Tag Archives: heel flap

Me Socks!

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On Monday, I talked about using January as Knit for Yourself Month.  And, usually I end up ignoring my own advice.  But this time, I totally didn’t!

I’m going to make my first-ever pair of toe-up, heel-flap socks in some lovely yarn that’s been hiding in my stash.

What’s that?  You’re asking how these could be my first pair of toe-up, heel-flap socks when I constantly have at least one pair of socks on my needles.

Well, I exclusively do top-down socks.  I know it’s kind of silly to get in such a rut, but top-down are the socks I learned how to make back in college, and they’re where I’m comfortable.  And, well, when it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  To be fair, I experimented with toe-up socks with afterthought heels, and some with short-row heels, but that was years ago.  And anyway, I’ve never attempted a heel flap in a toe-up sock.

So, after finding the pattern in my queue on Monday, I downloaded the “Diagonal Lace Socks” pattern off Ravelry and looked it over. 2006685477_2221a6e6f6_z[1]

It didn’t look too bad, except that the designer expected me to knit a pair of socks for my size 10 feet with a set of US0 needles.  That wasn’t going to happen.  I loose patience with tiny needles, and rarely go below a US2.  But, for this I was willing to compromise.  I pulled out my US1’s and decided to make the “medium” size, instead of the “large,” and cross my fingers that the difference in gauge would make up for the few stitches difference.

Then I dug through my stash and found a skein of Hawthorne Speckle Handpaint that Knitpicks sent to me, in Cosmic Speckle.  (I think this colorway is unfortunately discontinued, but they’ve got lots of other gorgeous colors.  I highly recommend this yarn- it somehow manages to feel both crispy and fluffy at the same time; it would make a great pair of cabled socks.  I don’t know how they do it!)

26871_medium[1]So, now I’m off to find a good video of Judy’s Magic Cast On, and start my new socks!

Does anyone have any tips for toe-up socks?

(And, don’t forget to enter the Petite Presents Book Giveaway!)

Pattern Spotlight: Socks by the Numbers

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Woo!  We made it through Christmas! That can mean only one thing!  No, silly, not that you need bigger pants.  And, no, not that we can put away the tinsel.  It means that I can actually show you guys all the socks that I made for gifts this year!  Finally!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, here’s the big secret:  They’re all made using my “Socks by the Numbers” pattern.  It’s free and available here:

 Socks by the Numbers

This pattern is hardly even a pattern, it’s more of a recipe.  You plug in your gauge and the size of the foot you’re trying to fit, and away you go.  I show you how to do the math, so you’re free to play with color, texture, and stitches, all the while making an perfectly-fit top-down sock with a heel flap.

Now, to the socks!

I made a pair of lovely burnt-orange socks for my father-in-law with a pretty cool all-over basket-weave stitch of knits and purls.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy mother-in-law got a pair of adorable ice-blue socks, decorated with a lace pattern modified from a vintage stitch dictionary.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy dad got a pair of utilitarian socks with simple ribbed cuffs, perfect for Chicago winters in a really nice shade of brown-gray.  (Trust me, in real life, the yarn is kind of cool and heathered.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy brother got a goofy pair of black-and-yellow fraternal-twin socks.  Because he’s my brother, and he’s a little goofy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd my husband got a pair of socks in sapphire blue with just enough ribbing at the cuffs and down the sides to make them interesting.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWoo!  Socks for everyone!  (OK, not quite everyone, but “Socks for everyone” sounds a whole lot better than “Socks for about three-quarters of the people on my list.”)  And, with my Socks by the Numbers pattern, I was able to work up perfectly-fitting, customized socks without any problem!

Did you have a go-to gift for everyone on your list this year?

Design Process Series: Heart and Sole

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Our socks are nearly finished, guys!  And just in time for it to get all hot and summery.  (Nothing better than wearing big woolen socks in the July heat.  Ick!)

Let’s get started!

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With the Main Color, knit back across the heel flap, moving the marker as you go.  Using the same  needle, pick up and knit 12 (13, 14, 15) stitches along the side of the heel flap.

Knit across the next 24 (26, 28, 30) stitches normally (these are the top of the foot).

