Dusty Rainbow: A Free Knit Sock Pattern
If I could only knit socks, I would. But that'd get pretty boring.
Cuff-down socks are definitely my specialty at this point. I can whip up a pair in less than a week, I find them fun and engaging enough to keep my needles moving, but mindless enough to be able to listen to an audiobook or watch a movie while knitting without making any mistakes.
I've noticed that socks are weirdly divisive in the knitting community. Those who love knitting socks seriously love it, and those who don't seriously cannot stand it. This opinion might offend you, but I think if you truly hate knitting socks, you either haven't tried it, haven't found a technique that works for you, or your fingers don't appreciate working with small-diameter projects (which is fair).
Do you hate knitting socks? Tell me why! Prove me wrong. I usually am.
I've been on a rainbow kick lately (stay tuned for my next pattern, a rainbow sweater), but the problem with rainbow yarn is that it can usually be a little bit overbearing. While it would have been easy to work up a simple sock in any skein of Knit Picks Chroma, I thought it might create a more compelling look to break up the stripes with solid white.
If you're looking at these socks and thinking, "One-row stripes, nah man, I'm good," you'll be surprised to hear that I actually didn't have much of a problem with jogs in my stripes. I didn't have the patience to adjust to make jogless stripes, so I didn't, and found that if I pulled just a little bit on the new yarn when beginning a new round, it didn't create a noticeable jog. Just don't pull too tight or you'll end up with a cinched sock (this happened on my first sock... and I cleverly hid that from all the pictures).
Plus, half of the beginning of the round is on the sole of the foot, anyway. If any of your friends are looking at your sock and judging the jogs in your stripes, find new friends.
Size: Size relates to foot circumference rather than foot length, which is adjustable to your exact measurements.
Striping Patt:
Round 1: A
Round 2: B
Round 1: *k2, p2; rep from * around.
Rep round 1 until cuff measures around 1.5 inches, ending on round 2 of stripe patt.
Round 1: k around.
Rep round 1 (knitting in St st) until leg measures 6” or desired leg length, ending on round 2 of striping patt.
Begin working first 28 (32, 36) sts flat, and place remaining 28 (32, 36) sts on a spare needle or st holder.
Row 1 (RS): k across.
Row 2 (WS): sl1, p across.
Row 3 (RS): *sl1, k1; rep from * across.
Rep last 2 rows until heel measures 1.75" (2”, 2.25") ending after a RS row.
Row 1: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k7, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k9, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k14, ssk.
16 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Medium Only:
Row 1: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k9, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k15, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k17, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 11: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 12: sl1, k18, ssk.
20 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Large Only:
Row 1: sl1, p22, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k15, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k17, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k19, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 11: sl1, p20, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 12: sl1, k21, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 13: sl1, p22, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 14: sl1, k22, ssk.
24 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Using a new needle (needle 2), knit all 28 (32, 36) instep sts from st holder.
Using a new needle (needle 3), pick up and knit 14 (16, 18) sts down the left side (when viewed from behind) of heel flap.
Still using needle 3, knit 8 (10, 12) sts from heel turn needle.
Slide remaining 8 (10, 12) sts from heel turn needle to needle 1.
BOR is now in between needles 3 and 1.
Connect B and k around all 3 needles once.
Round 1:
Rep last two rounds until 56 (64, 72) sts total rem on the needles.
With A, NOT in striping patt, begin decreasing as such:
Round 1:
Rep last two rounds until 28 (32, 36) sts rem.
K rem 7 (8, 9) sts from needle 1 using needle 3. Only needles 2 and 3 remain.
Use kitchener stitch to seam rem live sts together.
Weave in ends and block.
Cuff-down socks are definitely my specialty at this point. I can whip up a pair in less than a week, I find them fun and engaging enough to keep my needles moving, but mindless enough to be able to listen to an audiobook or watch a movie while knitting without making any mistakes.
I've noticed that socks are weirdly divisive in the knitting community. Those who love knitting socks seriously love it, and those who don't seriously cannot stand it. This opinion might offend you, but I think if you truly hate knitting socks, you either haven't tried it, haven't found a technique that works for you, or your fingers don't appreciate working with small-diameter projects (which is fair).
Do you hate knitting socks? Tell me why! Prove me wrong. I usually am.
