by Hunter Hammersen

People find the inspiration for their knitting patterns in all sorts of places. Some folks find it in beautiful landscapes or uplifting personal stories or exotic travels. I confess, my inspiration for these socks came from something a bit more humble: a snail shell. More specifically, from an exquisite drawing of a snail shell found in William Turton's A Manual of the Land and Fresh-Water Shells of the British Islands, Arranged According to the More Modern Systems of Classification; and Described from Perfect Specimens in the Author's Cabinet; with Coloured Plates of Every Species, published in 1840.

The precision of this tiny image (it's only an inch and a half wide) and its delicate colors (still lovely after more than 170 years) are enchanting. I loved finding just the right yarn and just the right stitches to evoke the shapes seen in the simple little snail shell, and I adore the resulting socks.

Editor's note: see this image in the Materials section below.

I've had the pleasure of working with lots of prints like this one over the past few years. They've been the inspiration for the patterns in the Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet series of books. The first two volumes used prints of plants and butterflies. The third volume, due out June 2014, uses prints of amazing sealife. You can find out more about the books on their website.

SIZE
S[M, L, XL]
Shown in size Large

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Finished foot circumference: 5.75[7, 7.5, 9.25] inches
Foot length: adjustable to fit.
Leg length: adjustable
Choose a size about an inch smaller than the circumference of your foot.

Notions
2 stitch markers
yarn needle

GAUGE

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

The stitch count of the sock changes depending on the row of the chart you're following.

Centered quadruple knit decrease: Slip 3 together at the same time (as if working a k3tog). Knit 2 together. Pass the slipped stitches over.

1 into 5 increase: Knit, purl, knit, purl, and knit into the same stitch. 5 sts made from 1.

Instructions for grafting can be found here:

DIRECTIONS

Work as set until sock leg measures desired length, ending with chart row 12.

Heel Flap:
Turn so that WS is facing.
Row 1 [WS]: Work appropriate size Heel chart row 1 across 23[29, 31, 39] sts, turn.

Row 2 [RS]: Work appropriate size Heel chart row 2 across 23[29, 31, 39] sts, turn.

Repeat Rows 1-2 11[13, 16, 18] more times, or until heel flap reaches desired length.

Heel Turn:
Row 1 [WS]: Sl1, p13[15, 17, 21], p2tog, p1.
Row 2 [RS]: Sl1, k6[4, 6, 6], ssk, k1.
Row 3 [WS]: Sl1, p7[5, 7, 7], p2tog, p1.
Row 4 [RS]: Sl1, k8[6, 8, 8], ssk, k1.
Row 5 [WS]: Sl1, p9[7, 9, 9], p2tog, p1.
Row 6 [RS]: Sl1, k10[8, 10, 10], ssk, k1.
Row 7 [WS]: Sl1, p11[9, 11, 11], p2tog, p1.
Row 8 [RS]: Sl1, k12[10, 12, 12], ssk, k1.

Size S -- 15 sts rem. Proceed to Gusset
Row 9 [WS]: Sl1, p-[11, 13, 13], p2tog, p1.
Row 10 [RS]: Sl1, k-[12, 14, 14], ssk, k1.
Row 11 [WS]: Sl1, p-[13, 15, 15], p2tog, p1.
Row 12 [RS]: Sl1, k-[14, 16, 16], ssk, k1.
Sizes M & L -[-, 17, 19] sts rem. Proceed to Gusset

Row 13 [WS]: Sl1, p-[-, -, 17], p2tog, p1.
Row 14 [RS]: Sl1, k-[-, -, 18], ssk, k1.
Row 15 [WS]: Sl1, p-[-, -, 19], p2tog, p1.
Row 16 [RS]: Sl1, k-[-, -, 20], ssk, k1.
23 sts rem.

Gusset round 1: K until 3[4, 3, 4] stitches remain before first marker, k2tog, p1[2, 1, 2]; work across instep in pattern as set; p1[2, 1, 2], ssk, k to end of round. 2 stitches decreased.

Gusset round 2: K until 1[2, 1, 2] stitches remain before first marker, p1[2, 1, 2]; work across instep in pattern as set; p1[2, 1, 2], k to end of round.

Repeat the last 2 rounds 7[7, 10, 10] more times, until 50[62, 66, 82] stitches remain.

Work even in pattern as set until foot measures 2[2.25, 2.5, 2.75] inches shorter than desired length, end after completing row 4 or 10 of the Main Chart.

Toe
Note: as you work the Toe decrease, you will continue to work the ribbing pattern as set on the center of instep.

Toe round 1: K until 3[4, 3, 4] stitches remain before first marker, k2tog, p1[2, 1, 2]; k1 tbl, p1[2, 1, 2], ssk, work ribbing as set until 4[5, 4, 5] stitches remain before second marker, k2tog, p1[2, 1, 2], k1 tbl; p1[2, 1, 2], ssk, k to end of round. 4 stitches decreased.

Toe round 2: K until 1[2, 1, 2] stitches remain before first marker, p1[2, 1, 2]. Follow ribbing as established by row 1 of the Main Chart. P1[2, 1, 2], k to end of round.

Repeat these 2 rounds 2[5, 6, 10] more times. 38 stitches remain.

Work Toe round 1 5 more times. 18 stitches remain.

K to first marker. Remove markers. Graft toe closed.

FINISHING
Block as desired and weave in ends.

Hunter began designing, almost by accident, in 2009. In 2012, she released her first self-published book, The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet: 20 Patterns Inspired by Vintage Botanical Illustrations. Volume II followed in 2013, and Volume III is debuting in June 2014.

You can find more information about her books at Pantsville Press or see what she's up to on her blog, Violently Domestic.