Salmon Run March 12, 2011

I’ve got another pattern for sale up on Knit Picks!  This one uses one of their new yarns, Chroma.  Chroma is a fingering or worsted weight that transitions slowly from one color to another, like Noro or Mochi.  But much softer!

 

 

My new pattern is Salmon Run.  Stupid name, you think?   A “salmon run” is the time when salmon swim back up the river that they were born in to reproduce. The rivers are choked with salmon during a run. The stitch pattern on these socks, made to wave with yarn overs and decreases, evokes the flowing river and leaping salmon, swimming past fishermen and bears to get to their birthplace.  The stitch pattern looks like salmon leaping in a river (at least it does if you squint).  And the socks are knit toe up- or “upstream,” if you will.  I love the strong vertical stitch pattern looks against the color changes of Chroma.

 

The wavy pattern (from my Russian book!) is made with yarn overs and decreases; they may look like cables, but they’re not.  The sock also have a gusset and slip stitch heel flap, like my Arthurian Anklets.  What they don’t have is ribbing.  The stitch pattern goes right to the end.

 

 

The pattern has instructions for avoiding an ugly color change after the heel and for a stretchy sewn bind off, shown to be superior in this post.

 

  

 

I’m really happy with how these turned out.  I enjoyed working with Chroma- it’s soft and colorful and doesn’t split too much.  I’m even happy with the pictures, which you’ll notice were not taken outside as per usual.  I wanted to photograph the socks by the river, maybe even in the water and splashing a little.  I finished these socks just as a big snowstorm hit Seattle a few weeks ago, so I couldn’t take those pictures.  Then it poured rain for the next week.  When it was finally sunny, I went out to take pictures with Lowell… and just as we were setting up, it started to rain buckets.  I gave up at that point.  Lowell set up a lovely photo studio and we took pictures of the socks indoors.   I have carefully cropped out any cat paws that snuck into the pictures.  I can’t thank him enough for helping me get this done!!

Arthurian Anklets August 16, 2008

I love these socks. They gave me so much trouble while I was making them, but I forgive them because they’re awesome. After a washing, the Louet Gems has gotten so soft. Lowell looked at the socks at one point and said “Those are pretty. They remind me of those dresses, like in King Arthur or Robin Hood.” So he gets all credit for the name. (If you don’t like the name, it’s his fault! Can’t blame me.) I love the French blue/copper combo; I’ll have to use that again sometime.

 

These are made using the principles in Cat Bordhi’s book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. For those that haven’t found this great book, Cat realized that as long as you increase 2 stitches every 3 rows, it doesn’t matter where those increases are. I’ve put the increases so that they look like the typical top-down heel flap gusset, but the socks are knit toe up with no heel flap. Crazy, huh? The socks end up with a slightly longer gusset section, but it fits really well. If you’ve got New Pathways, feel free to insert your own Master Numbers into the pattern.

 

The only problem with this approach is that it makes the pattern much harder to write up (I guess that’s really my problem, not yours). This liberated increase thing is great, but if you’ve never read New Pathways it can be confusing. The increases used are lifted increases, instead of the normal M1s. You can, of course, use M1s if you prefer. Knotions has a great tutorial on lifted increases if you’ve never used them before. The part that really deviates from normal is the heel turn/”flap.” You’ll be knitting short rows for the bottom of the heel, but instead of working each row gobbling up one wrapped stitch to turn the heel, all the wrapped right-side stitches are worked right after one another in one row, then you turn and purl all the wrong-side wraps on one row. This ends up looking a lot like a standard top-down heel turn. Then, you’ll essentially be knitting more short rows, in that you won’t be knitting in the round yet. The “heel flap” is knit back and forth, but instead of wrapping stitches, you’ll ssk and p2tog to join the “flap” to the sides. This also gets rid of all the stitches increased during the gusset section. There’s some moving around of stitches, but it’s not too bad.

 

This pattern is written for 2 circular needles. If you prefer DPNs, just split Needle 1 and 2 in half, so that you have a quarter of the stitches on each needle. Sometimes (this is so silly) I think of my DPNs as Needle 1a, 1b, and Needle 2a, 2b instead of 1, 2, 3, and 4. I can’t help you if you’re one of those freaks that only uses 3 DPNs to hold the stitches. 😉 The pattern uses 5 colors, but the light blue in the center of the leg color work is optional. If you’ve got stash to bust, great. If not, the Ginger or the French Blue look great in that spot, or just keep using Caribou. Fewer ends to weave in that way! The top is one of my favorite parts, I think it looks like a crown; after the color work, a vikkel braid (from Folk Knitting in Estonia) is worked and then the sock is bound off using Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind Off. The edge flares out from the leg just slightly, which I wasn’t sure about at first, but has really grown on me.

