My first (real) sock

I finished my first real sock!  I say real because I actually started one in February, however it turned out to be what my husband calls a cankle sock.  It had a really wide ankle and then I got frustrated and I finished it really quick so it was too short for my feet and too skinny at the bottom.  It was pretty sad.  But, I was determined to make a sock so I started again with this pretty sock yarn I got in Albuquerque.  It took me two months but I finally just finished the first one!  I used the Beginner Sock pattern from Knitting on the Net.  Be aware that the picture of my sock is what the pattern makes, not the picture they have on their website. 

Beginner Socks Knitting Pattern by Kim Goddard from www.knittingonthenet.com


Directions:

Yarn: Happy Feet DK (I made one sock with about 3/4 of a skein)
Color: Multi - Aspen Print
Needle: 5 Size US 2 double pointed needles
Gauge:  28 sts = 4 inches

Cast on 56 sts.  Join and mark beg of round.

Rib in K2, P2 rib fr 7 inches or desired leg length. (I did it to about 6 inches)

(con't after the jump)


Divide For Heel
Put one half of the stitches (28), centered on the beginning of the round, on a needle.  The easiest way to do this is to knit the first 14 sts, then turn and slip the 14 sts on the other side of the marker onto the needle.  Place the other half on a holder - these stitches will be the instep later on.  Work the heel flap over the 28 sts, using a contrast color if desired:

P across the back of the heel flap, slipping the first stitch.
Turn.
Sl1, K1 across.
Turn.

Repeat these 2 rows till you have worked 28 rows, count the slipped stitches which should be 14.

Turning The Heel
You are making short rows to shape a little cup for the heel.

Starting on the right side, knit halfway across the heel flap (14 sts) plus 2 (16).
Sl1, K1, psso. K1. Turn.
Sl1, P5, P2tog, P1. Turn.
Sl1, K across to the gap (where you turned), slip the first stitch before the gap, K the stitch on the other side, psso, K1. Turn again.
Sl1, P across to the gap. P2tog across the gap. P1. Turn.

Continue in this manner until all the heel flap stitches have been used up.

Join the first color back in if you made a contrasting heel. Now you will be picking up the stitches on the sides of the heel flap and knitting around the sock again. Those stitches you put aside before doing the heel flap have waited patiently and will be put back into use!

By slipping the first stitch of each row on the heel flap, you have made a lovely chain edge which will be easy to pick up. You should be able to get 14 stitches on each side, but don't worry if you get more or less than this. I usually pick up the stitches on one needle and knit them onto another, twisting them by knitting into the back of the loop.

Knit across those patient instep stitches, or continue them in ribbing, then pick up and knit the same number of stitches on the other side of the heel flap. Knit one half of the heel flap stitches (8 or 9) onto this needle. Mark the centre as the beginning of the round. You now have three needles with rather a lot of stitches on them - one for each side of the gusset and one for the instep. If you have a spare needle in about the same size you can put the instep stitches on two needles instead - I find this is much easier to work.

Now you want to make a row of decreases on each side of the heel flap to get back to the same number of stitches you began with (56).

Knit to 3 sts from the end of needle 1, K2tog, K1.
Rib across the instep sts.
On needles 3 and 4, K first st, Sl1, K1, psso. Knit to end.

K next round plain (ribbing the instep if desired).
Repeat decrease round every other round until you have 56 sts again.

Continue with knit sole and ribbed instep (just follow the established rib) until the foot measures 2½" less than your foot length. I use my 7" double points to give me a rough idea of when to begin the toe shaping, since my foot is 9½" long.

Shape Toe:
Join contrast colour if using such.
Knit one round plain.

Decrease round:
K to 3 sts from end of first needle, K2tog, K1.
K first st on instep needle, Sl1, psso, knit to 3 sts from end of instep needle (or end of needle 3 if you split the instep sts), K2tog, K1.
Last needle, K1, Sl1, psso, K to end.

Knit one round plain.

Continue alternating plain and decrease rounds until you have half the number of sts you began with (28, or 7 on each of 4 needles). Then decrease on every round until you have 12 sts left all together.

Cut off the yarn leaving an 18" tail. Thread a needle with this yarn tail and graft these sts together using the Kitchener stitch or just thread the end through all the sts and draw them up tightly. Weave the end of the yarn into the back of the stitches (turn the sock inside out).

That's it!  Now I just have to make one more that matches... eh!  I'm not looking forward to it because it took me so long for the first one, but it fits really nicely and is so comfortable, having this one on one foot is enough inspiration to get the other one done so I can actually wear them.  I think my next pair of socks will be made with a chunkier yarn just to give my hands a break from knitters cramp, but I really do enjoy knitting socks and I look forward to making more!