Summer Walking Socks

Either way you'll enjoy working on this pattern, which is great for intermediate knitters but also may serve as a challenging new pattern for beginning knitters.

Create these socks in all sorts of bright, cheery colors for summer, or save the pattern and use darker earth tones to create light socks for chilly fall evenings. Enjoy you sock adventures!

Skill level: Intermediate

Materials:

400 yards of cotton fingering yarn. The sample was knit using Cotton Fine by Brown Sheep in the color way Crème De Mint

Size 1 dps needles.

Size 0 dps needles

Yarn needle.

Gauge: 8 sts to the inch

Stitches used:

K= knit

P = purl

SSK= Slip one stitch, Slip the next stitch, Knit the two stitches together

K2tog = Knit 2 together

Sock (make 2)

Cuff

Cast on 64 stitches, divide evenly over 4 needles (16 on each) being careful not to twist, join.

Round 1-20: Knit 2, purl 2 around, or to desired length. (If you knit more rounds, you may need more yarn)

Round 21 -22: Knit in each stitch around.

Heel

Heel flap:

Row 1: Slip 1, K 1, across needle 1 and needle 2 (32 sts) turn.  Leave the remaining 32 stitches unworked for now.

Row 2: Slip 1 and purl to end of the 32 sts.

Repeat these two rows for a total of 15 times.

Gusset:

Row 1: K 18 sts, K2tog, K1, turn.

Row 2: Sl 1,P 5, P2tog,P1, turn.

Row 3: Sl 1 K 6, K2tog, K1, turn.

Row 4: Sl 1 P 7, P2tog, P1, turn.

Row 5: Sl 1, K 8, K2tog, K1, turn.

Repeat rows 4 and 5 working one more stitch on each row as established until all sts have been worked and 18 sts remain.

Turning the heel:

Round 1: Using needle 1 knit across 18sts and pick and knit 16, On needle 2 work in pattern, on needle 3 works in pattern, using needle 4 pickup and knit 16 , knit 9 sts off needle 1.

Round 2: Knit to last 3 sts on needle one, K2tog, K1, work in pattern across needle 2 and 3, on needle 4 K1, SSK, knit to end of needle and round.

Round 3: Knit across needle one, work in pattern across needle 2 and 3, Knit across needle 4.

Repeat round 2 and 3 until 16 sts remain on all 4 needles.

Foot

Round 1-4:  Knit in each stitch around.

Round 5-26:Changing to size 0 K1, P 1,across each needle.

This should be about 2 inches or so.

Round 27: K in each stitch around, until foot measure desired length minus 2 inches.

Toe

Round 1: Knit across all needles.

Round 2: Needle 1 knit to last 3 sts, K2tog,K1, needle 2 K1, SSK, knit to end of needle, needle 3 knit to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1, Needle 4 K1,SSK, knit to end of needle.

Repeat these two rounds until there are 6 sts on all needles, ending on round 1.

Kitchener sts the remaining sts to close the toe.

Repeat for other sock.