by Elizabeth Durand
I was inspired to start cranking out CIC socks again, partly because of the Russia trip but also because someone gave me some lovely yarn. I wasn't sure if there was enough of any single color to make a whole pair of socks, even in the small sizes, and I'm tired of stripes, so I've been knitting socks based on the following semi-pattern.
You can make the garter stitch leg one color and the foot another color, and it looks like a design decision rather than an I-didn't-have-enough-yarn decision. It's also good because you can use a softer yarn for the top that might not wear as well on the foot. My first pair had lovely red tops, in a yarn with all the colors of whole-berry cranberry sauce, and a denim blue foot. I'm just finishing up a pair with handspun two-tone brown tops and an oatmeal-colored foot (wouldn't mind some of those for myself!)
The yarn I usually use is heavy, "rustic" worsted such as Bartlett or Peace Fleece; I knit it tightly and get about 5 st/inch. I use a size 5 needle to do this, but I knit very loosely; most people will get the same results with a 7 or even an 8.
Here's how to do it: Cast on 36 stitches. Work leg in garter stitch. You can do this in the round by knit one round, purl one round. If you find that you're always losing track and having to rip back, go ahead and knit the garter section flat, then weave it together later. (The Vogue Knitting Book has very good instructions for seaming garter to garter.) If you have enough yarn, knit a 4-inch leg that can be folded over. If not, work at least 2 inches in garter stitch. End with a purl round if you're working in the round; end after an even number of rows if you're working flat.
Change to the foot color (if you knit the cuff flat, it's time to start working circularly now). Knit 5 rounds in stockinette. Now, work the heel of your choice on half the stitches.
Next, knit until the foot, measured from the back of the heel, is 4 to 5 inches long - whatever looks right to you. This will produce a sock 5 to 7 inches long, depending on the toe you choose, and this year's challenge is focusing on the littler kids, ages 2 to 6, so that's about right. (For reference, my 6-year-old, who has always had big feet, has a foot that measures 7.5 inches from back of heel to tip of toe.)
Work your favorite toe technique.
Do it again!
I plan to use this recipe to work my way through the different heels in Folk Socks and also - I'm still trying - to make a short-row heel I like. I have a whole mesh wastebasket full of balls of yarn to mix and match, so I plan to have a very good time.
Elizabeth in PA