 

Oh, and you’re not imagining things, the two socks in the pictures are slightly different… I tried putting some 1×1 ribbing on one to see how it changed the fit, but I didn’t feel like ripping it back out again when I realized it did nothing. Live and learn.

 

Edit 8/25/08: I’m sorry if the charts weren’t loading. I’m trying out some new blog writer software and I’ve had a lot of trouble with this post… anyway, I think I fixed the images.

Edit 9/13/08: If you’d like more information about the sock construction without the color work or stripes, check out this post.  Also includes information on sizing the socks.

 

Arthurian Anklets

Download the PDF: Arthurian Anklets

• Finished Size: Women’s Size 8 1/2-9, foot length 9 1/2″
• Needles: 2 size 0 (2mm) circulars (or DPNs), 2 size 2 (2.75mm) circulars (or DPNs)
• Yarn: Louet Gems Pearl, MC: French Blue (1 skein), CC1: Ginger (1 skein), CC2: Champagne (1 skein), CC3: Caribou (1 skein), CC4 (optional): Neptune (1 skein)
• Yardage: MC: 170 yards, CC1: 25 yards, CC2: 30 yards, CC3: 25 yards, CC4 (optional) 3 yards
• Extras: Stitch markers (at least 2), tapestry needle
• Gauge: 9 sts x 12 rows = 1″ in stockinette, 9.5 sts x 11 rows = 1″ in Leg Chart

Special Stitches

LRinc (Lifted Right Increase): Pick up the right side of the stitch below the next stitch on the left needle and place it on the left needle. Knit into the front of this new loop. Knit the next st as normal. Picture tutorial here.

LLinc (Lifted Left Increase): Pick up the left side of the second stitch below the last stitch on the right needle and place it on the left needle. Knit in to the back of this new loop. Knit the next st as normal. Picture tutorial here.

W&T (Wrap and Turn): RS: Bring yarn forward between needles. Slip the next stitch knitwise. Return yarn to back of work. Slip wrapped stitch back to left needle. Turn work. WS: Move yarn between needles to the back of the work. Slip the next stitch. Return yarn to front of work. Slip wrapped stitch back to left needle. Turn work.

CW (Conceal Wrap): RS: From the front, pick up wrap from underneath and move it up and over the stitch it wrapped onto the left needle (the wrap should be on the left of the stitch it wrapped). Knit stitch and wrap together through the back loops. WS: From the front, pick up wrap from underneath and move it up and over the stitch it wrapped onto the left needle (the wrap should be on the left of the stitch it wrapped). Purl stitch and wrap together.  See Cat Bordhi explain this technique here.

Vikkel Braid: M1 and place stitch just made on left needle. *Knit the second stitch on the left needle through the back loop then knit the first stitch as normal and drop both stitches off the left needle. Return the stitch just made to the left needle.* Repeat from * to * to the end of the round. Pass the last stitch over the first stitch of the round to return to the original stitch count. Picture tutorial here.

Tip: Try joining new colors 10-15 sts before they’re needed and carrying the tails forward 10-15 sts after they’re cut to reduce the ends you need to weave in. If that didn’t make any sense, check out the Weaving Ends In As You Knit Tutorial. If you’re doing color work, you probably have all the skills needed for this- it’s the same thing as catching a yarn to shorten a float, you just do it every stitch.

Toe

Using Judy’s Magic Cast On and smaller needles, CO 12 sts in MC (French Blue) to each circular needle. 24 sts.

The starting needle is Needle 1 which will be the instep needle. The second needle is Needle 2 which will be the sole needle.

Rnd 1: Knit

Rnd 2: K1, LRinc, knit to last st on Needle 1, LLinc, K2, LRinc, knit to last st on Needle 2, LLinc, k1. 4 sts increased.

Repeat Rnd 1 and 2 until there are 72 sts total (36 sts on each needle) ending on a Rnd 2.

Foot

Knit 4 rounds in MC (French Blue).

Foot Chart

Knit 2 rounds in CC1 (Ginger).

Knit 1 round in CC2 (Champagne).

