afraid to ask....
This pattern is knitted using 5mm double pointed needles and Aran or
chunky wool, it makes a thick, comfy plain sock suitable for medium to
large adult sizes and is easy and fast to knit. You need between 90 and
100g of wool for a typical pair of socks.
Most knitters find they can make one of these socks in an evening, so
they are ideal quick knits for gifts. Go down a needle size for a
firmer knit if you like, the no-frills nature of this pattern makes it
a good first sock for a beginner.
You could knit this in a feltable wool and shrink it to make snug
slippers, or try using dk wool and 3.5 or 3.75mm needles for a child
sized version with no pattern alteration.
CAST ON: 40 stitches and distribute them over three needles: (13 on first two needles, 14 on the last. )
Join without twisting into a triangle and prepare to start knitting at the first stitch you cast on.
RIBBING: Knit two, purl two for 10 rounds. This gives a chunky rib.
LEG: Knit for 20 rounds (this
gives a short sock good for wearing round the house like a slipper, if
you have more wool available, by all means make the leg longer for a
boot sock)
HEEL FLAP: Knit across needle
one then continue to knit some stitches from needle two onto needle one
so you have 20 stitches on needle one. Divide the remaining 20 stitches
onto the other two needles. You will knit the flap using the needle
with 20 stitches on it. You start with the wrong side facing you ( as
if to purl) :
ROW ONE: Slip 1 (insert needle as if to purl, but slide the stitch onto
the righthand needle without actually knitting into it), then purl
across the rest of the row; TURN
ROW TWO: Slip 1, knit 1 (repeat across, sl1-k1); TURN; This gives
an effect a little like rib, with one large stitch next to a tight one
and makes a nice cushioned heel.
Do this for 20 rows (you will have 10 rows of big loops visible, count from those).
End on a second row (so that the purl side is facing for the next row.)
TURN THE HEEL:
1st row: purl 13, p 2 tog, p1; TURN;
2nd row: slip 1, k7, slip 1, k1, psso (pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch), k1; TURN;
3rd row: slip 1, p8, p2tog; p1; TURN;
4th row: slip 1, k9, slip 1, k1, psso, k1; TURN;
5th row: slip 1, p10, p2tog; p1; TURN;
6th row: slip 1, k11, slip 1, k1, psso, k1;
You should now have 14 stitches on your heel needle.
PICK UP THE HEEL STITCHES:
Have the right side of your work facing you. Using the little
"slipped stitch loops" you made at the start of the rows you are going
to pick up stitches along the sides of the heel flap onto the needle
currently holding the heel stitches. There are several ways to do this,
I find it easiest to use the spare needle to pick up the loops then
knit them using the heel needle.
Pick up/knit 10 stitches along the left side of heel flap.
With the free needle, knit across the 20 stitches that have up until
now been on two needles (knit them onto one during this row).
Now pick up 10 stitches along the remaining side of heel flap. Knit 7 stitches off the heel needle onto this needle
KNITTING THE HEEL GUSSET:
Check that your stitches are now arranged so that you have the starting
point of the round as the middle of the heel and stitches as follows:
First needle, 17 st; second needle (across top of foot) 20 st; third needle, 17 st.
We now decrease so the foot after the heel has the same number of stitches as the leg:
FIRST ROUND:
Needle one: knit to last 3 stitches; k2tog, k1;
Needle two: knit
Needle three: k1, slip 1, k1, psso. Knit to end of needle.
SECOND ROUND: knit around
Continue these two rounds until you are back to 40 stitches,
(needle 1: 10stitches; needle 2: 20stitches; needle 3: 10 stitches)
Continue knitting without decreases until foot measures desired length
(about 2 inches shorter than the foot its intended for, you can do the
'ninja sock of death' manoeuver and try it on whilst in progress to see
how it looks)
TOE DECREASES:
FIRST ROUND:
Needle one: knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
Needle two: k1, slip 1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 stitches; k2tog, k1
Needle three: k1, slip 1, k1, psso, knit to end of row.
SECOND ROUND: knit around
Continue these two rounds until 20 stitches remain.
Knit stitches from first needle onto third needle.
You will now have 10 stitches on each of two needles.
Graft the two sets of ten stitches together to finish the toe. (Kitchener stitch is ideal for this)
Make the second sock by the same method to the first, weave in any ends, and wriggle your toes in cosy comfort.
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