Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:40:13 -0700 From: Jan Moreno Subject: KNIT:Ocean socks Hi, knitters, I posted the other day about my idea for 'ocean socks,' but when I had them finished, I didn't like the way they looked & decided to do something different! Some of you wanted the pattern, so I will post it although I'm reluctant to use up so much knitlist space. Here is the pattern. I used sportweight wool sock yarn in a heathery blue (the heathery part is green and deeper blue and a little gold). If you wanted you could make them in that heathery light green Wool-ease or the other shade that's a blue-green (forest heather?). The stitch pattern I used turned out to be stretchier than I'd anticipated, so I used size 3 DPs--you could go even smaller for a firmer sock. Stitch Patterns (I have changed them so they work in the round): Baby Cable Ribbing from B.Walker's "A Treasury of Knitting Patterns" Rounds 1-3: * K2, P2; rep from *. Round 4: *K2 tog, but leave on needle; then insert right-hand needle between the 2 sts just knitted together, and knit the 1st st again; then sl both sts from needle together; p2; rep from *. Repeat Rounds 1-4. Seaweed from B.Walker's "A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns" Rounds 1 and 2: K4, P2 Rounds 3 and 4: K3, P3 Rounds 5 and 6: K2, P4 Rounds 7 and 8: K1, *P4, K2, rep from *, end P4, K1 Rounds 9 and 10: K1, *P3, K3, rep from *, end P3, K2 Rounds 11 and 12: K1, *P2, K4, rep from *, end P2, K3 Repeat Rounds 1-12. Sock Pattern: Cast on 48 stitches over three DPs, 16 stitches on each needle. Join. (To make a tight join, I use a two-tail cast-on and knit the first stitch with both tails, dropping the short tail after the first stitch and continuing with the tail coming from the ball of yarn). Knit four or more repeats of Baby Cable Ribbing. Then start the Seaweed pattern. I knitted three repeats of the Seaweed pattern and then started the heel flap. Heel Flap: Put 24 stitches on the first needle (for heel flap) and 12 each on the next two needles (for instep). Work heel flap as follows: Row 1: *Sl 1, K1, rep from *. Row 2: Sl 1 the first stitch, then purl across. Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 12 slipped stitches (24 rows) or as many as you need to fit your heel, ending after last S1, K1 row. Turn the Heel: Row 1: Purl 14 sts (or two stitches beyond the center). P2 tog, P1, turn. Row 2: Sl first st, K5, K2tog, K1, turn. Row 3: Sl 1, purl to 1 st before the gap (the last turning), P2tog, P1, turn. Row 4: Sl 1, knit to 1 st before the gap, K2tog, K1, turn. Continue with Rows 3 and 4 until you have worked all your heel stitches. You should have 14 stitches left and be at the end of a knit row. Gussets: With a new needle, pick up at least 12 stitches (as many as you need to avoid holes, I needed 14) along the side of the heel flap, using the back loop of the slip stitches. Combine the 24 instep stitches from the next two needles onto one needle, knit across (in seaweed pattern or in plain knit, depending on whether you want your seaweed pattern to continue down the top of the foot or just be on the cuff) the 24 instep stitches, and, with a new needle, pick up the same number of stitches (12 or more) along the second side of the heel flap plus 7 stitches from the heel flap. Slip the next 7 heel flap stitches onto the first gusset needle. You should have your stitches and needles arranged like this: Needle 1: gusset stitches Needle 2: instep stitches Needle 3: gusset stitches The beginning of Needle 1 marks the back of the heel and the beginning of the round. Then start decreasing the gussets: Round 1: Knit (continuing the instep needle in seaweed pattern if desired). Round 2: At the end of Needle 1, work to last three stitches, then K2tog, K1. Work across Needle 2 (instep) in seaweed pattern or plain, as desired. At the beginning of Needle 3, K1, then SSK. Knit to end of Needle 3. Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until you have 12 stitches on Needle 1, 24 stitches on Needle 2, and 12 stitches on Needle 3, for a total of 48 stitches again. Continue down the sock, keeping the instep in pattern if desired, until your sock is two inches less than desired. I did 3 repeats of the seaweed pattern, but the intended wearer has a foot smaller than mine. Then decrease for the toe: Round 1: On Needle 1--K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. On Needle 2--K1, SSK, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. On Needle 3--K1, SSK, knit to end. Round 2: Knit. Repeat these two rounds until you have 8 stitches on needle 2, and 4 stitches each on Needles 1 and 2, for a total of 16 stitches. Weave the toe using Kitchener stitch. I have embroidered little fishes here and there peeking out from behind the seaweed. I *was* going to add in darker green yarn on top of the seaweed, but the pattern is too pretty to mess with. Ditto for the white caps on the waves (the baby cable ribbing). I'm wondering though if I could add a little translucent sparkly fabric paint atop those waves. I am proud of this pattern because it's the first of my ideas that's really worked!! Happy holidays, Jan Jan Moreno in Fresno, CA mailto:jan55@lightspeed.net ------------- --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/