by Lara Neel

This sweet little sock is a tribute to the idea that something rather simple can look truly beautiful, and be functional as well.

Since Simply Socks Yarn Company opened its showroom in August of last year, I’ve been spreading my sock-knitting and color-loving wings, partly due to the dazzling panoply of color I encounter when I stand in front of the display of their custom-dyed solid sock yarns.

I’ve been a self-described Color Fearist (instead of theorist), but something about combining colors into one-round stripes has unlocked several possibilities for me. I chose these two colors, Chocolate and Tangerine, because they reminded me of one of my favorite forms of chewy chocolate - Tootsie Rolls.

The two colors of Simply Socks Yarn Company’s Simply Sock yarn wind around this sock, switching on every round. A column of purl stitches eliminates the need for any concerns about color jogs. The stitch pattern, in effect, hides the changes from round to round. The twisted stitches lift up parts of the fabric as well, making the colors ripple together, like marble or swirls of fudge.

The afterthought sock heel uses a toe-up gusset construction as a starting point and very closely imitates the form and function of a traditional flap-and-gusset heel. There are no picked-up stitches, except for what is picked up from waste yarn, and since the heel stitches are independent of the rest of the foot, the entire thing can be removed and replaced, if needed. The cast off, described by TECHknitter as the “stretchiest bind off,” curls over the top of the sock. I overachieved a little on the leg of my sample sock (size medium). I think, if you made the leg 6 inches long instead of 7 inches, you could get a pair from just 2 skeins of yarn. Otherwise, you may have a lot of leftover yarn. Speaking of which, the careful, or freewheeling, knitter could use this pattern for leftovers. It would be a lot of ends to darn it, but I think it would be perfectly lovely to see stacks and stacks of different stripes throughout the sock.

SIZE
Woman’s Size S [M, L] (to fit shoe sizes 5, 8, and 11)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

MATERIALS
Yarn
Simply Socks Yarn Company’s Simply Sock Yarn [80% superwash wool, 20% nylon; approx. 175 yards per 50 gram skein]
[MC] Tangerine; 1[2, 2] skeins
[CC] Chocolate; 1[2, 2] skeins

Note: the Medium sock shown uses only slightly more than 1 skein each; if the leg is worked shorter, then you will be able to get away with only 1 skein of each colour.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #1/2.5 mm needles for working in the round
US #5/3.75mm needle for working the BO

Notions
waste yarn
stitch markers
blunt-tipped yarn needle

GAUGE

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

Alternate between two colors, one round for each color, for the entire sock. Twist strands by bringing the new color around from underneath the old color to begin that round. When working back-and-forth for the heel flap, change colors after every second row.

Tip: I like to have a smaller, sharper needle at hand for working my lifted increases. It greatly reduces the stress on the yarn and my hands.

M1R: Insert left needle, from back to front, under the horizontal strand which lies between the stitch just knit, and the following stitch; then knit into the front of this loop. 1 stitch increased.

M1L: Insert left needle, from front to back, under the horizontal strand which lies between the stitch just knit, and the following stitch; then knit into the back of this loop. 1 stitch increased.
 
k1 tbl: knit into the back of the stitch, to twist it.

Pattern Stitch (Over a multiple of 4 sts, worked in the round):
Every round: [P1, k1 tbl, k1, k1 tbl]

Grafting:
Instructions for grafting can be found here.
  

DIRECTIONS

Round 1: Knit.
Note: as you work Round 1, place a marker for the beginning of the round and another halfway around; finish round.

On Round 2, add second color of yarn and begin alternating colors on every round.

Round 2: K1, M1R, k to 1 stitch before marker, M1L, k2, M1R, k to 1 stitch before marker, M1L, k1.

Round 3: Knit.

Repeat Round 2 3[3, 3] times more. 36[40, 44]sts.

Repeat Rounds 2-3 9[10, 11] times. 72[80, 88] sts.

Foot round: Work in Pattern Stitch across 36[40, 44] sts, p1, k to end of round.

