The Knit Guru

These socks were designed in Auckland City, looking into the reflections of the high rise building windows, where all the lines were distorted and cool.

You will need:
– 4ply sock yarn – in 2 shades. One main colour and one supporting shade for the stripes.
– 2 x 3mm circular needles (or a set of DPN’s. However you prefer to knit socks)
– 1 stitch marker
– Darning needle and scissors for the finishing up

Cuff

Cast on 56 stitches in your main colour. Join in the round. Place 28 stitches on each needle (or spread how you prefer to knit socks)

Knit 1, Purl 1 rib. Complete 20 rows of this K1, P1 rib over the whole cuff.

Main sock pattern:

Round 1: With MC, (k1, sl1 wyif) to end of round. 
Round 2: With MC, k to end of round. 
Round 3: With CC, (k1, sl1 wyib) to end of round. 
Round 4: With CC, k to end of round.

Complete these 4 rows until you have 10 contrast colour stripes. You can now cut off the contrast colour as the foot is in the main colour.

You can now remove the contrasting colour yarn as this is the end of the colour work.

Heel Flap

This occurs on ONLY needle 2 (or the second 28 stitches of your sock).
Row A (on the right side of just needle 2): Slip 1 purlwise, Knit 1, *(Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, knit 1). Repeat from * to end of the row on needle 2.
Row B (on the wrong side of just needle 2): Slip 1, purl to the end of the row on just needle 2.

Complete Row A and Row B 14 times for a total of 28 rows.

Heel turn:

This just creates a shape at the back of the foot. This is also just on needle 2 directly following the heel flap. These are short rows, and do not go all the way to the end of the needle. It is very much a case of “trust the process” if you haven’t made socks in this way before.

Row C: Slip 1 purlwise, knit 14, knit 2 together, knit 1. Turn your work.
Row D: Slip 1, purl 3, purl 2 together, purl 1. Turn your work.

Complete these 2 rows (Row C and Row D) on needle 2 only.

Row E: Slip 1 purlwise, knit to one stitch before the gap in your work, knit 2 together, knit 1. Turn your work.
Row F: Slip 1, purl to one stitch before the gap in your work, purl 2 together, knit 1

Complete these 2 rows until you have knitted the last stitch on each end of needle 2.

Row G: Slip 1, knit to the last 2 stitches, knit 2 together.
Row H: Slip 1, purl to the last 2 stitches, purl 2 together.

Complete these 2 rows on needle 2.

Heel Gusset

This bit can be a bit confusing, but it will make sense as you knit a few rows. The first bit is a set up bit.

NEEDLE 2: Knit 7 stitches on needle 2. Place a marker here. This is the centre of the back of the heel. Knit 7 stitches. You are now at the end of the stitches on needle 2. Pick up and knit 15 stitches along the side of the heel flap. This will be the slipped stitches on the edge (these will be easy to see), and then 1 extra pick up from the leg before needle 1.

NEEDLE 1: Knit

NEEDLE 2: Pick up and knot the leg from between the stitches on needle 1 and needle 2. Pick up and knit the 14 slipped stitches on the edges of the heel flap. Knit 7 stitches. Slip marker. Knit until the last 3 stitches on needle 2, knit 2 together, knit 1.

NEEDLE 1: Knit 4

NEEDLE 2: Knit 1, SSK (slip 1 as if to knit, slip 1 as if to knit, knit the 2 slipped stitches together which creates a decrease). Knit to marker.

Now it is a bit easier to work out what is happening by counting from marker to marker.

ROW I: Knit to the end of needle 2, continue knit needle 1, on needle 2 knit to marker.
ROW J: Knit to the last 3 stitches on needle 2. Knit 2 together, knit 1. Continue knit 1. On needle 2, knit 1, SSK, knit to marker.

Repeat Row I and Row J until you have 28 stitches on needle 2. I use this marker to check that I have 14 stitches on each side of the needle.

Knit the 14 stitches remaining on needle 2 bringing you back to ordinary row counting. You can remove the marker at this point.

Foot section

These are just knitting in the round until your sock is the right length. I measure this as the back of your heel to the base of your big toe. The toe shaping adds a few more cms to the sock, generally the about the length of your big toe.

Knit rows until your sock reaches your toe.

Toe shaping

ROW K: On needle 1: Knit 1, SSK, knit to the last 2, K2 together. Repeat on Needle 2. This decreases 2 stitches per needle, or 4 per row
ROW L: Knit all stitches.

Repeat ROW K and ROW L until you have 14 stitches remaining on each needle.

Kitchener bind off the toe of your sock.
Now make a second sock, darn in your ends, and wear your socks.