Take Two and Call Me in the Morning Socks

This spring, I bought some great hand-dyed superwash merino sock yarn from MonkeyPal, planning to use it for one of the April patterns in the Thrifty Knitters Sock Club on Ravelry. I tried it, but wasn’t happy with the results, so I went in search of a pattern to better fit the yarn.

I did a little more digging and found a stranded pattern that I thought might work. It didn’t, and the names of said patterns have been omitted to protect the innocent. I’ve seen examples of both patterns that looked fantastic, but they just weren’t working with my yarn, and I was concerned that the strands would catch on things and ruin the socks.

Solution? Create my own sock pattern, called Take Two and Call Me in the Morning, in part because I was frustrated that the other patterns hadn’t worked (and could’ve used a couple of aspirin as a result), and also because the stitch pattern I eventually settled on was the Lozenge Pattern from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker. This stitch pattern is simple, but the combination of knits and purls creates an impressonistic effect, breaking the colors up without leaving strands everywhere.

Downloadable PDF

Technical Specs:

• Size: Adult women’s
• Materials:
  
  • Monkeypal’s Superwash Simian Sock Yarn [100% 3-ply ultra Merino superwash fingering weight 420 yards/skein]; Tiptoe Through the Tulips colorway; 1 skein (or substitute the hand-dyed variegated sock yarn of your choice)
  • 1 size 1 circular knitting needle (47″ long) for magic loop (scroll down for magic loop video)
  • 1 tapestry needle
  • 2 stitch markers
• Gauge: 9 stitches/ 12 rows per inch in stockinette stitch
• Abbreviations:
  • K – knit
  • P – purl
  • Sl 1 – slip one stitch onto the right needle
  • SSK – slip two stitches knitwise onto the right needle, place them back onto left needle, and knit the two slipped stitches together
  • K2tog – knit two stitches together
  • P2tog – purl two stitches together

Pattern:

• Cast-On: Using the long-tail method, cast-on 60 stitches. Divide stitches evenly between both ends of the cable needle, and join stitches for working in the round (being careful not to twist).
• Cuff: Round 1 – [K3, p2] to end. Repeat round 1 until cuff measures 1.25 inches (approximately 15 rounds total)
• Leg: Lozenge Pattern (worked over a multiple of 10 stitches) -
  • Round 1: [p1, K4] to end.
  • Round 2: [p3, K2] to end.
  • Round 3: Repeat Round 2.
  • Round 4: Repeat Round 1.
  • Round 5: [K4, p1] to end.
  • Round 6: [K2, p3] to end.
  • Round 7: Repeat Round 6.
  • Round 8: Repeat Round 5.
  • Repeat rounds 1-8 7x, 56 rounds total.
• Heel flap (adapted from Gail’s Simplified Eye of Partridgeheel – note, site now defunct, link via wayback machine): worked back and forth over the first 30 stitches in the round.
  • Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1 purlwise, [k1, sl 1 knitwise] to end.
  • Row 2 [WS]: S1 1 purlwise, p to last stich, k1.
  • Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1 purlwise, sl 1 knitwise, [k1, sl 1 knitwise] to last two stitches, end k2.
  • Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1 purlwise, p to last stitch, k1.
  • Repeat Rows 1-4 5x, 20 rows total (You can insert an additional repeat if you require a longer heel).
• Heel turn:
  • Row 1 [RS]: Sl 1, k14, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 2 [WS]: Sl 1, p4, p2tog, p1. Turn work.
  • Row 3 [RS]: Sl 1, k5, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 4 [WS]: Sl 1, p6, p2tog, p1. Turn work.
  • Row 5 [RS]: Sl 1, k7, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 6 [WS]: Sl 1, p8, p2tog, p1. Turn work.
  • Row 7 [RS]: Sl 1, k9, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 8 [WS]: Sl 1, p10, p2tog, p1. Turn work.
  • Row 9 [RS]: Sl 1, k11, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 10 [WS]: Sl 1, p12, p2tog, p1. Turn work.
  • Row 11 [RS]: Sl 1, k13, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 12 [WS]: Sl 1, p14, ssk, k1. Turn work.
  • Row 13 [RS]: K to end.
• Gusset:
  • Round 1 (set up round): Divide heel stitches evenly onto both ends of the cable needle, so that half the heel stitches and half the instep stitches rest on each needle. Pick up and knit 12-14 stitches along right side of heel flap. Place marker. Knit instep stitches in pattern, beginning with Round 1 [p1, k4]. Place marker. Pick up and knit 12 -14 stitches along left side of heel flap. Knit half of heel stitches remaining on needle. Round now starts in the middle of the heel.
  • Round 2: K to last three stitches before marker, ssk, k1tbl. Work instep in pattern (to second marker). K1tbl, k2tog, k to end.
  • Round 3: K to marker, work instep in pattern (to second marker), k to end of round.
  • Repeat Rounds 2 and 3 until 30 gusset stitches remain [60 stitches total].
• Foot:
  • Knit all sole stitches, work instep in pattern, until you have 8 repeats of the lozenge pattern from the start of the gusset (64 rounds), or until the work measures 2 inches less than the desired length of the sock, ending on either Round 4 or Round 8 of the Lozenge Pattern.
• Toe:
  • Round 1: K4, k2tog to end (50 st).
  • Rounds 2-7: Knit.
  • Round 8: K3, k2tog to end (40 st).
  • Rounds 9-12: Knit.
  • Round 13: K2, k2tog to end (30 st).
  • Rounds 14-16: Knit.
  • Round 17: K1, k2tog to end (20 st).
  • Rounds 18-19: Knit.
  • Round 20: K2tog to end (10 st).
  • Cut yarn ~8 inches from toe, thread tail onto tapestry needle, and pass through remaining 10 stitches. Pull tail through center of toe and weave in ends.

About the Designer:
Kris is a PhD student by day, knitter by night (and weekends, and while riding aboard most forms of transportation). Her grandmother, who taught her to knit when she was 12, was dismayed (but not surprised) when she promptly forgot, but rejoiced when she saw Kris’ newly recovered skills last Christmas (after 24 years).

Her mother, who also knits, is amazed that Kris can knit socks. Take Two and Call Me in the Morning are her sixth pair of socks, and her first ever sock pattern (or any knitting pattern, for that matter). Her other projects, including the afghan that restored her grandmother’s faith in the power of knitting, can be found online at http://www.geknitics.com/projects.