by Brenda Patipa

My BFF and I have been friends for about 21 years.  (She is not a knitter).  During these 21 years she has talked me into many crazy adventures.  Midnight movies and holiday shopping, “special” early morning sale events (not for yarn), waiting in long lines for concert tickets and driving around searching for certain, to remain nameless, small plush toys that were popular collector items many years ago, just to name a few. 

We have co-chaired many school and community projects together and been each other’s date at social events when our husbands did not want to go. We have taken many road trips together. Denise drives so I can knit. 

There have been shared celebrations and sadness.  We are each other’s rock, cheerleader and extended family, yet  I don’t know if I have ever told her how grateful I am for her friendship. 

Gratitude was designed with friendship in mind.  It’s tessellations with twisted rib, lace and cables remind me how interconnected we all are on our path through life, with a few potholes along the way. 

There is pattern every round to keep you on your toes, but it is very intuitive. It’s shown in a very decadent cashmere/silk blend suitable for lounging and a superwash wool for long wear.

We're giving away a kit to knit these socks, with yarn generously supplied by Lisa Souza! More details on our Contest page...

SIZE
Women’s S [M, L, XL]

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 7 [7.5, 8, 8.5] inches, blocked but unstretched
Foot Length: Adjustable to fit.

MATERIALS
Yarn
Dark version: Lisa Souza Knitwear and Dyeworks, Cashmere Silk Fingering; [55% Bombyx Silk, 45% Cashmere, 400 yards per 2 oz. skein]; Marionberry; 1 skein
Light version: Lisa Souza Knitwear and Dyeworks, Sock!; [75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 450 yards per 4 oz. skein]; Zazu; 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US #0/2mm double-point needles and
1 set US #1/2.25mm double-point needles
OR
2 US #0/2mm circular needles for two-circulars method and
2 US #1/2.25mm circular needles for two-circulars method

Notions
Tapestry needle
Cable needle
4 stitch markers

GAUGE

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

The patterning on the foot is worked in a slightly unusual manner. Instead of dividing the stitches evenly, there is one more stitch in the instep than in the sole – this allows the patterning on the foot to be symmetrical.

The leg is worked with the larger size needle. The heel flap, gusset and sole stitches are worked with needles one size smaller. This addresses the issue of the stitch pattern not being super stretchy. For this reason, the sock needs to be worked on double-pointed or two-circular needles; Magic Loop won’t work.

C6B: Slip next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back; k3, then k3 from cn.

C6F: Slip next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front; k3, then k3 from cn.

C8B: Slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold in back; k4, then k4 from cn.

C8F: Slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold in front; k4, then k4 from cn.

DIRECTIONS
Loosely cast on 60[66, 72, 80] sts onto the larger needle(s). Distribute stitches as you prefer and join, being careful not to twist. Note or mark beginning of round.

Round 1: Work chart row 1 for appropriate size around round.

Work as established following appropriate size. Once 43[46, 49, 43] rounds are complete, continue repeating only chart rows 22-43[23-46, 24-49, 22-43], until leg is desired length, ending with row 34[36, 38, 34]. The socks photographed have legs 7 inches long.

Heel Flap:
Turn so that WS is facing. Heel flap is worked back and forth in rows on 29[32, 35, 39] sts following the appropriate chart for your size. The pattern extends into the heel flap. Repeat the last row 21[24, 27, 31] more times. 30[36, 38, 40] rows total.

Heel Turn:
Row 1 [WS]: Sl 1, p15[18, 19, 21], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2 [RS]: Sl 1, k4[7, 6, 6], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3 [WS]: Sl 1, p5[8, 7, 7], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4 [RS]: Sl 1, k6[9, 8, 8], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5 [WS]: Sl 1, p7[10, 9, 9], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6 [RS]: Sl 1, k8[11,10, 10], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7 [WS]: Sl 1, p9[12, 11, 11], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8 [RS]: Sl 1, k10[13, 12, 12], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9 [WS]: Sl 1, p11[14, 13, 13], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10 [RS]: Sl 1, k12[15, 14, 14], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 11 [WS]: Sl 1, p13[16, 15, 15], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 12 [RS]: Sl 1, k14[17, 16, 16], ssk, k1.

Sizes Small & Medium: 17[20] sts rem. Proceed to Gusset.

