House Sock Pattern

This is a magic loop house sock/bed sock pattern.  First a sketch with the idea of the general size of the sock and some important numbers.

In working my way to a quick sock that fits, I still cast on 8 stitches in classic Turkish Cast-On.

 


As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I misunderstood what the Turkish Cast-On should look like and so had to refresh myself from various tutorals online. 

 It's really basic.  I just wrap the yarn around both needles as many times as I need stitches on one needle.  I need 8 stitches on each needle and so wrap 8 times. 

I then knit around once to secure the cast-on.

There are no increases on this first round.  The diagonal stitches in the center are the original wraps.  I keep the tail to show me, when the tail is to the left, that I am at the beginning of a round..

The next three rounds are increase rows. 

I like to knit the first stitch, then knit in the front and back of the next stitch to increase one.  I then knit to the next to the last stitch and increase there as well.  Repeat on the backside.

Once I've finished the first 3 increase rounds, I work a plain knit round.  Then I alternate increase rounds with plain knit rounds until I have a total of 20 stitches on each needle. 

Time to turn on the TV and just start knitting.  For the first few socks I would slip the sock on from time to time to check the length.  I like to knit up to the pad of my heel.  That is the point where my heel actually touches ground.  At first I measured with a tape measure and decided 6-1/4 inches was good.  And it was in theory,  but in practice it was loose.  Deciding to take advantage of the elastic quality of knitting I reduced that to 6".  When I hit 6 inches, I decide which side of the sock will be the sole of the foot and ...

... thread in a lifeline.  While I have used #10 crochet cotton as a lifeline, a thin fingering or sport weight yarn works better.  This is where the thinner cord of the circular needle is handy.  Slide the sport weight in along the cord through the sole stitches.  Begin knitting again.

When I'm back to the sole stitches I stop and look around in my little balls of left-overs and find a color that will stand out as waste yarn.  Waste is a bit that I use once and throw away.  I'm using it to hold a place in my knitting while I finish the body of the sock.   I pick up that waste yarn and knit across the sole.  

Then instead of continuing around, I slip those waste stitches back onto my left knitting needle, pick up my main yarn and knit across again.

Finally, I run a second life-line through the new main color yarn row.

I knit in rounds for another 2 to 4 inches and add some ribbing then cast-off using a loose stitch.  A straight needle at least 2 sizes larger than the one I'm working with is good for a cast-off then I weave in loose ends.

I use a smaller circular needle to pick up the lifeline stitches, but you could just as easily use a couple of size 1 or 2 straight knitting needles for this. 

If you look at the lifelines closely, you'll see that the yarn goes over one leg of each stitch, and under the second. I slide my thinner needle along the same path the yarn takes, over one leg and under the next. 

I learned the hard way to be particularly careful on the ends.  Those last couple of stitches on both sides have a tendency to sink to the back.  I use the tails of my life-lines to pull those stitches up. 

I count to make sure I have 20 stitches on each of the needles before cutting and pulling out the lifeline yarn.  The waste yarn goes now too.

I chose yellow for the heel, knitting the stitches off the needles and picking up two on each side to help avoid holes.  I usually end up duplicate stitching in the ankle area to close those holes anyway, but I keep hoping one day I'll have seamless hole-less socks.

For the Heel Stitch I add a single stitch to both needles so that I have 21 and 21 stitches.  If I'm not knitting a patterned heel that requires a specific number I leave it at 20 on each needle.  After knitting up the first row and putting away the skinny needles I knit another couple of rounds.

Now for the heel:

Reduce row:  K1, K2tog, K to last 3 st., SSK, K1.  Repeat for back side.
Heal Stitch row:  K1, S1 across, end K1.  Repeat for back side.

I continue the two rows until I get down to about 9 stitches on both sides.  I end on a reduce row and Kitchener stitch closed.

I'm on a binge, but if you like the simplicity of this pattern, repeat until you've finished a pair of socks or until there's no more room in the sock drawer.