Self Striping Sock Recipe - Toe Up

If you read my blog, you know I love knitting Self Striping socks.....I wanted to share my 'recipe' of how I knit my socks:

 Self Striping Sock Recipe

Supplies:

100 grams self striping yarn ( Tested in Biscotte & Cie Felix Loopy Kisses Colorway and Must Stash Yarn The Wall Colorway and Must Stash Yarn Sesame Street Colorway)

Size US#1.5 (2.5mm) needles (or size necessary to obtain gauge of 8.5 stitches = 1”)

Size US#2 (2.75mm) needles (or size necessary to obtain gauge of 8 stitches = 1”)

Sizes S (M, L)

So, this pattern is really just a ‘recipe’ and not a step by step pattern.

For the toe and foot, I like to use a smaller needle, so with size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) I like to cast on 20 (24, 28) stitches using either Judy’s Magic Cast on or Turkish Cast on with 10 (12, 14) stitches on each needle…. After cast on, k all stitches once if using Judy’s Magic Cast On and k all stitches twice if using Turkish Cast On.

Increases:

Now, I do my increases a little different…..when reading this, it may sound like the increases are uneven….but I do it this way to make the ‘purl bump’ of the kfb to be consistent on both sides of the toe.

Increase Round:

Needle 1: kfb, knit to 2^nd to last stitch on needle, kfb, k1;

Needle 2: kfb, knit to 2^nd to last stitch on needle, kfb, k1

Knit Round:

Needle 1 and 2:  Knit all stitches

I like to have my toe just a touch rounder, so I do the following:

Round 1:  Increase Round

Round 2:  Increase Round

Round 3:  Knit Round

Round 4:  Increase Round

Repeat Rounds 3 & 4 until you have:

56 (64, 72) stitches

Now for the heel…..I like to either do an afterthought heel, or the Fish Lips Kiss Heel.  If I think I can get the striping pattern to work out evenly in the fish lips kiss pattern, I will use it.  If I want to use a contrast color or I just think the striping sequence will be messed up too much, I use an afterthought heel.

If using afterthought heel, I will knit the foot until sock measures approx. 2 ” less than desired length.

If using Fish Lips Kiss heel, I will knit the foot until sock measures approx. 1 ¾ ” less than desired length.  I cannot give you the directions for the Fish Lips Kiss heel, the pattern is available here.  Once the Fish Lips Kiss heel is completed, I switch to larger needle US #2 (2.75 mm) and continue knitting in the round until sock is desired height minus cuff height…..then k knit in k2, p2 rib for desired length of Cuff.

Bind off, and I recommend using “HiyaHiya Grandma’s Stretchy Bind” and I have a video of it here.

Here are the directions for Afterthought heel:

K28 (32, 36) with waste yarn, the slip all those stitches back onto to the left hand needle (do not knit to end of round).

Now I switch to larger needle US #2 (2.75 mm) and knit the waste yarn that you just knitted and then continue knitting in round until sock is desired height minus cuff height…..then knit in k2, p2 rib for desired length of Cuff.

Bind off, I recommend using “HiyaHiya Grandma’s Stretchy Bind” and I have a video of it here.

Now come back to the Afterthought Heel:

Using US #1.5 (2.5 mm) needle, pick up the right leg of 28 (32, 36) stitches just below the waste yarn of the heel.  Flip the sock around so that the top of the waste yarn is facing you and repeat picking up the stitches just above the waste yarn.  Using a spare needle, carefully remove the waste yarn to create an opening for the heel.

Start new yarn and work in the round….in the first round, *knit 28 (32, 36) stitches and then pick up and knit two stitches in the gap, repeat from *.  Now total of 60 (68, 76) stitches.

Shape heel as follows:

Round 1:  *k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, k2tog, k1, repeat from * on next needle

Round 2: Knit

Repeat rounds 1 & 2 until 16 (20, 24) stitches remain.

Cut yarn with tail long enough to Kitchener Stitch the heel.

  

Enjoy!!!

Happy Happy Happy Knitting!