Still knitting

...really. I do knit, though it might be more accurate to change the name of this blog to 'Art Deco Diva Can't Stop Baking'.

I'm on another sock binge these days. Berocco came up with a yarn called Vintage (how could I resist?), and it's quite nice, for a blend. Wool + microfiber, I think. In any case, it's a light worsted, and superwash. I looked at it and of course thought "Fast socks! YES. I can knock out a thousand pairs of cushy socks for running." [Note: I haven't been running lately. Still....]

So far I've made two pair of white socks, a pink pair with lacy ankles, and I'm finishing up white with striped (pink & white) heels and toes, made up of leftovers from the other three skeins. It takes two to four days of steady work to make them, and I've got the basic formula down pat.


Vintage Anklets Women's size 7 - 9

1 skein Berocco Vintage (white, pale blue, pink, yellow, brown)
#3 (American) DPNs
3 stitch markers
yarn needle

CO 48 stitches. Swap out 1st & last stitch to join, and knit 18 rounds of 1 x 1 ribbing.

Begin the heel flap on the last 24 stitches of round 18:

**1. purl back
2. slip 1 knit-wise, *knit 1, slip 1 purl-wise*, end knit 1**

...for 24 rows.

Heel turn:

Slip 1, purl 12, P2tog, P1, turn
Slip 1, knit 3, SSK, turn

Continue to work, P2tog or SSK one before the gap with one after the gap, until you run out of stitches. [14 sts on heel needle]

Gusset:

*PU 13 (using slipped sts as guides), PU 2 at top next to instep stitches;
*Knit across instep
*PU 2 at top next to instep sts; PU 13; knit 7 sts onto needle

*Knit 7 remaining heel sts onto N1, knit into the backs of the first 13 gusset sts, SSK the last 2;
*Knit across instep
*K2tog; knit into the backs of the next 13 sts; knit the last 7 as usual

[Knit rest of sts as usual; the twisting of the gusset sts on this first round helps to close the gap after the sts are picked up.]

ODD Rounds:

N1: Knit to last 3 sts; K2tog, K1
N2: Knit
N3: K1, SSK, knit to end of needle

EVEN Rounds:

N1: knit
N2: knit
N3: knit

Repeat odd & even rounds until 12 sts remain on N1, 12 sts on N3. (If you begin counting when you begin to pick up for the gusset, and pick up the recommended number of sts, this will work out to 19 rounds.)

You should be back to 48 sts, as the instep count remains consistant at 24.

Foot:

Knit until about 2" from end of foot. For me this works out to 30 rounds. I wear an American size 8 or 8.5 shoe.

Toe:

Arrange sts so that there are 16 on each needle.

*knit 6 sts, k2tog, place marker* [42 sts]
Knit 6 rounds

Decrease round: *Knit to 2 before marker, k2tog*
[36 sts]

Knit 5 rounds
Decrease round [30 sts]

Knit 3 rounds
Decrease round [24 sts]

*k2 tog* [12 sts]

Knit 1 round

Cut yarn, run through remaining sts 2x; fasten off firmly.

Voila, a new sock!


Alterations/addendum:

For the leftovers socks, I knitted only 10 rounds of ribbing; leftovers from the pink socks (which had 16 rounds of additional knitting)will provide only enough yarn to stripe the heel flap and toe. [I choose my circular lace pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks.]

Feel free to leave a comment if there are errors in the pattern, or if you find it confusing. (Feel free to leave a comment in any case, as it makes me feel Important.)