Large & XL Only
Turn.
Row 13 [WS]: Sl 1, p17[17], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 14 [RS]: Sl 1, k18[18], ssk, k1.
21 sts rem.

XL Only
Turn.
Row 15 [WS]: Sl 1, p19, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 16 [RS]: Sl 1, k20, ssk, k1.
23 sts rem.

Gusset:
17[20, 21, 23] sts remain after heel turn.

Place a marker for start of first gusset.  With RS facing, using smaller needle, pick up and knit 16[18, 20, 21] sts along the side of the heel flap for right gusset. Place marker for end of gusset/start of instep sts. With larger needle, work across 31[34, 37, 41] instep sts following next row of appropriate chart and place a marker for end of instep/start of second gusset. With smaller needle, pick up and knit 16[18, 20, 21] sts along the side of the heel flap for left gusset. Note: This round corresponds to the setup round on the gusset charts, shown as a guide to help you place the patterning. Place a marker for end of gusset.

Continuing: knit the 8[10,11, 12] heel sts, and place a marker for start of round. 80[90, 98, 106] sts total. 31[34, 37, 41] on instep, 49[56, 61, 65] on sole.

Start of round is at center of heel The instep sts will be worked with the larger needle, and the sole sts with the smaller needle. Ensure your stitches are distributed appropriately.

Gusset decreases:
Follow the appropriate chart for the gussets, repeating the patterning as indicated across instep . 60[66, 72, 80] sts after decreases complete.

Foot:
Work even as established, repeating patterning across instep as per leg until the foot length reaches the base of the toes when measured from back of heel, removing instep markers on final round.

Toe:
Toe is worked with smaller needles only – change the larger needle(s) for smaller needle(s) as required.

Sizes S, M, L only
Round 1: [K8[9, 10, -] k2tog] to end of round. 54[60, 66, -] sts
Round 2 and all even rounds: Knit
Round 3: [K7[8, 9, -] k2tog] to end of round. 48[54, 60, -] sts
Round 5: [K6[7, 8, -] k2tog] to end of round. 42[48, 54 -] sts.
Round 7: [K5[6, 7, -] k2tog] to end of round. 36[42, 48, -] sts.
Round 9: [K4[5, 6, -] k2tog] to end of round. 30[36, 42, -] sts.
Round 11: [K3[4, 5, -] k2tog] to end of round. 24[30, 36, -] sts.
Round 13: [K2[3, 4, -] k2tog] to end of round. 18[24, 30] sts.
Round 15: [K1[2, 3, -] k2tog] to end of round. 12[18, 24] sts.

Size S only:
Round 17: K2tog to end of round. 6 sts.

Size M only:
Round 17: [K1, k2tog] to end of round. 12 sts.
Round 19: K2tog to end of round. 6 sts.

Size L only:
Round 17: [K2, k2tog] to end of round. 18 sts.
Round 19: [K1, k2tog] to end of round. 12 sts.
Round 21: K2tog to end of round. 6 sts.

Size XL only:
Round 1: [K8, k2tog] to end of round. 72 sts.
Rounds 2 & 3; 5 & 6; 8 & 9; 11 & 12; 14 & 15; 17 & 18; 20 & 21; 23 & 24: Knit
Round 4: [K7, k2tog] to end of round. 64 sts.
Round 7: [K6, k2tog] to end of round. 56 sts.
Round 10: [K5, k2tog] to end of round. 48 sts.
Round 13: [K4, k2tog] to end of round.40 sts.
Round 16: [K3, k2tog] to end of round. 32 sts.
Round 19: [K2, k2tog] to end of round. 24 sts.
Round 22: [K1, k2tog] to end of round. 16 sts.
Round 25: K2tog to end of round. 8 sts.

All sizes: Cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail. Use a tapestry needle to pull yarn thru the remaining stitches several times. Pull tight. Pull tail to inside.

FINISHING

Weave in ends. Block.

Brenda’s designs are fueled by the creative energy of the San Francisco Bay Area. Her artistic vibe and desire to explore new techniques infuses her various creative outlets of cooking, beading, and most of all, knitting. 

You can find more of Brenda’s designs here and here. She's on Ravelry as Beeeepatipaknits and Twitter as bpatipaknits.