Change to Size 2 needles.

Work Foot Chart across all stitches (repeat chart 9 times.)

Change to Size 0 needles.

Knit 1 round in CC2 (Champagne).

Knit 2 rounds in CC1 (Ginger).

Knit 3 rounds in MC (French Blue).

Gusset Increases

Round 1: LRinc, place marker (PM), knit to the end of the needle, PM, LLinc, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts increased.

Round 2 and 3: Knit.

Round 4: Knit to marker, LRinc, slip marker (SM), knit to second marker, SM, LLinc, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts increased.

Repeat Rnds 2-4, until 10 sts have been increased (13 rows), ending after Rnd 4.

Join CC1 (Ginger) and work Rnds 2-3. Carry MC (French Blue) upwards by twisting the yarns at the beginning of the round.

Work Rnds 4 and 2-3 in MC (French Blue). Carry CC1 (Ginger) upwards by twisting the yarns at the beginning of the round.

Work Rnds 4 and 2 in CC1 (Ginger). Cut CC1 (Ginger).

Continue working Rnds 2-4 in MC (French Blue), starting with Rnd 3 until there are 100 sts total, ending after Rnd 4.

Heel

Set up: *K2, LRinc* 6 times, k2, knit to second marker, *k2, LLinc* 6 times, k2, knit to 2 sts before the end of the round, w&t. 12 sts increased.

There should be 76 sts on Needle 1 and 36 sts on Needle 2.

Short Rows for Heel

The short rows are worked back and forth on the sole needle (Needle 2).

Row 1 (WS): Purl to 2 sts before the end of Needle 2, w&t.

Row 2 (RS): Knit to 1 st before last RS wrap, w&t.

Row 3 (WS): Purl to 1 st before last WS wrap, w&t.

Repeat Rows 2-3 until 12 sts have been wrapped on each side, ending after a WS row. 10 sts remain unwrapped in the center.

Turn Heel

Row 1: Knit to first wrapped st. Conceal Wrap (CW) 11 times, until last wrapped st. Pick up the last wrap as normal, then (treating wrap and its stitch as one st) ssk with the last st on the left needle.

Row 2: Sl 1, purl to the first wrapped stitch. CW 11 times, until last wrapped st. Pick up the last wrap as normal, then (treating wrap and its stitch as one st) p2tog with the last st on the left needle.

Heel Back

Set up step: Move the 20 sts before the first marker from Needle 1 to the left side of Needle 2. Remove marker and replace marker between the sole sts and the moved sts. 55 sts on Needle 2.

Row 1: *Sl 1, k1* to 1 st before the marker, remove marker, ssk, turn. 1 st decreased.

Set up step: Move the 20 sts after the second marker from Needle 1 to Needle 2. Remove marker and replace marker between the sole sts and the moved sts. 74 sts on Needle 2.

Row 2: Sl 1, purl to 1 st before the marker, remove marker, p2tog, turn. 1 st decreased.

Row 3: *Sl 1, k1* to 1 st before the gap, ssk, turn. 1 st decreased.

Row 4: Sl 1, purl to 1 st before the gap, p2tog, turn. 1 st decreased.

Repeat Row 3-4 until 2 sts remain on either side of the gaps.

Leg

Knitting in the round resumes on the first round.

Round 1: *Sl 1, k1* to 1 st before the gap, ssk, k1, knit to the end of Needle 1, k1, k2tog, knit to the end of the sole. 2 sts decreased.

Knit 4 rounds even.

Knit 1 round in CC1 (Ginger). Cut MC (French Blue).

Leg Chart

Purl 1 round.

Knit 2 rounds in CC2 (Champagne).

Change to Size 2 needles.

Work Leg Chart across all stitches. (Click Chart to see bigger version.)

Change to Size 0 needles.

Knit 2 rounds in CC2 (Champagne).

Knit 1 round in CC1 (Ginger).

Work Vikkel Braid over all sts.

Bind off using EZ’s Sewn Bind Off.

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Insert Title Here May 24, 2008

*sigh* I’m so frustrated right now. I’ve been working on a pair of socks (do you ever work on anything but socks? my inner voice asks.) They’re wonderful socks, I really like them. Or so I kept telling myself. I frogged the toe 5 times before I got it “just right”. (Which turned out to be the way you did it the first time, didn’t it?) I conveniently ignored the fact that they were slightly too sung. I knit for what seemed like eons to get the foot the right length. (The foot looks much too long, but it sort of fits.) I liked the yarn (Trekking XXL.)