I've been on a rainbow kick lately (stay tuned for my next pattern, a rainbow sweater), but the problem with rainbow yarn is that it can usually be a little bit overbearing. While it would have been easy to work up a simple sock in any skein of Knit Picks Chroma, I thought it might create a more compelling look to break up the stripes with solid white.
 |
| Why can't I take one decent picture of my knitting? Just one? |
If you're looking at these socks and thinking, "One-row stripes, nah man, I'm good," you'll be surprised to hear that I actually didn't have much of a problem with jogs in my stripes. I didn't have the patience to adjust to make jogless stripes, so I didn't, and found that if I pulled just a little bit on the new yarn when beginning a new round, it didn't create a noticeable jog. Just don't pull too tight or you'll end up with a cinched sock (this happened on my first sock... and I cleverly hid that from all the pictures).
Plus, half of the beginning of the round is on the sole of the foot, anyway. If any of your friends are looking at your sock and judging the jogs in your stripes, find new friends.
Dusty Rainbow Socks
Yarn: Around 200 yards each of weight 1 yarn in one color-shifting colorway and one solid white. I used:- Knit Picks Chroma Fingering Yarn
- 1 skein Drawing Room (26926) - it seems like this colorway may have been discontinued, so I also recommend either Pegasus (26546), Groovy (26542) or Vermont (26475), all of which I was struggling to choose between when purchasing for this pattern. - A
- 1 skein Natural (25248) - B
- 1 set of size 1.5 double-pointed needles
- 1 set of size 2.5 double-pointed needles
- Stitch holder or scrap yarn
- Stitch marker
Size: Size relates to foot circumference rather than foot length, which is adjustable to your exact measurements.
- Small: 7.5" circumference
- Medium: 8.5" circumference
- Large: 9.5" circumference
Striping Patt:
Round 1: A
Round 2: B
Cuff
Using smaller needles and striping patt (beginning with A), co 56 (64, 72) sts longtail and join to work in the round.Round 1: *k2, p2; rep from * around.
Rep round 1 until cuff measures around 1.5 inches, ending on round 2 of stripe patt.
Leg
Switch to larger needles and begin striping patt with A.Round 1: k around.
Rep round 1 (knitting in St st) until leg measures 6” or desired leg length, ending on round 2 of striping patt.
Heel Flap
Break B. Switch to A. Do not follow striping patt.Begin working first 28 (32, 36) sts flat, and place remaining 28 (32, 36) sts on a spare needle or st holder.
Row 1 (RS): k across.
Row 2 (WS): sl1, p across.
Row 3 (RS): *sl1, k1; rep from * across.
Rep last 2 rows until heel measures 1.75" (2”, 2.25") ending after a RS row.
Turning the Heel
Small Only:Row 1: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k7, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k9, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k14, ssk.
16 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Medium Only:
Row 1: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k9, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k15, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k17, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 11: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 12: sl1, k18, ssk.
20 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Large Only:
Row 1: sl1, p22, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 2: sl1, k11, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 3: sl1, p12, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 4: sl1, k13, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 5: sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 6: sl1, k15, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 7: sl1, p16, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 8: sl1, k17, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 9: sl1, p18, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 10: sl1, k19, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 11: sl1, p20, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 12: sl1, k21, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 13: sl1, p22, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 14: sl1, k22, ssk.
24 sts rem on your heel turn needle.
Heel Gusset
Using A and a new needle (needle 1), pick up and knit 14 (16, 18) sts up the right side (when viewed from behind) of heel flap.Using a new needle (needle 2), knit all 28 (32, 36) instep sts from st holder.
Using a new needle (needle 3), pick up and knit 14 (16, 18) sts down the left side (when viewed from behind) of heel flap.
Still using needle 3, knit 8 (10, 12) sts from heel turn needle.
Slide remaining 8 (10, 12) sts from heel turn needle to needle 1.
BOR is now in between needles 3 and 1.
Connect B and k around all 3 needles once.
Heel Decreases
Resume striping patt.Round 1:
- Needle 1: k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1.
- Needle 2: k across
- Needle 3: k1, ssk, k to end of needle.
Rep last two rounds until 56 (64, 72) sts total rem on the needles.
Foot
K around, continuing in striping patt until foot measures 2” shorter than the length of your foot from heel to toe.Toe
Break B.With A, NOT in striping patt, begin decreasing as such:
Round 1:
- Needle 1: k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1.
- Needle 2: k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1.
- Needle 3: k1, ssk, k to end.
Rep last two rounds until 28 (32, 36) sts rem.
K rem 7 (8, 9) sts from needle 1 using needle 3. Only needles 2 and 3 remain.
Use kitchener stitch to seam rem live sts together.
Weave in ends and block.
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