Carla’s Vanilla Sock Pattern
(c. 2003)
Abbreviations:
CO = cast on
k = knit
p = purl
s = slip
st = stitch
tog = together
tbl = through the back loop
Foot Measurement:
Trace around the foot on paper. Measure at the widest part of the foot and also the longest part of the foot. Double the measurement at the widest part of the foot to calculate (roughly) how many inches around the foot is.
Knit a gauge swatch and figure out how many stitches/inch your yarn and needles give you.
With the foot measurements and gauge swatch, you will be able to calculate how many stitches you will need to go around the foot. For example: if the foot is 4” wide, you will need 8” worth of stitches to go around it. If your gauge swatch has 5 stitches to the inch, you will need 40 stitches to go around the width of the foot. (This method has worked for me for 90% of my sock recipients. If there’s something weird about your recipient foot – this may not work.)
Cast On:
Take your estimate of how many stitches you need around the foot and subtract a few stitches to make sure the number is divisible by 4.
CO your stitches and do a 2x2 rib (k2, p2) for as long as you want the leg of the sock. I usually make it around 6-7 inches (and never longer than the length of the foot).
Heel Flap:
Once your leg is as long as you want it, put 1/2 of your stitches on 1 needle (the other half can stay spread out on 2 needles – these are for the instep).
Row 1: *s1, k1; repeat from *
Row 2: s1, *p1; repeat from *
Repeat these 2 rows until you have a square (fold one corner up to its diagonal and the edges will match).
Turn Heel:
With the right side of the work facing you:
Row 1: s1 and knit to the center of the row, k2, k2 tog, k1, turn your work
Row 2: s1, p5, p2 tog, p1, turn your work
Row 3: s1, k to 1 st before the space, k2 tog, k1, turn
Row 4: s1, p to 1 st before space, p2 tog, p1, turn
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all the st are gone (you should have roughly 1/2 the st you started with). What you’ve just done is called “short-rowing.” You are decreasing a st for each row you knit; this allows you to turn a corner.
s1, k across row
Gusset:
Look along the side of the heel flap you just knitted, because you slipped the first st of each row, you should be able to see an elongated V along the sides. You will pick up a st for each V you see.
Knit across all instep st. Pick up st along the other side of the gusset. The number of st you pick up on this side should match the number of st you picked up on the other side.
Rearrange st on 4 needles so they are as even as possible. Place st markers between the gusset and instep st (2).
Row 1: k to 3 st before marker, k2 tog, k1, slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, k1, k2 tog tbl, k remaining st
Row 2: k all st
Repeat these 2 rows until you have decreased down to the number of st from your first calculation (how many st you need to go around the foot).
Foot:
K to desired length of foot. I usually go to the point where my big toe joint hits my foot – approximately 2-2.5 inches from the tip of my toe.
Make sure you have an equal number of st on either side of the markers. If not, adjust so this is so
Toe:
Row 1: k to 3 st before marker, k2 tog, k1, sl marker, k1 k2 tog tbl, k to 3 st before marker, k2 tog, k1, sl marker, k1, k2 tog tbl
Row 2, 4, & 6: k all st
Rows 3, 5, & 7: as row 1
Repeat Row 1 until there are approximately 12 st left on your needles
Weave yarn through remaining st and weave in the end
Weave in the end at the beginning of the sock
Pull it on
