Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 08:04:56 -0700 From: jp To: Knit@bolis.com Subject: KNIT: cabled sock pattern [...] Hi, gang! Now that the gift-knitting season is upon us, I have been overcome by an urge to post a sock pattern. I've sent it to several people already, so it may look familiar to some of you. This pattern is one of my current favorites for gift knitting. Although not totally mindless, it knits up fairly fast and easy, looks good in a variety of yarns, and seems to please the recipients, at least so far. [...] Stahl has put out a couple of sock pattern booklets -- I think they are #6 and #9. I don't think I've really looked at them, and I know I don't own them, but the sock that inspired this pattern was originally from one of their booklets. I've also seen very similar socks in some sock pattern booklets I have that were published in the '40's and '50's. Although the original socks I did used Brown Sheep Superwash, I've also made them with other worsted-weight yarns, such as Cascade 220 (I used about 60% of two 100g skeins), or by using two strands of sock yarn. I've even made them for guys -- the fit is a little snug around the ankle, but the cable and rib pattern is sufficiently elastic that it seems to be comfortable and not too tight. I've also done a left-twist cable instead of a right-twist cable -- that is, a cable where the stitches are held to the front of the work rather than the back, so it ends up as a right-over-left cable. Sure, it's not a huge variation, but so what? Other cables, twist-stitch, lace, rib, etc., patterns can also be easily substituted. KNITLIST GET-TOGETHER CABLE SOCK PATTERN I saw this cable pattern on a sock that Jennie Corlett brought to a knitlist get-together a while back. I thought it looked great, so made my own sock pattern around it. I've seen this cable pattern (or something very similar) in many stitch treasuries and in many sock pattern books, so I don't think I'm violating anyone's copyright with this. Anyway, here's yet another interpretation of the cabled sock. YARN: Brown Sheep Co., Inc., Lamb's Pride Superwash, 100% wool, worsted weight yarn. The color I used for my first pair was SW56 Rhododendron -- a reddish purple. This yarn comes in 50 gram skeins of approximately 100 yards. I used about 2.5 skeins for these socks -- somewhat more than one skein per sock. You can probably substitute anything that works up to a similar gauge. GAUGE: about 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch. Anything between about 4.5 and 5.5 stitches per inch should work, since the cables and ribbing give the sock a lot of stretch and cling. NEEDLES: Whatever size you normally use to knit socks with worsted-weight yarn. I used #5 dpns to get the above gauge, but I'm a fairly loose knitter. I used #2 dpns (i.e. 2-3 sizes smaller) for the ribbing. (With some yarns, I've even gone down to #3's for the body, and #0s or #1s for the ribbing.) You'll also need a cable needle/stitch holder to make cables with. CABLE PATTERN: over a multiple of 8 stitches and 4 rounds, 1: *K2, P1, K4, P1* 2: *K2, P1, K4, P1* 3: *K2, P1, slide next two stitches to cable needle and hold them to the back of the work. Knit the next two stitches off the left needle, then knit the two stitches on the cable needle. (This is a 2X2 right-twisting, left-over-right cable.) P1* 4: *K2, P1, K4, P1* In other words, the pattern is *K2, p1, k4, p1* with a 2x2 right-twist cable done every 4th round, starting with round 3. THE SOCK LEG: Cast on 48 stitches on the smaller needles. *K2, P2* for 12 rounds (about 2"). Switch to the larger needles and start the cable pattern. Continue in cable pattern until the leg is long enough, ending with round 4 of the cable pattern. (For me, this is usually after about 10 cable pattern repeats, about 7" total.) THE HEEL: The heel is done on 24 stitches, centered under the cable pattern. I used the first stitch of the next round, then turned and purled back until I had 24 stitches -- 3 cable repeats. In other words, the first and last stitches of the heel should both fall under the "k2" part of the cable pattern. Put the other 24 stitches on a holder or on the other needles. You can use any stitch you want for the heel, but I used the following pattern, which is a slight variation on the Interweave Sock book's cabled sock heel: row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1, K2, p18, K3. row 2 (right side): Slip 1, k2, *k1, slip 1*, K3. row 3: same as row 1 row 4: Slip 1, k2, *slip 1, k1*, k3. This is similar to heel stitch, but the slipped stitches are offset rather than aligned, and it doesn't have the ribbed look of heel stitch. The first and last 3 stitches of the heel are in garter stitch, with a chain selvedge. Do 24-28 rows for the heel (around 2.5" to 3"), depending on how high your instep is. End with a right-side row. The turn the heel: 1: slip 1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn. 2: slip 1, k3, SSK, K1, turn. 3: slip 1, p4, p2tog (across the gap), p1, turn. 4: slip 1, k5, SSK (across the gap), k1, turn. 5: slip 1, p6, p2tog (across the gap), p1, turn. And so on, until all of the stitches have been used. You'll have 14 stitches left, and you'll have finished with a knit row. THE GUSSET: Pick up stitches on the side of the heel, one for every other row (about 12-14 stitches). Pick them up in the chains of the selvedge, through the back loop only. This will make a little outline-stitch-like ridge decoration at the edge of the heel. Pick up an extra stitch at the corner of the instep -- pick it up through the stitch below the first stitch of the heel. Then, knit across the reserved instep stitches in the cable pattern (it should be round 1 of the cable pattern). Pick up another stitch at the corner of the left instep and pick up stitches on the other side of the heel, just like you did for the first side. Finish the round and rearrange the needles so that the round begins in the middle of the heel/foot. You'll be doing gusset decreases as usual: round 1: K around evenly round 2: on the first needle, knit to the last 2 stitches, K2tog. Knit the instep in cable pattern. On the last needle, SSK, then knit to the end of the round. The gusset-decrease rounds will correspond with rounds 1 and 3 of the cable pattern. Keep decreasing until you're down to 44 stitches (that will be 10 stitches each on the first and last needles, with 24 on the instep in cable pattern). A quick note: since we shifted over a stitch when dividing for the heel, the cable pattern on the instep needle(s) will look like *k1, p1, k4, p1, k1* instead of *k2, p1, k4, p1*. You'll know what to do -- just stay in pattern. THE FOOT: Keep working, with the top in cable pattern and the bottom in stockinette, until the foot is about 1.75 inches less than the total desired length. Switch to stockinette stitch. On the first stockinette round, decrease 4 stitches on the instep to bring the total number of stitches down to 40. I think I did "k2, k2tog, (k4, k2tog) 3 times, k2." The toe decreases will start on the next round. THE TOE: Round 1: On the first needle: knit to the last 3 stitches, K2tog, k1. On the instep needle(s): K1, SSK, knit to the last 3 stitches, K2tog, k1. On the last needle: K1, SSK, knit to the end. Round 2: Knit around evenly. Repeat these two rounds until 20 stitches are left. Then, decrease every round until 8 stitches are left. Graft the last 8 stitches together, or run the yarn through them two times and pull snug. Finish off the ends and make the other sock. Good luck! I hope these directions are clear and that you enjoy making and wearing the socks. --jp jpa@agora.rdrop.com --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/