Thursday, November 6, 2008

Bamboo waves sock

This sock is worked from the toe up. It uses a variation of the September 2008 stitch pattern by Gail Dennis aka Sockamaniac and has a Widdershins heel.

edited: Whenever, I reknit something, I can't help but change it a little. A new version of the pattern is available for free on Ravelry. It is now sized in multiple sizes, has a different way of making the leg increases, and has an eyelet cuff. Here is a pic (in Knit Picks Stroll yarn):

Bamboo Waves Socks

The original (shown below) is knit from yarn courtesy of a lady from the knitting group I belong to and owner of
My Small Wonders (which is where the yarn in the pic comes from). She wanted to see what her hand-painted yarn would look like knitted up into sock. The yarn was a pleasure to work with. Here's the pattern that resulted:

Materials:
1 skein (100g) sock yarn
two size 1 circular needles

Gauge: 8 sts and 12 rows per inch (Row gauge is not important.)

Pattern (5 sts by 12 rows):
All even rows: Knit across
Rows 1, 3, 5: yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog
Rows 7, 9, 11: ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo
Reverse Pattern (5 sts by 12 rows):
All even rows: Knit across
Rows 1, 3, 5: ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo
Rows 7, 9, 11: yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog
The pattern is abbreviated "patt". The reverse pattern is abbreviated "rev patt".

Toe:
Cast on 7 st on each needle using Turkish cast on.
Knit around.
Increase every round to 13 sts per needle.
Increase every other round to 31 sts per needle.
Knit even to about a 3" length (about 14 rounds)

Foot:
On needle 1: k2, patt, k2, patt, k3, rev patt, k2, rev patt, k2 (31 sts). On needle 2: k across.
Continue until the length is about 2 1/2 " (30 rounds) shy of the total desired foot length. For where the 30 rounds comes from, look at my post on the Widdershins heel.

Gusset:
Make gusset increases every other row to 53 sts on Needle 2. Meanwhile, keep following the pattern on Needle 1. The last pattern row on Needle 1, before turning the heel, should be an even row. Do not knit across on Needle 2. Instead .....

Turn heel:
Place markers 15 sts in from either side of Needle 2, leaving 23 sts between markers. The stitches between markers are the heel sts. The sts outside the markers are the gusset sts. Then, working only on the heel sts:

Row 1: k to 4 sts before marker, kfb, k1, turn
Row 2: s1, p to 4 sts before marker, pfb, p1, turn
Row 3: s1, k to 4 sts before gap, kfb, k1, turn
Row 4: s1, p to 4 sts before gap, pfb, p1, turn

Repeat Rows 3 – 4 until there are 31 sts between markers.
(On purl rows, s1 – slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front. On knit rows, s1 - slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back.)

Heel flap:
Row 1: s1, k to last heel st, ssk last heel st and 1 st from left gusset, turn
Row 2: * s1, p1 * to last heel st, p2tog last heel st and 1 st from right gusset, turn

Repeat Rows 1 – 2 until there is only 1 st to be picked up, a right gusset st. (You'll be ending with Row 1.) Do not turn. Work the next pattern row on Needle 1. When you reach Needle 2 again:

k2tog (to get rid of the last gusset st), * k1, s1 * across.

The heel is now finished.

Leg:
Continue working in the round. Work same pattern row on Needle 2 as was worked on Needle 1. To increase, change an ssk or k2tog to a k2.
1st pattern repeat, increase on row 11 between side zig-zags.
2nd pattern repeat, increase on row 11 on outsides.
3rd pattern repeat, no increase
4th pattern repeat, increase on row 1 in the middle and then on row 11 between side zig-zags
5th pattern repeat, increase on row 11 on outsides.
6th pattern repeat, no increase
There are now 41 sts on each needle.

Cuff:
The cuff has k1, p1 ribbing. But, to get the purl stitches over the yo's, there are three p2tog's.
Next round:
k1, p2tog, (k1, p1) twice, k1, p2tog, (k1, p1) 8 times, k1, p2tog, (k1, p1) 5 times -- on each needle
Next 9 rounds: (k1, p1) around
Bind off.