I even put in a lifeline before doing the heel and frogged the heel twice before getting it perfect. I’ve bent over backwards for these socks! And how do they repay me?? By making the small cables on the cuff between the motifs look terrible! (Maybe you should have swatched the small cables too, idiot.) In a fit of anger, I decided I would just drop the offending stitches and pick them back up (10 rows of them!) in the pattern that I wanted.

Well that turned out great. Nothing like trying to fix 10 rows for 8 stitches- don’t do the multiplication, I don’t want to know. Especially when you’re frustrated, tired, and being punched in the arm by the cat who wants petting. Now I’m so kerfluddled (that’s not a word!) that I can’t even look at these socks anymore. I really had high hopes for these socks. I should have known from the darn toe that they would be trouble. They might as well have driven up on a motorcycle with terrible yarn piercings and a bad dye job. But did I listen? (Oh no, you said they were just misunderstood.)

Maybe we just need some time apart. Time to see other people, er, knitting. Yeah, that’s it… a beautiful excuse to start that other project… Wait, you don’t think these socks knew that I was dreaming about another project, do you? I didn’t cast on, I wasn’t cheating on the socks!

I’m sure I’ll return to them soon. They really are nice socks, on the inside…

The Sad Little Sock May 22, 2008

After finishing the Shenandoah socks, I was pretty psyched about making a series of socks based on their construction. I really love the way they come together, and the possibilities seemed pretty endless. I had even come across another serendipitous color combination that would use up some Lorna’s Laces that I had sitting around from another project. After finishing the first sock in record time, I cast on for the second, completed the toe…

And that was it. Two weeks passed, the poor second sock languishing on the needles. I had solved this problem before, by knitting two socks at once on two circulars. But I’ve learned (the hard way mostly) that frogging happens more often than knitting when I’m making up a pattern as I go. And frogging two socks at once is both annoying and heartbreaking. So, these socks were knit the old fashioned way, one at a time. And of course, the poor second sock got pushed aside for something new and exciting (which itself is on the verge of being bumped…)

I grabbed the finished sock and the “half-finished” (or so I kept telling myself) sock last night to take some pictures of them. That’s when it hit me, like a full speed truck full of yarn. The reason the first sock went so fast and the second has gone absolutely nowhere. I put the first sock on and realized… I had knit a sock that I had no interest in wearing. I mean, I totally loved the design while I was making it; that two week break seems to have cracked the spell they had over me. I can’t see myself wearing this sock. And I remembered that I don’t really like Lorna’s Laces, which is why my Reptilian Lace second sock didn’t get finished either. (How did I forget that?) It’s a pleasure to knit with, but I don’t like how it feels on my feet. (I think I’m the only one who feels this way, but *shrug.*) BUT, everyone has different tastes, so if you like Lorna’s Laces, lace, and unique sock construction, read on! (Man, I didn’t take very good pictures either… Poor sock, you deserve better.)

  

Grand Teton Socks

Download the PDF: Grand Tetons Socks

• Finished Size: Women’s 9 (foot length 9.5″)
• Needles: Two Size 0 (2 mm) circular needles
• Yarn: MC: KnitPicks Risata Marionberry (1 ball); CC: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Baltic Sea (1 skein)
• Yardage: MC: 196 yards; CC: 45 yards
• Extras: Tapestry needle, stitch markers, scrap yarn or stitch holder
• Gauge: Stockinette Stitch: 8 sts x 11 rows= 1″, Ripple Lace (1 repeat): 15 sts= 1 5/8″; 10 rows= 7/8″

Special Stitches:

SSLK: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops purlwise, insert right needle into the front loops of the two loops and slipped stitch and knit all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Knit.)

SSLP: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops knitwise, return the two loops and slipped stitch to left needle, and purl all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Purl.)

W&T: Wrap and turn. On knit row, bring yarn forward between the needles, slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to back, slip the stitch back to the left needle and turn work. On purl row, bring yarn to the back, slip the next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to the front, slip the stitch back to the left needle, and turn work.

kf&b: Knit front and back. Knit into the front of the stitch, then into the back of the stitch. More details here.

Toe

Using Judy’s Magic Cast On, CO 12 sts to each needle in MC. 24 sts

The starting needle (Needle 1) is the top/instep. The second needle (Needle 2) is the bottom/sole.

Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: K1, M1, knit to last st on Needle 1, M1, K1, K1, M1, knit to last st on Needle 2, M1, K1. 4 sts increased.

Repeat Round 1 and 2 until there are 64 sts total, 32 sts on each needle.

Instep

Round 1: K16, M1, k16, knit 3 sts from Needle 2 to Needle 1, knit until 3 sts before the end of Needle 2, move last 3 sts to Needle 1. 39 sts on Needle 1. 26 sts on Needle 2.

Place sole sts on scrap yarn or stitch holder.

Work Instep Ripple Lace until instep measures 7” from tip of toe, approx 6 ½ repeats, ending on an even row (Row 6). You can either cut the MC yarn, or just twist the two yarns together on the WS before each RS row to carry the MC yarn upwards (see Shenandoah Socks for more details). Make sure that the last MC and CC slipped sts are snug; they can become loose waiting until the next MC or CC row, but don’t pull them too tight.

Instep Ripple Lace

Row 1(MC): Sl 1, knit to end.

Row 2(MC): Sl 1 , knit to end.

Row 3, 5, 7, 9(CC): Sl 1, [k2tog twice, *yo, k1* three times, yo, sl 1 k1 psso twice, k1] three times.

Row 4, 6, 8, 10(CC): Sl 1, purl to end.

When instep reaches 7” from toe, place instep sts on scrap yarn or stitch holder and return sole sts to needle.

Sole

Row 1 (RS): With the left needle, pick up the two loops of the first slipped stitch on the instep and move them (correctly mounted) to the right hand needle. Knit the two picked up loops together with the first stitch on the needle. Knit to 1 st before the end of the needle, SSKK (see special stitches.)

Row 2 (WS): Sl 1, purl to last st, SSLP

Row 3: Sl 1, knit to last st, SSLK

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until all slipped sts have been used, ending after a RS row (do not use sts on the stitch holder or scrap yarn.)

Mini Heel Flap and Short Rows

Mini Heel Flap

Row 1: Sl 1, purl to the end.

Row 2: Sl 1, knit to the end.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 four more times (a total of 10 rows.)

Short Rows

Sl 1, purl to last st, W&T.

Knit to last st, W&T.

Purl to 1 st before end, W&T.

Knit to 1 st before end, W&T.

Purl to 2 sts before end, W&T.

Knit to 2 sts before end, W&T.

Continue working 1 fewer stitch each row until there are 10 sts between the wraps, ending after a knit row. I use Misocrafty’s Short Row Heel Tutorial to eliminate holes, but feel free to use your favorite method of picking up wraps in the next section.

Purl to the first wrap. Pick up the wrap with and leave on right needle. Purl the wrapped stitch and pass the picked up wrap over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Knit to the first knit wrap, pick up the wrap and leave on right needle. Knit the wrapped stitch and pass the picked up wrap over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Purl to the first purl wrap. Pick up the two wraps and leave on right needle. Purl wrapped stitch and pass wraps over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Knit to the next knit wrap. Pick up the two wraps and leave on right needle. Knit wrapped stitch and pass the two wraps over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Continue working wraps until all sts have been worked, ending on a RS row.

Pick Up Stitches

Pick up and knit through the back loops 5 sts along the heel flap, one in each slipped stitch on the edge. Pick up and knit through the back loop 1 stitch in the corner. Place marker.

Return instep stitches to needle. Knit 19, k2tog, knit to end of instep.

Place marker, pick up and knit through the back loops 1 stitch in the corner and 5 sts along the flap. K 13. Place marker for beginning of round (center of the heel.) 38 sts on sole.

Row 1: Knit to 3 stitches before the first marker, k2tog, k1. Knit to the second marker, k1, ssk, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts deceased.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 66 sts remain. (I had intended to do some 1×1 ribbing here during the decreases, just for fun, but I forgot by the time I got to this point. I still think it would look nice, though.)

Next Row: K1, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1, knit across instep, k1, ssk, k3, ssk, k3, ssk, k1. 60 sts.

Leg

Join CC and work Leg Ripple Lace until desired length. Shown 2 ½ repeats, starting on Row 7.

Leg Ripple Lace

Row 1(MC): Knit

Row 2(MC): Purl

Row 3, 5, 7, 9(CC): [k2tog twice, *yo, k1* three times, yo, sl 1 k1 psso twice, k1] around.

