Sunday, May 2, 2010

An Anklet a Day... Keeps the Stash Away

I'm quickly amassing a huge amount of sock yarn- stupid knitpicks with their gorgeous tonals and irresistable new colors of Felici (OMG the Rainbow color!!)

So when my giant box came yesterday, I thought I should immediatly use up some of it. I only got 1 skein of some of the sock colors, and 50 grams isn't enough for full socks, even for me. So anklets are the answer (I love to wear anklets around the house in the summer. Or with tennis shoes if I go to the grocery store and am not in flip flops.)

I've been knitting socks for quite some time now and figured "I can just wing this". Well it worked! And after casting on at about 2:00, knitting, stopping to do laundry, dinner, watch TV and stuff, the sock was done by midnight. What a quickie! (But let me tell you, that sock blanket messed me up- I kept trying to twist the last stitch of the row on the heel flap, don't do that here!)

So here it is:
An Anklet a Day ...



Yarn: Knitpicks Felici Fingering Weight (shown here in Green Veggies)
Needles: US2 (2.75 mm) or size needed to get gauge
Gauge: 8 st/in
(Note: For the gusset and toe, I've divided the stitches between 3 DPNs for easy explanation, since I knit on 4 DPNs. But if you are used to doing your socks another way just ignore that part!)

C0 56 stitches, join being careful not to twist

Leg:
K2, P2 ribbing for 6 rounds
Stockinette Stitch for 2 rounds.

Heel Flap:
Row 1: (S1, K1) repeat until 28 stitches have been worked, turn work, the remaining 28 stitches will sit on hold for the top of the foot.
Row 2: S1, P27

Repeat these rows 15 times (30 rows total)

Turn Heel:
Row 1: S1, K16 K2tog, K1, turn work
Row 2: S1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn work
Row 3: S1, K8, K2tog, K1, turn work
Row 4: S1, P9, P2tog, P1, turn work

Continue in this manner until all stitches have been worked. 18 stitches remain.

S1, K8, place marker
Gusset:
Needle 1: Knit to end of needle, Pick up 16 stitches- (15 from the slipped heel flap stitches and 1 in between the heel flap and front of foot, I like to twist the stitch after I pick it up to prevent holes)
Needle 2: K28 across front of foot.
Needle 3: Pick up 16 stitches, Knit to marker

Row 1: Needle 1: Knit to 3 stitchs before the end of needle , K2tog, K1
Needle 2: Knit
Needle 3: K1, ssk, Knit to end of needle
Row 2: Knit

Repeat these rows until 56 stitches remaining

Foot:
Knit until 2 inches before the end of the foot.

Toe: (This makes a pointy toe.) The marker should remain from after the heel flap to tell you where the middle of the bottom of the foot is. Divide as follows, from the marker. (Needle 2 is the front of the foot, Needle 1 a 3 are the back.)
Needle 1: 14 stitches
Needle 2: 28 stitches
Needle 3: 14 stitches

Row 1: Needle 1: Knit to 1 stitch before the needle, K2tog, K1
Needle 2: K1, ssk, knit to 1 stitch before the end of the needle, K2tog, K1
Needle 3: K1, ssk, knit to end of needle
Row 2: Knit

Continue until 8 stitches remain. After Needle 3 you'll end up in the middle of the back row, knit 4 more stitches to get to the end of the back row. Graft stitches to finish the toe*

(To graft, or kitchener stitch- another name. Estimate the amount of thread it will take to finish the toe. I like to do about 8 inches, so I have plenty left over. Thread a darning needle. Put the stitches from the back of the sock onto a single needle, hold parallel to the front of foot needle. Insert darning needle into the 1st stitch on the front needle as if to knit, pull the yarn through and remove the stitch from the needle. Insert the darning needle into the 2nd stitch (now the 1st) on the front needle as if to purl, pull the yarn through, leave the stitch on the needle. Insert the darning needle into the 1st stitch on the back needle as if to purl, pull the yarn through and remove the stitch from the needle Insert the darning needle into the 2nd stitch on the back needle as if to knit, pull the yarn through, leave the stitch on the needle. Return to the front needle and repeat the process.

Here's how to remember it: Front: Knit goes off, purl stays on, Back: Purl goes off, knit stays on)

14 comments:

SuzyQ01 said...

Those anklets are so stinkin' cute!! I wear anklets all the time, so I think this may be my next sock project. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Unknown said...

These socks are awesome! I cast on today for my first one. I do not have much time for knitting and have been frustrated with other sock patterns with longer legs because I am never able to finish them. But with this one I am already seeing progress. :)

Dace said...

I have been looking for a nice, "plain" anklet pattern. All the ones I've found before were all lacy and fancy. Wanted to just have a plain, simple, anklet. And am not an advanced enough sock knitter to just wing it.

So, I was DELIGHTED to find this pattern over at Ravelry!

Nicole said...

I want to add a little bit of interest to these- any advice on adding some simple lace?

Jessim said...

Hi Nicole- you are a no reply blogger, so I couldn't email you.

To add simple lace, I would think that you could do the anklet rows as even "yo, k2tog" and then odd, just knit.

On the foot, you can divide the top and bottom stitches, and on the top you could do pretty much any lace panel you want.

I think a picot edge would be fantastic too. Here is a tutorial for a picot edge cast on: http://www.purlwise.com/2004/04/folded_picot_ed.html

Maria said...

I love this pattern! I just started it yesterday, and am having such a great time with it :) It's a wonderfully quick knit and looks terrific.

Thanks for sharing :)

Maria said...

I'm not sure, but I think there may be an error in the toe instructions...

It says "Knit to 1 st before end of needle, k2tog, k1"

Am I supposed to move stitches from needle to needle, or should it have been "Knit to 3 sts before end of needle..." like for the gusset?

Jessim said...

You should probably knit to 3 stitches left. Keep front and back seperate

Unknown said...

Does anyone know what size socks these are?

Unknown said...

Does anyone know what size socks these are?

Jessim said...

Socks are knit to the length they need to be :)- so they can be any size you want that way.

The gauge you knit at will be what determines the circumference. A standard 8 stitches per inch, with 56 stitches will make a 7" sock, which is suitable for most women's ankles.

kittykatx said...

This looks like a easy first time sock knitting project! I was wondering how many you would cast on for a men's pair like this? My sweetie loves this style of socks.

Jessim said...

Kittykatx- you are a noreply blogger so I couldn't email you directly.

To determine a man's sock, you need to figure out your gauge and his ankle/foot size I usually knit 8 stitches per inch. Divide that by the circumference of his ankle (minus a half inch of so- for negative ease).

If you have never knit a sock before, I recommend using a men's pattern, unless you are comfortable doing all the math.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info. I have alot of sock yarn but none matching so this is great way to use them up