Fyrestorm's Brainstorms

Sock Drama - continues!

So, it's official, I'm addicted to making socks. I'm still working on getting a better toe, so here is the plan - I'm going to try working from the center out. These socks are for a friend for Christmas - so you won't be seeing this until after she does...but you can follow along on the journey as it goes.

So, her foot is somewhere abound a size 10 - 11. Since I can't very well ask her to measure her feet for me, I'm using the chart from My Jewel Thief Knitting Blog. I'm going for a size 11. The chart says the heel to toe measurement should be 8 3/4" and the toe should be 2". This will make the foot from toe to heel turn 10 3/4" I make my medium socks 45 stitches around and decided that adding 5 stitches should do the job. I chained 50 and carefully joined it, then I began doing rounds of 50 Extended single crochets. Here it is after 10 rows. The sock is worked inside out - so this is the wrong side. When I get the right length, I'll take another pic of the right side.

I'm using a Susan Bates D hook with Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight yarn in Teal Tease. The Heel, Toe and ribbed top will be done in Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight yarn in sky blue.

Here is the completed foot (the maroon thread running through is just a marker for the beginning of the rounds). There are a total of 41 rounds including the chain and first round - moving on to the toe and heel now. The toe will be a series of decreases and the heel will be done with the short row technique. I'll try to remember to get pics of the process. It's really quite simple once you get the hang of it. I'll be starting with 27 stitches and each row, you leave the last stitch unworked. When I get down to 16 stitches, I'll reverse the process and increase back up to the 27 original stitches while working down to the previous row to pick up the unworked stitch with a SC and a slip stitch for reinforcement.

I've started the toe with 1 SC in each stitch. I put a marker in at the 25th stitch and the 50th stitch. Every other row I'm doing a decrease before and after the marker for a total of 4 decreases in every even row.

After the 11th row, I'll slip stitched the opening together, tie off and weave in the threads.

Now, onto the heel. I'll be doing the short row technique. I'm going to start with 27 SC in this sock and continue working back and forth reducing each row by not working the last stitch in each row until I get down to 17 stitches.


First Few Rows


Decreases done (15 stitches left)

Starting increases and working in the unworked stitch from the row below

The heel will start to curl up

Halfway through the heel turn

Heel turn completed

From here, I do 1 row of HDC to rejoin the heel to the foot of the sock and close the gap by stitching 3 together in the gap and start the petite shell stitch. (sc,ch3,sc into same stitch skip a stitch and repeat and join). After the initial 'set up' round of petite shell, it's a sc, ch3, sc into each ch3.