Row 4, 6, 8, 10(CC): Knit

Ripple Bind Off

In MC, knit 1 round.

Next Row: K5, in next stitch kf&b twice, kf (5 sts increased),*Knit 11, in next stitch kf&b twice kf*4 times, k6. 85 sts.

Bind off loosely knitwise. Make second sock. 🙂

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Shenandoah Socks May 6, 2008

I bought some KnitPicks Essential in the Tuscany colorway a little while ago. Well, 10 months ago, actually. Anyway. I fought with myself, who wanted to buy something in blue or purple, and my other self who said I should expand my palette and get something in red, which I hardly ever do. I’ve had this conversation with myself before. And I imagine you have too. It almost always ends up with something red, orange, olive, etc in my closet or stash that I never wear or use. I like those colors, I do, they just don’t call to me like blue, purple, and green. So, I bought Tuscany instead of Blue Violet and it’s been sitting in my stash ever since. Later, I bought some Black, thinking I would use it in a project for DH, but that never happened. Recently, I had to clean up my stash room- I mean our guest room- and saw those two balls sitting next to each other. Beautiful!

I was flipping through Favorite Socks, as I often am, and I was in love with the look of the Hidden Passion Socks. The stripes, the solid color sole, the band around the ankle… But I’m not that fond of illusion knitting- wait! Inspiration!

After quickly glancing over the instructions for the Hidden Passion Socks, I decided that they were too complicated and that I could obviously make the same thing simpler. (Ever said that to yourself?) Well, I knit up the first sock with surprisingly few hiccups, using the aforementioned Tuscany and Black. Very pleased with myself, I looked back at the Hidden Passion Socks instructions. They were almost identical to my "simpler" instructions! So much for that.

The Tuscany colorway reminds me of the leaves in autumn in my native Virginia. I really miss those beautiful colors here in Seattle. Hence, naming these socks Shenandoah, despite the difficult spelling, lol. I love the construction of these socks, so unusual and interesting. I’m planning on knitting up a few other designs based on the same principles, so I think these socks are going to be the first in a series.

Shenandoah uses a slip stitch pattern on the foot and leg. Slip stitch is an easy colorwork technique, because you’re only using one color per row. Shenandoah is essentially a toe up sock, but isn’t knit in the round between the toe and heel. After completing the increases for the toe normally, the instep stitches are worked separately. Then the sole is knit while joining it to the instep. A "heel flap" is knit, turned, and stitches are picked up along the flap, just like a top-down sock. The gusset is decreased, then the stitch pattern resumes for the leg. I swear I wrote down every detail while I was knitting these… but when I went to type it up, some of those details weren’t there. I’ve tried to be as accurate as I can, but if you find any mistakes or are confused by anything, please let me know!

Shenandoah Socks

Download the PDF: Shenandoah Socks

• Finished Size: Women’s 9 (foot length 9.5")
• Needles: 2 Size 1 (2.25) circular needles; 2 Size 0 circular needles-optional
• Yarn: KnitPicks Essential: MC – Black (2 balls), CC – Tuscany (1 ball)
• Yardage: Black, 340 yards; Tuscany, 120 yards
• Extras: Stitch markers, stitch holder or scrap yarn, tapestry needle
• Gauge: 8 sts x 11 rows= 1" in stockinette

Special Stitches

wyif: with yarn held in front, as in "slip 1 st with yarn held in front"

wyib: with yarn held in front, as in "slip 1 st with yarn held in front"

SSLK: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops purlwise, insert right needle into the front loops of the two loops and the slipped stitch and knit all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Knit.)

SSLP: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops knitwise, return the two loops and the slipped stitch to left needle, and purl all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Purl.)

Toe

Using Judy’s Magic Cast On, CO 12 sts to each needle in MC. 24 sts

The starting needle (Needle 1) is the top/instep. The second needle (Needle 2) is the bottom/sole.

Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: K1, M1, knit to last st on Needle 1, m1, k2, m1, knit to last st on Needle 2, m1, k1. 4 sts increased.

Repeat Round 1 and 2 until there are 64 sts total, 32 sts on each needle.

Instep

Place the sole sts (Needle 2) on a stitch holder or scrap yarn. You can also pull the sts to the cable section of your circular needle, but I find that the dangling needle ends get in the way. You will now be working back and forth on Needle 1.

Tip: Pull slipped stitches tight on the needle to reduce holes.