Then, with your spare needle (the one we set aside at the beginning of the heel flap), pick up another 12 (13, 14, 15) stitches along the remaining side of the heel flap and knit to the marker. Remove marker.

You’ll have the stitches arranged on 4 needles.  Two (the ones on the top of the foot) will have 12 (13, 14, 15) stitches each, and the other two (the ones on the sole of the foot) will have more.  The beginning of the row from now on will be between the two “sole of the foot” needles.  Confused?  This might help.

Now that we’re all set up for the foot, it’s time to start knitting.

  • K to 2 before the end of the first needle, k2tog.  K the next two needles even.  On the fourth needle, ssk, then knit to the end.
  • K all stitches even.

Repeat these two rows, alternating decrease and even rows, until all needles have the same number of stitches (12 (13, 14, 15) stitches each).  You’ve finished the gusset and it’s all easy sailing (er… knitting) from here.

Knit all stitches even until the sock measures 2 inches shorter than desired from heel to toe.  End at the bottom of the sole.  Break yarn and get ready for some exciting toe action next week!

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Pattern: Sunday Morning Slipper Socks

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPour yourself a cup of tea, pull out a favorite book, and slip on these thick and cozy socks for the perfect lazy Sunday morning.  Delicate lace flows from the leg to the top of the foot, making these super-warm slippers surprisingly girly and flattering.  They’re thick enough to be extra-cozy, but thin enough to leave on when you slip on your clogs and run to the store for some fresh doughnuts.  Worked in wooly DK-weight yarn and larger-than-normal needles, these socks knit up in a snap, so you have time to make a pair for yourself, your mother, your sister and your best friend.

See the pattern details on Ravelry.

Or, get the pattern here for $3: 

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Through the Grapevine Socks

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These are socks worth gossiping about!  Their simple structure is offset by two panels of ladylike texture on either side of the leg.  Two grapey cables run between trellises of delicate openwork, making a sock that looks intricate, but is very simple to work up.  A delight to knit, and a pleasure to wear, the grapevine will be talking about these socks for years to come!

The Through the Grapevine Socks are knit on size 2 double-point needles using Knit Picks Stroll yarn (or your favorite brand of sock-weight yarn), in women’s size Small-Medium or Medium-Large.  They are worked from the 1×1 ribbed cuff down to the toe.  The heel is made using standard heel-flap construction, and the toe is created with sets of decreases on either side of the foot and closed up with the Kitchener stitch.  If you have difficulty with sock construction, please see my pattern “Socks by the Numbers” for more information.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKnit up a pair of Through the Grapevine Socks for yourself.  The pattern is available through my Ravelry store for three dollars:

Sock Week: Getting Flappy

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How’s your sock looking? Pretty tubular?  Now, you could just make a big tube and close it up at one end and say “Hey, It’s a sock!”  But I think foot-shaped socks are much better than tube-shaped socks.  They are more comfortable and more interesting to knit.

Here’s what you should have so far (I’ve numbered the needles for ease of discussion later):

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Needles 1 and 4 are the back of the leg/heel/sole of the foot.  Needles 2 and 3 are the shin and the top of the foot.  The end of the row is between needles 1 and 4.

Set aside your fifth needle for now (don’t loose it, we’ll need it later).  Using needle 4, place a marker, and knit across needle 1.  You’ll have half your stitches on one needle, which you’ll work back and forth to create your heel flap.  It will look like this:

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Using just this needle, work the heel flap back and forth, following the following rules:

  1. Work the heel flap back and forth, not in the round.  Do not knit any of the stitches on needles 2 or 3.
  2. Since we’re doing stockinet stitch back and forth, make sure to knit one row and purl one row.
  3. Every time you start a new row, slip the first stitch.  This makes a nice edge that will make it easier for us to pick up stitches later on.
  4. Your heel flap is done when you’ve worked rows equal to half your Sock Number. (My sock number is 60, so I’ll work 30 rows for my heel flap).

When you’re done, work back to the beginning of the round (in the middle of the row/where you put the stitch marker).  It should look like this:

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Wednesday, we’ll turn the heel!