Free Knit Pattern - Harpa Socks

HARPA SOCKS
by Natalie Jacobs

The Harpa sea shell is a natural beauty, with gentle lines and curves. The shell's ornamental ribbing is suggestive of the strings on a harp, hence it's name. Capture it's essence with these lace ankle socks. These are a cuff down sock pattern incorporating a pretty lace pattern for the instep, with some added ribbing interest on the heel. The yarn for this pattern is from indie yarnie Squoosh Fiberarts, in the "Shell" colorway - a perfect fit for this design.

Yarn: Sublime: Fingering by Squoosh Fiberarts (http://squoosh.etsy.com)
[420 yards (384 m); Superwash Merino Wool]
Other Materials: Set of 5 DPNs (2.5mm/1.5 US), Stitch marker (if desired), Tapestry needle
Gauge: 8 stitches / 10 rows = 1 inch in stockinette

Note: The lace pattern will make the sock seem narrow until it is placed on the foot, which will open up the lace and expand the sock!

Zig Zag Lace (instep):
Row 1 and all odd rows: p2, *k2, p2* repeat
Rows 2, 4, and 6: p2, *yo, k2tog, p2* repeat
Rows 8, 10, and 12: p2, *sl1, k1, psso, yo, p2* repeat

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cuff:
Cast on 60 stitches and divide evenly between 4 needles (15 stitches on each needle). Join in the round being careful not to twist. Place stitch marker to indicate the beginning of the round, if desired.

1. Work k2, p2 ribbing for 6 rows

Note: This design is for an ankle sock. If you wish to make a longer sock, do additional rows of ribbing until the cuff is the desired length.

Heel Flap:
Work next 30 stitches all onto one needle for the heel flap in Braided Rib. The remaining 30 stitches are not used and will later become the instep of the sock.

2. With RS facing - Sl1, k1, p2, *skip first stitch, second stitch ktbl keeping stitch on left needle, k skipped stitch, slide both stitches off left needle, p2*, [repeat from * to * 6 times] k2
3. With WS facing - Sl1, p1, k2, *skip first stitch, second stitch p keeping stitch on left needle, then p skipped stitch, slide both stitches off left needle, k2*, [repeat from * to * 6 times] p2
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until heel flap is 20 rows (or is approx 2 inches long), then repeat step 2 once more to end with a RS row

Note: If you wish to accomodate a larger instep, do additional repeats to create a longer heel flap. You will then need to pick up additional stitches for the gusset and add more decrease rounds later.

Turn Heel:
5. With WS facing - Sl1, P16, P2tog, P1 turn
6. Sl1, K5, K2tog, K1 turn
7. Sl1, P6, P2tog, P1 turn
8. Sl1, K7, K2tog, K1 turn
9. Sl1, P8, P2tog, P1 turn
10. Sl1, K9, K2tog, K1 turn
11. Sl1, P10, P2tog, P1 turn
12. Sl1, K11, K2tog, K1 turn
13. Sl1, P12, P2tog, P1 turn
14. Sl1, K13, K2tog, K1 turn
15. Sl1, P14, P2tog, P1 turn
16. Sl1, K15, K2tog, K1

There should be 18 stitches left on the heel needle.

Gusset:
Needles 1, 2, 3 & 4 will now be designated.

17. Needle 1 - Using needle holding the heel stitches, pick up and knit one stitch in each loop along the heel flap, and an extra stitch in the space between the heel flap and the instep (11 stitches picked up total)
18. Needles 2 & 3 - Work across instep (30 stitches) with Row 1 of Zig Zag Lace pattern
19. Needle 4 - Using spare needle, pick up and knit an extra stitch in the space between the heel and the rest of the sock, and one stitch in each loop along the other side of the heel flap (11 stitches total). Knit across first 9 stitches of the heel flap

The center of the heel will now be the beginning of the round. Place stitch marker if desired.

Decreases:
20. Knit to last 3 stitches of Needle 1, K2tog, K1; Needles 2 & 3, continue with Zig Zag Lace pattern stitch across instep; Needle 4, K1, SSK, knit to end (2 stitches decreased)
21. Knit one round with no decreases, continuing with pattern stitch across instep

Repeat steps 20 & 21 until there are 60 stitches total (30 across bottom of sock, 30 across instep).

Body Of Sock:
22. Continue knitting all stitches for the bottom of sock each round (stockinette), but using the Zig Zag Lace stitch for the 30 stitches on the top of the sock until sock is about 2 inches shorter than desired length. End on row 6 or 12 of the pattern stitch

Toe Decreases:
23. Knit to last 3 stitches of Needle 1, K2tog, K1; Needle 2, K1, SSK, work across by knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches to create 2x2 ribbing until the last 3 stitches of Needle 3, K2tog, K1; Needle 4, K1, SSK, knit to end (4 stitches decreased)
24. Knit one round with no decreases maintaining the ribbing across the instep stitches

Repeat steps 23 & 24 until there are 20 stitches remaining. Move the stitches from the top of the sock onto one needle (10 stitches) and from the bottom onto one needle (10 stitches). Weave in with kitchener stitch or other preferred method for finishing sock toe. Weave in all ends.

© 2009 Natalie Jacobs
Pattern is for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not make items originating from this pattern for profit without prior consent from the designer. For any questions regarding the terms of use, please contact the designer at organicstills@gmail.com.

Thanks to my test knitters who helped me make sure that the pattern is clear and easy to read!

Jenn (http://woolverine.wordpress.com/)
Christine (Christine07 on Ravelry)
Michele (maprice on Ravelry)

Finally made something for myself!

I am so frequently caught up in making things for my Etsy shop, or charity, that I am very excited that I finally got around to making something for myself! I present to you my latest knit item...(thanks to my co-worker for taking these pics of me).
I found this beautiful pattern on Ravelry and I just knew that it was going to be something that I needed to make. The pattern is Ophelia, and can be found here. The design is originally for a cardigan, but it wasn't sitting right on my wide hips. I went ahead and seamed it at the front (using the invisible mattress stitch seam) and now it's a v-neck instead. I've been getting compliments on it all day at work and I'm really happy to be showing off my handiwork.

A view of the lace pattern at the back.

Knit stitch overdose!

I am in the process of creating woolly items for the winter - to sell in my Etsy store, at an upcoming craft fair (held annually at my workplace) and also to give to friends for holiday gifts. In particular, I have wanted to find some fun knit stitches for scarves and, in my mad googling ventures, I came across the site Knitting Fool. This site has to contain the most comprehensive list of knit stitches that I have seen to date!

The stitches are all cataloged alphabetically by name, with an easy to read grid the number of stitches and number of rows needed to complete the pattern. You even have the option to sort the list by the stitch count in case you are looking for a certain number of stitches. My only complaint would be that not all of the patterns have accompanying pictures, so it leaves a little to the imagination (but I can't complain too much because I can imagine it would take forever to knit swatches for each of the stitch patterns on the site)!

Here's my simple lace pattern for today, I'm not sure what it's called, but I believe it's a variation of the Faggot lace stitch:
Cast on any multiple of 3.
K1, yo, k2tog for each row until piece is desired length

It's simple yet effective, plus it's a reversible pattern. Enjoy!