Row 1: Sl 1 wyib, k15, m1, k16. 1 st increased. 33 sts

Row 2: Sl 1 wyif, purl all sts.

Row 1 and 2 count as the first 2 rows of the slip stitch pattern for the first repeat.

Join CC. Don’t cut MC, just twist the two yarns together on the WS before each knit row to carry the MC yarn upwards. To twist the yarns, place the carried yarn over or under the working yarn and knit first stitch as normal. The MC yarn should be caught between the CC yarn and the work. When you’re done, you get a nice dotted line of MC yarn up the right-hand side of the work. Make sure that the last MC and CC slipped sts are snug; they can become loose waiting until the next MC or CC row, but don’t pull them too tight.

Start Slip Stitch Pattern (Foot) on Row 3.  Odd rows are RS, even rows are WS.

Slip Stitch Pattern (Foot):

Row 1 (MC): Sl 1 wyib, k1, *sl 1 wyif, k1* until 3 sts before the end, sl 1 wyif, k2.

Row 2 (MC): Sl 1 wyif, purl all sts.

Row 3 (CC): Sl 1, k1, *k1, sl1 wyif* until 3 sts before the end, k3.

Row 4 (CC): Sl 1 wyif, purl all sts.

Row 5 (CC): Sl 1 wyib, knit all sts.

Row 6 (CC): Sl 1 wyif, purl all sts.

Repeat these 6 rows until instep measures 7.25”, or 2.25” shorter than desired foot length, from the tip of the toe, ending after a WS row. Cut MC and CC yarns.

Place instep sts on a stitch holder or scrap yarn. Return sole sts to a needle. You’ll now be working back and forth on the new needle. Join MC yarn with the RS of the sole facing you. (Ignore the markers in the following picture.)

Sole/"Heel Flap"

Row 1 (RS): With the left needle, pick up the two loops of the first slipped stitch on the instep and move them (correctly mounted) to the right hand needle. Knit the two picked up loops together with the first stitch on the needle. Knit to 1 st before the end of the needle, SSLK.

Row 2 (WS): Sl 1, purl to last st, SSLP.

Row 3: Sl 1, knit to last st, SSLK.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until all slipped sts have been used, ending after a RS row (do not use sts on the stitch holder or scrap yarn.) (Ignore the markers in the following picture.)

  

Row 4 (WS): Sl 1, p27. Place last 4 sts onto the stitch holder or scrap yarn. 1 st decreased. 28 sts on needle.

Row 5 (RS): Sl 1, k23. Place last 4 sts onto the stitch holder or scrap yarn. 24 sts on needle.

These 24 stitches will be the bottom of the heel; this would be the heel flap if we were making a top-down sock.

Row 6 (WS): Sl 1, purl all sts.

Row 7 (RS): Sl 1, knit all sts.

Repeat Rows 6 and 7 until the sole measures 9”, or .5” shorter than desired foot length, from the toe of the sock, ending after Row 6.

Heel Turn:

Row 1: Sl 1, k16, ssk, turn.

Row 2: Sl 1, p8, p2tog, turn.

Row 3: Sl 1, k8, ssk, turn.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until all sts have been worked, ending after Row 2. 10 sts remain.

Knit across all sts on needle. Pick up and knit 1 st in each slipped stitch along the “heel flap.” Return all held sts to needles. Place a marker between the last picked up stitch and the first held stitch. Knit across 4 held sole sts, all instep sts, and the other 4 held sole sts. Place a marker between the last held stitch and the first picked up stitch. Pick up and knit 1 st in each slipped stitch along the “heel flap.” Knit 5 stitches from the heel and mark as the beginning of the round.

Gusset Decreases:

Row 1: Knit to 3 stitches before the first marker, k2tog, k1. Knit to the second marker, k1, ssk, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts deceased.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 64 sts remain.

Join CC. Row 1 and 2 count as the first 2 rows of the slip stitch pattern for the first repeat. Start Slip Stitch Pattern (Leg) on Row 3.

Slip Stitch Pattern (Leg):

Row 1(MC): *sl 1 wyif, k1*

Row 2(MC): Knit

Row 3(CC): *k1, sl1 wyif*

Row 4, 5, 6(CC): Knit

Repeat Rows 1-6 until leg is desired length (7 repeats shown in photos.)

Switch to smaller needles if desired.

Work 15 rounds k1 p1.

BO very loosely.

  

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.