Exactly one year!

Well, well.... what a coincidence that I decided that my poor blog needed some TLC today!  It’s been exactly 1 year ago that I last posted!  A couple of times in the past year I’ve thought about just shutting the damn thing down, but lucky I didn’t because I wouldn’t have somewhere to record this pattern for posterity.

These socks were born of the need to cast on something quickly and have something simple and mindless to knit.  Halfway through, I decided that I didn’t need another plain pair of socks and wanted to do something fun at the end.  I think these would look adorable with another 1 or 2 rounds of ruffles picked up around the ribbing.. I might just have to make another pair!

Reasonably Ruffled Socks - for those times you just want to knit something basic to begin with, but want to finish with a flourish!

gauge: 32 stitches per 10 cm

yarn: 4 ply sock yarn.  I used Hawthorne Cottage  4 ply sock.

needle: 2.75mm needle

size: for reasonably average/large sized feet 40 EU/8 1/2 AU

c/o 64, join to knit in the round, and knit 1 x 1 ribbing (k 1 tbl, p1) for 18 rows.

change to stockinette and knit for approx 60 rows ( 12 − 14 cm)

knit heel flap on 32 stitches as follows:
RS: sl 1, k 31 to end
WS: *sl1, p1* repeat to end

Repeat both rows 16  - 20 times according to taste, or until it measures 5 − 6 cm ending with WS row.

turn heel as follows:

sl1, k17, ssk, k1 turn
sl1 p5, p2tog p1 turn
sl1 k6, ssk, k1 turn
sl1 p7 p2tog p1 turn

Continue in pattern working one more stitch each row until all heel flap stitches have been worked and the stitch count has decreased to 18.  K9 stitches to centre of heel flap and place marker or indicate with needle placement for beginning of round.

K9, then pick up one stitch in each slipped stitch along right side of heel flap (I picked up 20), place marker (or indicate with needle placement) knit across 32 instep stitches, place marker, pick up one stitch in each of slipped stitch on left side of heel flap (again I picked up 20), k9 to beginning of round.

row 1 (decrease round): knit until 3 stitches before first marker, k2tog, k1. Knit 32 instep stitches. k1, ssk, knit to end of round.
row 2: knit

repeat these 2 rows until you have decreased back to the original number of 32 stitches on sole of foot.

Continue in stockinette until foot measures 4cm less than required length.  For my foot this is nearly covering my little toe.

Remember that beginning of round is centre of sole.

row 1 (decrease round): [k until 3 stitches before marker, k2tog k1. slip marker. k1 ssk]* repeat once, k to end of round
row 2:  knit

repeat these 2 rounds until there are 14 stitches on each of sole and instep ( total of 28) graft the 2 sets of 14 stitches closed.

Now for the ruffly bit!

Pick up 32 stitches at the base of the ribbing -  I slipped the right leg of each k1tbl stitch onto a needle until I had 32.

Round 1: kfb all stitches - 64
Round 2: kfb all stitches - 128
Round 3: k all stitches
Round 4: k1, yo* repeat until end - 256
Round 5: p all stitches - 256
round 6: k all stitches - 256
bind off all stitches.

Easy Peasy, but so cute!