Socks In Bloom

Overview

These socks are knit using Magic Loop, one at a time, from the toe up. (If you'd like to knit two at a time, see the considerations below.) Once the foot is worked, increases are used to create the gussets. Short rows are used to turn the heel, working back and forth in the heel stitches only. Gusset stitches are decreased on the heel flap, and then the sock is once again knit in the round to start the leg. The two socks are identical up until the Blooms section, where the socks are mirror image of each other.

Size and Fit

These socks are graded just like the Oasis Socks. They are stretchy, and most knitters will not need to customize their socks. We recommend your sock be 0.5” - 1” (1.25 - 2.5cm) smaller than your foot in circumference, and 0.5” - 1.25” (1.25 - 3cm) shorter than your foot in length. In our experience, a slightly tighter sock is always better than a loose sock! If you have high arches or wide feet, size up.

Our test knitters’ advice: trust the pattern. New sock knitters should knit the pattern as written. Because the motif is large, customization is tricky with this design.  If you do need to customize and have access to foot circumference, choose your size based on foot circumference, and add stockinette rounds to the toe before starting the foot motif. If you have wide feet, high arches, or large ankles/calves, we suggest adding 0.25”-0.5" to your foot circumference when determining size.

How to select your size:

• Start with foot circumference if known.
• Locate your shoe size on one of the charts below. US Men's sizes, add 1 to the values in the US Women's chart. 
• Find the blob closest to your size. If you're in between sizes or in an area of overlap, it's likely that either size could work for you, or you can try knitting a larger size with smaller needles or a smaller size with larger needles. If you have wide feet, high arches, wide ankles or calves, pick the larger size. 

If you don't know the details of the foot you're knitting for, you can generally just go from shoe size. We at Knitrino have knit these socks many, many times with different modifications, and have found that when in doubt, sizing down is generally better for us.

Construction

The socks begin with the Extra Magic Cast On, a modification of Judy's Method where yarn is wrapped differently to prevent working the second half of the stitches through the back loop. 

Toes are increased every other row until the foot circumference is reached. At the start of the foot, the instep motif begins. Any customization to length should be done here, before starting the motif. 

Increases are then added to the sole stitches to create the gusset, after which the pattern is worked back & forth, using short rows to turn the heel. The gusset stitches are decreased on the heel flap, and then the sock is once again worked in the round for the leg & cuff.

Working the 1/1 Twisted Cable Stitches without a Cable Needle

Some of us can't be bothered to find and use a cable needle. Lots of people tell you to just hold the stitch with your finger, or use the Twisting tides method of working the stitches in a different order than they present themselves on the needle, but these really only work for some situations. This is Alison's technique of repositioning the stitches on the holding needle before working them. It works well for any cable that has a total width of 6 stitches or less - as you increase the number of stitches, it becomes more difficult to slip the stitches all at once with the working needle, especially for the left-leaning cables which are always slipped from behind. These videos show the two-step processes for how to first slip both stitches together to rotate them around each other (which also twists them around), then how to reposition them on the needle so that they're ready to be worked.

Right Leaning Cable

For the right-leaning cable stitches, you'll always slip the total number of stitches (in this case 2) together from the front.

Left Leaning Cable

For the left-leaning cable stitches, you'll always slip the total number of stitches (in this case 2) together from behind.

Loosely Bind Off in Ribbing

This video shows how we loosely bind off (9:33), and provides an alternative "kinda stretchy" bind off (10:24).

Considerations for Two At A Time (TAAT)

Some of us love knitting two at a time. Two work socks two at a time, you'll need one very long needle with a flexible cord (Alison prefers the Chiagoo minis (not shorties), which have super flexible cords) and you'll need each yarn color wound into two separate balls. We suggest casting on the toes and working the first row individually, using a separate ball per toe (unless you're quite comfortable with magic cast on/magic loop), then combining on 1 needle. You'll then work Sock 1 Instep with Ball 1 (shown in green below), Sock 2 Instep with Ball 2 (peach), Sock 2 Sole with Ball 2 (peach), and Sock 1 Sole with Ball 1 (green).

To manage knitting TAAT in Knitrino, just work of the instructions for the first sock rather than trying to jump between the first and second sock, which doesn't work. You'll knit the instep stitches of the first sock (shown in green below), the instep of the second sock (peach), the sole of the second sock (peach), and finally the sole of the first sock (green). Mark your row complete to advance to the next row. When you're finished with all the "first sock" instructions, you'll have two socks complete! You'll just need to mark each section on the second sock complete by clicking off the black checkbox on the right hand side, and then Knitrino will automatically move your project to the completed tab!