Knitted Socks 220 Yards worsted weight yarn – Gauge: 5 stiches per inch with US #3 double pointed needles Cast on 44 stitches. If adjusting size, make sure stiches are divisible by 4 for ribbing pattern. Divide stitches across 3 double pointed needles (12 – 20 – 12) and work in ribbing (K2 P2) until piece measures 5 inches long. For the Dutch heel The heel flap is knit on half of the foot stitches – 22. Put 22 stitches on a holder. To knit the heel stitch Row one - *Slip 1 stitch, Knit across. Row 2 – Slip the first stitch and Purl across By slipping the first stitch of each row, you will make a series of loops on each side of the heel flap which will make it easier to pick up stitches for the gusset. Repeat these two rows 10 times, or about 2.5 – 3”. It will depend on how deep you need your heel flap. Measure from your anklebone to the floor to get a rough idea of how far you need to knit. The only sure way to know is to knit a sock and try it on, but the guesstimate is a good place to start. Now to turn the heal: It sounds scary at first, and confusing, and illogical, but if you follow the instructions blindly, without letting your brain argue, and have faith that everything will turn out fine, you’ll be able to do it with little or no hair pulling. You will be working with the stitches of the heel flap – 22 stitches. It goes like this: Row 1 = Slip the first stitch, Knit 14, Knit 2 together, turn. Row 2 – Slip the first stitch, Purl 7, Purl 2 together, turn. Row -3 Slip the first stitch, Knit 7, Knit 2 together, turn. Repeat rows 2 and 3 until there are 8 stitches left on the needle. You will not be knitting every stitch on each row. You will be creating short rows that will form a cup that will follow the shape of your heel. The stitch count will decrease with each row. End on a RS row, which means you will have to Purl across to finish where you need to be. Knit these 8 stitches. With a crochet hook, pick up one stitch in each of the slipped stitches on the sides of the heel flap. The number will vary, and that’s okay. It’s always good to “fake it” and pick up a couple of extra stitches at the beginning and end of the heel flap – this will help eliminate any holes. I picked up 15 stitches on the first side of the heel flap, knit across the stitches previously neglected on the third needle (the instep stitches), then picked up another 15 stitches on the other side of the heel flap, and knit across the heal stitches to the beginning. This brought my total stitch count to 60 stitches. This may vary, but don’t be too worried about it. The important things are these: 1. It’s always better to pick up more stitches than fewer – this way you socks won’t have gaps at the sides. 2. Be sure that you pick up the same number of stitches on each side of the heel flap. If you can’t, it’s not a big deal, just make sure that you decrease on the side with more stitches in the first round, so that the numbers end up even. Now for the gusset decreases: Knit one round even – this will even out the picked up stitches and make the decreases easier to perform – picked up stitches sometimes are tight and don’t like to be knit together. Put the stitches on four needles: the picked up stitches on the left side of the gusset on needle 1, the instep stitches on needle 2, the picked up stitches on the right side of the gusset on needle 3 and he heel stitches on needle 4. Next round: Knit to the 3rd stitch from the end, Knit 2 together, Knit the last stitch on needle 1. Knit the instep stitches even. Knit 1, Knit 2 together, knit to the end of needle 3. Knit even across needle 4 to the end. Next round: Knit even. Repeat these two rounds until you reach 44 stitches, alternating a decrease round with an even round. This works for most feet. If you have a narrow heel or foot, you may need to do two decrease rounds, followed by one even round until your reach the number of stitches you need. Knitter’s choice - if your socks are regularly loose around the ankle, you may want to try this way, if not, consider yourself lucky and continue on to the foot. Rearrange the needles so that there are 22 stitches on needle 2, and 11 stitches on needles 1 and 3. After the gusset decreases are done, it’s time for the foot. This is just endless rounds of stockinet stitch, around and around. It helps to make a mark on a scrap of paper or use a row counter if you are as anal as I am about making the socks identical. That way you only have to measure one sock, and the second becomes very meditative. Stop knitting when the sock measures 1 1/2” less than the length of your foot from the back of the heel to the tip of your longest toe. Measure the sock from the back of the heel flap to the bottom of the current round of stitches to check your progress. This may vary slightly depending on your row gauge. If you measure how far 11 rows is, you can subtract that from your foot measurement, and calculate how soon to start the toe decreases. Once you reach this point, it’s time for the toe decrease. Needle 1 – Knit until 3 stitches from the end, Knit 2 together, Knit 1 Needle 2 - Knit 1, knit 2 together, Knit until 3 stitches form the end, Knit 2 together, Knit 1 Needle 3 – Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Knit to the end. Next round – Knit even around. Repeat these two rounds 6 times – 20 stitches remain. Knit across needle 1. Put the stiches from needle 1 and 3 onto one needle. Graft the two together using the Kitchner stitch, run in all the loose ends on the inside of the sock and then you’re done.
Men's Sox
Cast on 48
K2p2 for 5 inches
Sock measures 9 inches from heal to toe