Adult Ribby Socks

They finally dried from their washing/blocking, so without further ado, I present:

Style: Top-down, flap heel, wedge toe.
Yarn: Two 50g balls sock yarn (Confetti, Regia 4ply, Sisu etc.) For a longer foot with Sisu you might need more than 2 balls. (I used hand dyed Sisu for mine.)
Needles: 2mm dpns (set of 5) or whatever you need to get gauge.
Gauge: 8 sts per inch over stockinette. Sock is 8 3/4 inches long but quite stretchy. Will fit average woman’s foot. Foot can be knit longer for larger size.

Pattern:
Cast on 70 stitches. Arrange 15 on needle 1, 20 on each of needles 2 and 3, and 15 on needle 4. Join in tube and work knit 3, purl 2 rib for 7 inches or desired cuff height.

Begin heel flap:
Shift last stitch on needle 3 to needle 4. Continue to knit rib pattern on needle 1 to just before the last st. Sl last st onto needle 2. Turn. (This leaves a symmetrical rib pattern for the instep on needles 2 and 3. The heel is worked on the 30 sts now on needles 1 and 4.)
Row 1: Sl first st as if to purl with yarn in front, purl across needle 1 and continue across needle 4. Turn.
Row 2: Sl first st as if to purl with yarn in back, k 1, (sl 1, k1) repeat to end of row. Turn.
Repeat these two rows until there are 15 sl sts at the edges. End after the last purl row. Turn.

With RS facing begin heel cup:
Sl 1, k 16, ssk, k1, turn.
Sl 1, p 5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Sl 1, k across to “gap” where work was turned, ssk using one st before gap and one st after thus closing gap, k 1, turn.
Sl 1, p to gap, p2tog across gap, p 1, turn.
Continue as established until there are no sts left unworked. (18 sts on needle.)
Sl 1, k 8 (centre of needle).

Begin gusset:
With spare needle, knit across last 9 sts. and with same needle pick up and knit edge sts on flap, picking up 15 plus one extra stitch in corner of gusset. (25 sts.) Using spare needle, knit across needle 2 in rib pattern and repeat for needle 3. Using last spare needle, pick up and knit one st in corner of gusset and 15 sts from side of heel flap. Continue to knit across the last 9 st to centre of heel. End of round.

Continue with gusset:
Knit across needle 1 to 3 sts before end, k2tog, p 1. Knit across needles 2 and 3 in pattern. On needle 4, p 1, ssk, knit to end. Next round knit without decreases, keeping knits and purls as established. Instep will be in rib and sole of foot in stockinette. Repeat these two rounds until needles 1 and 4 have 15 sts each. Continue even as established until sock foot is 6 3/4 inches long from back of heel. (Adjust foot length here.)

Since there’s more stitches on the instep than the sole of the foot, adjust before beginning toe as follows:
On last round of foot, purl last st of needle 1 together with first st of needle 2, k 1 more st from needle 2. (Now needle 1 has 16 sts.) Continuing on needle 2, k 2, p2tog, k 3, p2, k3, p2tog, k3, p1. Shift last p st on needle 2 to needle 3. (Leaving 16 sts on needle 2.) On needle 3, p 1, k 3, p2tog, k3, p2, k3, p2tog, k2. Shift last 3 unworked sts to needle 4. (Leaving 16 st on needle 3.) On needle 4, k 1, p2tog, k to end. (All 4 needles now have 16 sts each.)

Decrease for toe:
Knit across needle 1 to last 3 sts, k2tog, k 1. On needle 2, k 1, ssk, knit across. On needle 3, knit across to last 3 sts, k2tog, k 1. On needle 4, k 1, ssk, knit across. Knit next round plain.
Continue to alternate decrease and plain rounds until there are 6 sts on each needle. End with a plain round. Continue to knit across needle 1 to end at right edge of toe. Break off yarn, leaving a tail for grafting.

“Ear Reduction”:
Arrange top of toe on one needle. Bottom should already be on one needle. Lift the last st over the second-last st at each end of both needles. (10 sts on each needle.) Graft the remaining sts together with Kitchener stitch. Darn in ends. Wash socks, block, dry, and you’re done!

Further crafty news:
I didn’t have a dye day with my friend today because she wasn’t feeling well. We’ve postponed until Monday. But I finished the Peapod Sweater and am madly working on the hat. I decided that I didn’t want the lace bit on the hat so after doing the leafy rib, I’m just knitting stockinette. I have to figure out where to start the decreases and I may do my own version with the i-cord knot at the top. Or if I can, maybe a curly bit like a pea tendril. Photos when I’m done, though they may have to wait if it starts raining again. Yesterday, just after I posted that it was raining it cleared up and stayed that way all day today. Perverse bloody weather! However, the clouds are moving in again with more ridiculous amounts of rain predicted by Friday. Fun. At least the house hasn’t sprung any leaks since T-Man cleaned out the eaves troughs. Some people have had a really bad time of it with flooding and leaks, fallen trees and dead salmon that were trying to spawn ending up in their yards. Just plant ’em I say. They’re great fertilizer! A new twist on the “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade” theme.