Knitty: little purls of wisdom
Title
beauty shot
Tangy

Putting on that first pair of handknit socks to welcome cooler weather is a beloved fall ritual. But as autumn becomes further entrenched, sometimes even our woolliest socks can't fend off the cold. The solution? Stranded knitting. It creates a double layer of warmth to fend off those chilly autumn breezes.

Volteado ("flipped") takes the popular chevron pattern we’re seeing everywhere these days and turns it on its side, mixing zig zag stripes of varying widths for warm, cozy socks that are fun to knit. I first imagined this pattern on mittens, but once I had the yarn in my hands, I knew it was destined for socks.

Frequent color changes eliminate those pesky long floats that toes might get caught in. Vertical stripes on the bottom create an extra cushiony sole, while single color heels and toes prevent bunching in unfortunate areas.

 

spacer photos: Kristen Jancuk
 

SIZE
Women's S[L]

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Foot circumference: 8[9] inches
Leg length: adjustable
Foot length: adjustable

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MATERIALS
Yarn

Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering Weight[80% superwash merino, 20% nylon; 385m (420yds) per 115g skein]
spacer [MC] Plum; 1 skein
spacer [CC] Sunset; 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
spacer US #1.5/2.5mm needles for working in the round: DPNs, 1 long circular or 2 short circulars
spacer US #2/2.75mm needles for working in the round: DPNs, 1 long circular or 2 short circulars

Notions
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GAUGE

36 sts/36 rounds = 4 inches in charted pattern stitch
32 sts/40 rounds = 4 inches in single color stockinette stitch
 

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

chartMost socks are designed to be worn with negative ease; however, due to the inflexible nature of stranded fabric, these socks were designed with zero ease.

Kitchener Stitch:
Instructions for grafting can be found here.

DIRECTIONS

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Cuff
With smaller needles and MC, CO 72[80] sts. Distribute sts across needles as you prefer and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Ribbing rnd:
Small:[P1, k1, p2, k3, p2, k2, p1] around.
Large:[P1, k1, p1, k3, p2, k1, p1] around.
Work Ribbing as set for 10 rounds total, or until cuff measures 1 inch.

Leg
Switch to larger needles.

Join CC and begin working Rnd 1 of Small[Large] Chart. Charted pattern repeats 6[8] times around leg.

Work chart rnds 1-22[1-18] once, then, beginning with Rnd 3, continue to rep chart rnds 3-22[3-18] until leg reaches 6 inches, or desired length.

Next rnd: Work across first 36[40] stitches in charted pattern, then drop CC, noting where you left off on chart. You will continue to work heel over remaining 36[40] sts, using MC only.

Heel
Row 1 [RS]: K35[39], w&t.
Row 2 [WS]: P34[38], w&t.
Row 3 [RS]: K33[37], w&t.
Row 4 [WS]: P32[36], w&t.
Row 5 [RS]: K31[35], w&t.
Row 6 [WS]: P30[34], w&t.
Row 7 [RS]: K29[33], w&t.
Row 8 [WS]: P28[32], w&t.
Row 9 [RS]: K27[31], w&t.
Row 10 [WS]: P26[30], w&t.
Row 11 [RS]: K25[29], w&t.
Row 12 [WS]: P24[28], w&t.
Row 13 [RS]: K23[27], w&t.
Row 14 [WS]: P22[26], w&t.
Row 15 [RS]: K21[25], w&t.
Row 16 [WS]: P20[24], w&t.
Row 17 [RS]: K19[23], w&t.
Row 18 [WS]: P18[22], w&t.
Row 19 [RS]: K17[21], w&t.
Row 20 [WS]: P16[20], w&t.
Row 21 [RS]: K15[19], w&t.
Row 22 [WS]: P14[18], w&t.
Row 23 [RS]: K13[17], w&t.
Row 24 [WS]: P12[16], w&t.

Size L only:
Row 25 [RS]: K15, w&t.
Row 26 [WS]: P14, w&t.

Heel Turn Step 2:
Row 1 [RS]: K11[13] to first wrapped st; knit st together with wrap, then wrap following st and turn.
Row 2 [WS]: P12[14] to first wrapped st; purl st together with wrap, then wrap following st and turn.
Row 3 [RS]: K to double wrapped st; knit st together with both wraps, then wrap following st and turn.
Row 4 [WS]: P to double wrapped st; purl st together with both wraps, then wrap following st and turn.

Repeat Rows 3-4 until all wrapped sts have been worked, ending with WS row.

Foot
Pick up CC to begin working in the round with both colors again.
Work next 36[40] sts, now the sole of the sock, as follows: (K1 CC, k1 MC) 9[10] times, (k1 MC, k1 CC) to end.

This is now the start of the round, and Sole pattern is set.

Continue as established, working Small[Large] Chart pattern across first 36[40] sts for instep and sole pattern as set across rem of round, until foot is 2 inches shorter than desired length. Cut CC.

Toe
Toe is worked in MC only.

Rnd 1: K1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of instep, k2tog, k1; k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of sole, k2tog, k1. 4 sts decreased.
Rnd 2: Knit.
Rep Rnds 1-2 9[11] more times, until 32 sts remain, then work Rnd 1 only 4 times, until 16 sts remain. Cut yarn, leaving long tail.

Place first 8 sts on one needle, and next 8 sts on second needle.
Graft toe closed using Kitchener stitch.

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FINISHING
Weave in all ends. Block over sock blockers to smooth out uneven stitches and even out floats.

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ABOUT THE DESIGNER

designernamespacer Kristen Jancuk, the creative force behind MediaPeruana Designs, is a freelance translator by day and works furiously on too many knitting projects once her toddler is finally asleep for the night.

She documents her knitting adventures here.

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