I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

Disneyland!

How fortuitous for me that the ABC-along schedule for the letter D coincides with my current trip to Disneyland.

The first ride I went on yesterday was Dumbo the Flying Elephant, of course.

And look! Donald Duck is a sock knitter!

These baby socks are quick to knit and the pattern is simple to memorize because all the elements are based on multiples of eight. Please consider making a few pairs for newborns in hospitals local to you.

I used size 2.5mm needles and Knit Picks Risata sock yarn. The yarn was perfect for this pattern and it made a wonderful, soft and stretchy sock. You can substitute any yarn+needle combination that gives you a gauge of about 8 stitches per inch.

Cuff:

Loosely CO 32 sts. I like to use the German Twisted Cast On over 2 ndls held parallel.

Divide the sts onto 3 ndls and join into the round, being careful not to twist the sts.

Rnds 1-16: K1, *p2, k2; repeat from * to end of rnd, ending with k1.

Heel Flap:

Place the next 16 sts on waste yarn or 2 spare dpns. These are the instep sts; they begin and end with a knit stitch. Turn your work so the WS is facing.

Row 1: Sl1, [k2, p2] 3 times, k2, p1, turn.
Row 2: Sl1, [p2, k2] 3 times, p2, k1, turn.

Repeat Rows 1-2, eight times.

Turn Heel:

Row 1: Sl1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: Sl1, k3, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: Sl1, p4, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: Sl1, k5, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: Sl1, p6, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: Sl1, k7, ssk, k1, do not turn. 10 heel sts remain.

Foot:

Divide the sts as follows:
Ndl #1: 5 heel sts
Ndl #2: 16 instep sts
Ndl #3: 5 heel sts

Beginning with Ndl #1, pick up and knit 8 sts along the side of the heel flap; work the instep sts in the established rib pattern; with a spare dpn, pick up and knit 8 sts along the second side of the heel flap; knit the 5 heel sts from Ndl #3.

You should now have 13 sts on Ndl #1, 16 sts on Ndl #2, and 13 sts on Ndl #3.

Rnd 1: Knit to within 3 sts of the end of Ndl #1, k2tog, k1, work the sts on Ndl #2 in the established rib pattern, k1, ssk, knit the remainder of the sts on Ndl #3.
Rnd 2: Knit the sts on Ndl #1, work the sts on Ndl #2 in the established rib pattern, knit the sts on Ndl #3.

Repeat Rnds 1 & 2 until 32 sts remain. Then repeat Rnd 2 only, 8 times.

Knit 8 rnds plain (i.e., knit all sts on all ndls).

Toe:

Rnd 1: *K2, k2tog; repeat from * to end of rnd (8 sts decreased).
Rnd 2: Knit all sts.
Rnd 3: *K1, k2tog; repeat from * to end of rnd (8 sts decreased).
Rnd 4: Knit all sts.
Rnd 5: *k2tog; repeat from * end of rnd (8 sts decreased).

8 sts remain on the ndls. Break yarn, leaving an 8 inch tail. Thread the yarn tail onto a tapestry ndl and run the ndl through the 8 remaining sts. Pull tight to close the toe. Weave in yarn ends.

Make the second sock.

Find a baby who needs socks.

Thanks to Beth for test knitting!

I spent two full weeks traveling in October and took advantage of airports, airplanes, and hotel rooms to knit some baby socks. I needed a gift for the soon-to-be-born grandchild of a friend and baby socks seemed like a perfect portable project that could be knit without the necessity of looking at the instructions constantly.

My first pair was knit from some leftover sock-weight yarn, using a variation of Teri‘s Little Sixteen pattern:

Basically, I followed Teri’s pattern until I got to the heel. But instead of working the heel flap in stockinette stitch, I twisted all the knit stitches to make it a little more decorative. I also continued the ribbing down the foot. Oh, and I worked a round toe instead of a wedge toe.

Cute, but the foot seemed a bit too long and I didn’t love the heel.

I tried something different with the next pair:

This time I continued the ribbing down the heel and I picked up the gusset stitches through the front loop using this technique. I saw Nancy Bush pick up stitches that way a couple of years ago and it’s one of my favorites. I really like the decorative look of the twisted stitches.

But, once again I felt like the socks were a little too long through the foot. And I wasn’t loving the tight gauge (10 spi).

So, in the spirit of Teri’s pattern and Norma‘s Magic 28 pattern, I worked up my own simple-to-remember baby sock pattern that I think knits up into a nicely proportioned, very stretchy sock.

If you come back tomorrow, I’ll be sharing the pattern.