by Verybusymonkey

Being outside has always nourished my soul. So, like little kids stuck inside on rainy days, the winter months make me grumpy and impatient, waiting for the sunny weather to return to California. When this lovely yellow yarn arrived in my mailbox, I knew it wanted to become something lacy, intricate and spring-inspired. Being a scientist by trade and naturalist at heart, the inspiration for my designs invariably comes from the natural world. The Eternal Spring socks developed from my love of leafy, flowery motifs and, of course, lace knitting.

These top-down socks feature a delicate lacy/textured pattern inspired by spring flora, just what we all want after the seemingly long winter months. They work up quickly and come with instructions for two alternative insteps, one that transitions into stockinette (yellow sample) and the other with the pattern worked down to the toe (green sample).

SIZE
Adut S [M, L, XL]
shown in medium

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Foot circumference: 7.25[8, 8.75, 9.5] inches
Leg length: adjustable to preference. Sample as shown has leg 6.5 inches long.
Foot length: adjustable to fit
Choose a size with approximately 10% negative ease in the foot circumference.

MATERIALS
Yarn
Barking Dog Yarn’s Achilles [80% superwash merino, 20% nylon; 400 yd/365.8m per 100g skein]; color: Kamahi (yellow, shown above), Wood Green (green, shown below); 1 skein per pair of socks

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below — every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set(s) US #1.5/2.5mm needles for small circumference in the round: DPNs, 1 long circular or 2 shorter circular

Notions
yarn needle

GAUGE

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

The green sock has the pattern running all the way down to the toe; the yellow sock features a gradual transition between pattern and stockinette stitch on the foot.

Kitchener Stitch: Instructions for grafting can be found here.

DIRECTIONS
Cuff
Cast on 56[64, 72, 80] stitches. Distribute sts across needles as you prefer and join for working in the round.

Cuff round: [K1tbl, p1] around.

Work ribbing as set for 12 rounds total.

Leg
Leg round: Work appropriate size Leg pattern twice around.

Work as set until leg is desired length.

Work until desired length (both samples shown are 6.5 inches from cast-on edge to the start of the heel flap).

Heel Flap
Turn work so that WS is facing.

Row 1 [WS]: Sl 1, p27[31, 35, 39], turn. Rem 28[32, 36, 40] sts will be held for instep.

Row 2 [RS]: [Sl 1, k1] 14[16, 18, 20] times.

Repeat Rows 1-2 14[14, 16, 16] more time, then work Row 1 once more.

Turn Heel:
Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1, k14[18, 22, 26], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 2 [WS]: Sl 1, p3[7, 11, 15], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1, k4[8, 12, 16], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1, p5[9, 13, 17], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 5 [RS]: Sl 1, k6[10, 14, 18], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 6 [WS]: Sl 1, p7[11, 15, 19], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 7 [RS]: Sl 1, k8[12, 16, 20], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 8 [WS]: Sl 1, p9[13, 17, 21], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 9 [RS]: Sl 1, k10[14, 18, 22], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 10 [WS]: Sl 1, p11[15, 19, 23], p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 11 [RS]: Sl 1, k12[16, 20, 24], ssk, k1, turn.
Row 12 [WS]: Sl 1, p13[17, 21, 25], p2tog, p1, turn.

16[20, 24, 28] heel flap stitches rem.

Gusset and Foot
Gusset setup round: Sl 1, k15[19, 23, 27] heel stitches; pick up and knit 15[15, 17, 17] stitches along heel flap (pick up stitches in slipped edge stitches), work 28[32, 36, 40] sts of instep in pattern as set; pick up and knit 15[15, 17, 17] stitches on other side of heel flap then k8[10, 12, 14] stitches to center of heel. 74[82, 94, 102] sts.

Gusset round 1: K to 3 sts before instep, k2tog, k1; work instep in pattern as set; k1, ssk, k to end of round. 2 sts decreased.
Gusset round 2: Work even in pattern as set.

Repeat the last 2 rounds 8[8, 10, 10] more times, until 56[64, 72, 80] sts rem total: 28[32, 36, 40] each on sole and instep.

For partially patterned foot as shown in yellow sample:
Continue even in pattern as set until you hit round 16[18, 22, 24] of the leg chart.

Next round: K to instep, work appropriate size Instep chart; k to end of round.

Continue in pattern as set until Instep chart is complete.

Following round: Knit.
Continue even until foot measures 2 inches short of full foot length.

Toe
To setup, K to start of instep sts. This is the new start of round.

Round 1: Knit.
Round 2: K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts of instep, k2tog, k1; k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts of sole, k2tog, k1. 4 sts decreased.

Repeat Rounds 1-2 6[8, 9, 11] more times, until 28[28, 32, 32] stitches rem, divided evenly between instep and sole.

FINISHING
Graft toe closed. Weave in ends.

A very busy monkey, when she’s not knitting/designing, Stephanie can be found playing with her horses, happily covered in dust and horse manure. Cleaned up, you can find her teaching university students about monkeys.

Check out more of Stephanie’s Verybusymonkey designs on Ravelry.