Stitches of Violet

Size: Women’s medium
Yarn: Sock/fingering weight.
Yarn requirements: 34g of A, the multicolor. Approximately 50g of the solid. (Shoe size 6-7 took 43g.)
Needles: 2-24” circulars US 1, 2.5mm
Gauge: 8 stitches/inch 10 rows/inch in stockinette stitch

The blue socks in the picture are knit with Opal Cool Ocean 226 and Opal Uni-Solid 26.

Note: The socks are designed to be worn with the cuff folded down. The picture on the left shows the ribbing under the cuff which functions to keep the sock snug to the leg.

Abbreviations:
yo = yarn over
k = knit
p = purl
slip = slip purlwise unless pattern specifies knitwise
ssk = slip knitwise, slip knitwise, knit two slipped stitches together
slip2 = slip 2 stitches knitwise
p2sso = pass 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch
k2tog = knit two stitches together
p2tog - purl two stitches together

Old Shale Pattern (16 stitches and 4 rounds)
Round 1: (yo,k,yo,k,yo,ssk,ssk,(slip2,k,p2sso),k2tog,k2tog,yo,k,yo,k,yo,k) 4 times
Round 2: knit
Round 3: knit
Round 4: knit


Cuff
Cast on 64 stitches with A.
Join.
Join is the beginning of a round and the left side of sock.
Split stitches between two circular needles, 32 stitches per needle.


Border:
Round 1: knit.
Round 2: purl.
Round 3: knit.
Round 4: purl.
Round 5: knit.
Round 6: purl.
Round 7: knit.

Knit the Old Shale Pattern 6 times (24 rows)

Turn the sock inside out on the needles.
Knit a round.
Note: This knit round is going in the opposite direction from previous rounds.
At the end of the knit round pick up the horizontal bar between the two needles and knit the bar together with the first stitch of the next round.

k1,p1 rib for three rounds.
Switch to color B.
k1,p1 rib for 20 more rounds.

Move last stitch of round to heel needle. Heel needle now has 33 stitches, instep needle has 31 stitches.

k7,p1 rib for 15 rounds, centering wide ribs as follows:
Heel needle: k4,p,k7,p,k7,p,k7,p,k4 (33 stitches)
Instep needle: k3,p,k7,p,k7,p,k7,p,k3 (31 stitches)

Cut B and attach A.

Eye of Partridge Heel
Row 1: (slip 1, knit 1) 7 times. slip 1, k2tog, (slip 1, knit 1) 8 times. 32 stitches on needle. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, purl to end of row. Turn.
Row 3: slip 1, (slip 1, knit 1) 15 times, knit 1. Turn.
Row 4: slip 1, purl to end of row. Turn.
Row 5: (slip 1, knit 1) 16 times. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 through Row 5 7 more times. (Total of 17 slip rows)
Repeat Row 2 and 3. (Total of 18 slip rows)

Turn Heel
Row 1: slip 1, p 17, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, k5, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 3: slip 1, p6, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 4: slip 1, k7, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 5: slip 1, p8, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 6: slip 1, k9, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 7: slip 1, p10, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 8: slip 1, k11, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 9: slip 1, p12, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 10: slip 1, k13, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 11: slip 1, p14, p2tog, p. Turn.
Row 12: slip 1, k15, ssk, k. Turn.
Row 13: slip 1, p16, p2tog. Turn.
Row 14: slip 1, k16, ssk.

18 stitches left on needle.

Pick up Gusset Stitches
Cut A and attach B.
Pick up 19 stitches along right edge of heel.
Knit across instep maintaining rib pattern.
Pick up 19 stitches along left edge of heel.

Knit a round.

Gusset Decreases
For gusset decreases, round starts at center of heel needle.

Round 1: knit to last 3 stitches of heel needle, k2tog, k1, knit in ribbing pattern across instep, k, ssk, knit to center of heel needle.
Round 2 - knit to instep needle, knit in ribbing pattern across instep, knit to center of heel needle.

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 33 stitches remain on heel needle.

Continue knitting around keeping the 31 instep stitches in the wide ribbing pattern.

1 inch before the first toe decreases, cut B and attach A at the beginning of the sole stitches.

Toe Decreases
Start on sole needle 2 inches before desired length of sock.

Round 1: (k, ssk, k to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k) twice, once on sole needle, once on instep needle.
Round 2: knit

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 17 stitches remain on sole needle and 15 stitches remain on instep needle.

Repeat round 1 until 9 stitches remain on each needle.
Kitchener toe and weave in ends.

Copyright Marguerite Byrne, 2004. To be used for private, non-profit use only.
Send comments and corrections to knittingviolet@gmail.com