Wheelie Sock Pattern

Wheelie Socks


by Melissa Sanders


Difficulty: Easy (techniques needed are knit, purl, increase, decrease, knit in the round, and drop stitches)





These are the lava lamps of socks: all bright colors and groovy wavy shapes. The drop-stitch pattern is easy to memorize, and you get to drop stitches on purpose (which give me a sort of perverse pleasure). These socks are worked top-down, and feature a slip-stitch heel flap and wedge toe. The stitch pattern should work equally well with solid or variegated yarn.

SIZE
: Women’s medium



FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Width: 8 inches
(unstretched)
Length (leg): 7 inches
(unstretched)
Length (foot): 8 inches (unstretched)

MATERIALS

ArtYarns Ultramerino 4 (100% wool, 191 yards); color: 115 (shades of red); 2 skeins
1 47-inch US #0 circular needle


Notions required:

1 stitch marker

Darning needle






GAUGE

in stockinette, 32 sts x 48 rows = 4″; in drop stitch pattern (stretched), 36 sts x 48 rows = 4″



PATTERN

Notations

yo = yarn over
d1 = drop 1 stitch
k2tog = knit 2 together (1 stitch decreased)
ssk = slip two stitches knitwise, knit together through the back loops (1 stitch decreased)
s1 = slip 1 stitch purlwise

Wheelie Lace Pattern (worked over a multiple of 9 sts)

round 1-5: [k2, p2, k3, p2] to end
round 6: [k1, yo, k1, p2, k1, d1, k1, p2] to end
round 7-11: [k3, p2, k2, p2] to end
round 12: [k1, d1, k1, p2, k1, yo, k1, p2] to end

Cuff:
CO 64, work in 2x2 rib for 5 rows
next round: [k2, p2, k1, yo, k1, p2] to end {increased to 72 sts}

Leg:
• work 6 repeats of lace pattern
• on last row of repeat 6, work as follows: [k1, d1, k1, p2, k2, p2] for first half, work in pattern for second half. This is the set-up row for the heel flap {decreased to 66sts}

Heel:
• work 32 sts on first half back in forth as follows for 30 rows, ending on WS:
o RS/row 1: [s1, k1] to end
o WS/row 2: s1, p across
• turn heel with 6 center sts and 13 sts on each side:
o row 1: k 19 sts, ssk, k1 and turn
o row 2: s1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn
o continue until all sts are used up, ending on WS

Gusset and Leg:
• k across turned heel and pick up and ktbl 15 slipped sts and 2nd rung at joining point of heel and leg, [k2, p2, k3, p2] across instep sts, pick up and knit 2nd rung at joining point and 15 slipped sts, knit across heel to instep and mark new beginning of round
• Continue working gusset as follows until 30 sts remain for sole:
o round 1: k across instep in pattern, ssk, k to 2 before marker, k2tog {2 sts decreased}
o round 2: k across instep in pattern, k to marker
• When there are 30 sts on sole, work instep in pattern and k plain across sole for gusset and foot, work a total of 5 repeats of lace pattern (11 repeats for the entire sock)
o for last row of last repeat, work as follows: [k1, drop 1, k1, p2, k2 p2] across instep, k across sole {4 sts decreased}
o next 5 rounds: work instep in 2x2 ribbing across instep, k across sole

Toe:
• set-up round: ssk, k to 2 before end of needle, k2tog, k across sole
• work toe shaping as follows until 24 sts remain (12 on each needle), ending on round 1:
o round 1: [ssk, k to 2 before end of needle, k2tog] repeat for sole {4 sts decreased}
o round 2: k plain across instep and sole

Finishing:
• graft toes together using kitchener stitch
• weave in ends