These socks were designed and knit during one of the hottest summers on record here in Spokane, Washington. With no air conditioning in my house, and average temps in the high 90’s, it was difficult to knit on anything but a small project! Hence, these socks---small enough that they didn’t sit on my lap while I was knitting, and made with the colors of watermelon for a cooling effect.
My socks are a women’s size medium (about an 8-8 1/2 shoe size). The yarn used was a DK (similar to sport weight) yarn, using #2 needles. I got a gauge of 7 sts=1". I used one skein of the MC yarn (it was stash yarn, so I don’t know what the yardage was, but I’d guess about 150-200 yds per skein), and a small amount of the CC for the heels, toes, and color band around the top. I also used a bit of wooly nylon reinforcing thread in the heels and toes. Though the colors don’t show up real well in the scan, they are a bright watermelon pink for the CC and a bright green for the MC.
Pithy instructions:
Cast on 64 sts with MC on #2 double point needles, and arrange evenly over the needles (I put 16 sts on each of 4 needles). Join and work in the round. Work in k2, p2 ribbing for 1 1/2". Work 1/2" in stockinette stitch (K every round), then work triangle pattern:
Rnd 1: *k 7 with MC, k1 with CC, rep from * to end.
Rnd 2: k 1 CC, *k 5 MC, k 3 CC, rep from * to end, ending with k2 CC
Rnd 3: k 2 CC, *k 3 MC, k 5 CC, rep from * to end, ending with k3 CC
Rnd 4: k 3 CC, *k 1 MC, k 7 CC, rep from * to end, ending with k4 CC
Rnd 5: K all sts with CC
Cont. in st. st. with MC until work measures 7 1/2" from beg.
Shape Heel:
Put sts. from needles #1 and 4 on one needle (these will be your heel stitches); leave sts on needles #2 and 3 unworked. Work heel stitches in CC, and, if desired, use a strand of reinforcing thread along with the yarn. Work back and forth on these 32 heels sts as follows:
Row 1 (rt side): k1, slip 1; rep across row.
Row 2 (wrong side: purl all sts.
Rep these 2 rows 12 times (24 rows total)
Turn Heel:
Working in short rows as follows:
Row 1 (rt side): k 21 sts, sl 1, k1, psso (SKP), turn work
Row 2 (wrong side): *sl 1, p10, p2 tog, turn
Row 3: sl1, k10, SKP, turn
Rep from * until all sts have been worked. End ready for a right side row
Now divide the sts onto 2 dpn so that the beginning of the round is at the center of the heel. Change to MC and stop using reinforcing thread at this point. K sts on needle #1, pick up 16 sts along one side of heel flap, k across sts on needles #2 and 3, pick up 16 sts along other side of heel flap, work sts on needle #4. You are now working in rounds again. It may help avoid those nasty holes along the sides of the heel flaps if you knit the picked up sts through the back loops.
Shape instep:
*at end of needle #1, k2 tog and at beg of needle #4 work SKP. Work 2 rounds even*. Rep from * to * until you have the original # of sts on your needles (64 sts, or 16 on each needle). Work even on these sts until foot (from back of heel) is desired length to start of toe shaping (my sock is 7 1/2").
Shape toe:
Switch to CC and add reinforcing thread if desired.
On needle #1, work to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1; on needle #2, k1, SKP,
k to end; work needle #3 as for needle #1, and work needle #4 as for needle
#2. Work 3 rnds even. (Work dec round, work 2 rnds even) twice. (Work dec
round, work 1 rnd even) 3 times. Work dec round every round until 8 sts
remain. Kitchener stitch remaining sts.