Work Foot round as set until sock measures 4.5[5.25, 5.75] inches from tip of toe.

Work one more round, moving the second marker as follows: Work in pattern as set to marker at midpoint of round; remove marker, work 1 more stitch in pattern, replace marker; work to end of round. This second marker denotes the end of the instep stitches.

Gusset increase:
Round 1: Work in pattern as set to end of instep sts; slip marker, M1R, knit to end of the round, M1L.
Round 2: Work even in pattern as set.
Repeat the last 2 rounds 9[10, 11] more times until you have 92[102, 112] sts.

Note: In this next step, the gusset sts are placed on hold, but one gusset stitch on each side is left live and decreased away in the Heel section. This helps close gaps between the leg and the heel.

Leg setup:
Round 1: Work 37[41, 45] stitches in pattern, slip the next 9[10, 11] stitches of the round onto waste yarn; using another length of scrap yarn, knit across next 37[41, 45] sts, slip the rem 9[10, 11] sts of the round onto a third length of waste yarn; drop the waste yarn; pick up working yarn and knit across the 37[41, 45] stitches you just knit with waste yarn again, with your working yarn. 92[102, 112] sts - 37[41, 45] sts for instep/front of leg; 37[41, 45] sts for sole/back of leg. 9[10, 11] sts on hold each side.

Round 2: Slip the last st of the previous round back onto the left needle, and purl it together with the first stitch of the round. If you’re using markers for the start of the round, the stitch you just worked is still the first stitch of the round. Work in pattern to 1 st before end of instep, p2tog, k to end of round. 72[80, 88] sts live on needles.

Heel:
Return sts from both side of waste yarn for heel to needle, and pick up all sts being held for sole on waste yarn. Remove the waste yarn. 92[102, 112] sts total.  Distribute the sts so that the gusset sts are together with the sole - 56[62, 68] sts for sole and gusset, and the remaining 36[40, 44] sts are for back of leg. 

With RS facing, rejoin the first yarn at start of back of leg/upper stitches. 

Decrease/Heel Flap:
As you’re working this section, join the second yarn at the start of the 3rd row and from there, change yarn at the start of every RS row. Don’t forget to twist your threads together when changing, to lock them.

You will be working back and forth on the heel sts, and decreasing away the gusset and sole sts.

Row 1 [RS]: [Sl 1, k1] 18[20, 22] times, SSK, turn.
Row 2 [WS]: Sl 1, p36[40, 44], p2tog, turn.
Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1, change colors, [Sl 1, k1] 18[20, 22] times, SSK, turn.
Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1, p36[40, 44], p2tog, turn.

Repeat Rows 3-4 17[19, 21] more times, until you have 54[60, 66] stitches total: 36[40, 44] on back of leg; 18[20, 22] on sole; do not turn the last time.

Break one of the colors.
Note: The bind-off for the brown/orange socks used tangerine, chocolate for the top.

Row 1 [WS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, p2tog, p15[17, 19], p2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 2 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k14[16, 18], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 3 [WS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, p2tog, p13[15, 17], p2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 4 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k12[14, 16], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 5 [WS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, p2tog, p11[13, 15], p2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 6 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k10[12, 14], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 7 [WS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, p2tog, p9[11, 13], p2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Size Medium only:
Row 10 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k-[8, -], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st. 30 stitches total.
Proceed to “Final Row”.

Size Large only:
Row 10 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k-[8, -], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 11 [WS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, p2tog, p-[-, 9], p2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st, turn.

Row 12 [RS]: Sl 1 st from RH needle to LH needle, ssk, k-[-, 8], k2tog, sl 1, pass decr st over sl st.
30 stitches total. Proceed to “Final Row”.

All sizes:
Final row [RS]: Sl 1, ssk 10 times. 20[20, 20] sts total.

Graft heel closed.

FINISHING
Weave in ends and block.

Lara Neel is a knitting, designing, math diva podcaster who is determined to talk with each and every one of you on her show.

There is probably more than you ever wanted to know here. Come for the free patterns. Stay for the talky-talk.