Two Simple Sock Patterns

Knitting socks always seemed like a difficult and daunting task, but one day I came across a pattern requiring only two normal knitting needles so I gave it a go.  Shepherd 489 for those who like to go looking for the patterns - your local shop might have it or order it in for you.  I tried to find a website for Shepherd but couldn't.

The socks in this pattern are more stockings for gumboots and that quickly became apparent, so I shortened them somewhat and shortened the length of the foot.  They’re still huge on me and I only really use them when I need a second pair of socks over the top of another pair.  I’ve adapted the pattern to suit me - here’s my version.

The abbreviations I use in my patterns are:

K - knit, P - purl, sl - slip, st(s) - stitch(es), psso - pass slipped stitch over, stst - stocking stitch, Rep - Repeat, tog - together

Two needle sock pattern

3mm needles (English size 11)

2 50g balls 4ply wool

2 Stitch holders

Using 3mm needles, cast on 60 st and work in k2, p2, rib for 5cm.

Change to stst (1 row k, 1 row p) starting with a k row and continue until work is approx 5cm shorter than you want the finished height up your leg.

Divide for Heel and Instep

With right side facing, slip first 15 sts onto a stitch holder, rejoin yarn and k next 30 sts, turn, leaving remaining sts on a stitch holder.  Work in stst until approx 5cm shorter than your foot from top of ankle bones.

Shape Toe

*1st row: K2, sl 1, k1, psso, k to last 4 sts, k2 tog, k2.

2nd row: P.

Rep the last 2 rows until 10 sts remain, ending with a purl row. *

Break yarn and leave sts on a stitch holder.

Return to heel sts and slip both sets of 15 sts on to one needle with outside edges to centre (30 sts).

With right side of work facing, rejoin yarn to sts for heel and work 30 rows in stst, starting with a k row.

Next row: K18, sl 1, k1, psso, turn.

Next row: P7, p2 tog, turn.

Next row: K8, sl 1, k1, psso, turn.

Next row: P9, p2 tog, turn.

Continue shaping in this way until all sts are worked onto one needle (18 sts).  Break yarn.

With right side of work facing, pick up and k 15 sts down first side of heel, k across 18 sts of heel, then pick up and k 15 sts up second side of heel. (48 sts).

Next row: Purl.

Next row: K2, sl 1, k1, psso, k to last 4 sts, k2 tog, k2.

Rep last 2 rows until 30 sts remain.  Work in stst until approx 5cm shorter than your foot.

Shape Toe

Follow instructions for instep from * to *.

Graft toe sts together or cast off the 2 sets of sts together.

Make Up

Using a flat stitch, join centre back seam.  Join side seams.

When I do the pick up sts around the heel, I find it a lot easier to use my double pointed sock needles.  There isn’t the strain of stitches going around corners that makes the first few rows a bit difficult.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that 30 rows from the rejoin to the heel shaping is too many, but as I haven’t used this pattern in a while, I don’t remember how I did it.  I’ve been using the second pattern that I’m going to give you mostly because I hate sewing seams in my knitting.

Circular Sock Pattern

Using 3mm sock needles (double pointed) cast on 60 sts.  Distribute around needles. (I like to have the start and finish in the middle of one needle - I also make this one half of the total as it makes working out the heel sts much easier).

Work k1, p1 rib for at least 3cm.

Change to plain knit and work until sock measures approx 4cm shorter than desired length up leg.

Work around until at the beginning of needle with 30 heel sts.

Shape Heel

K 30, turn.

Sl 1, p28, turn.

Sl 1, k27, turn.

Sl 1, p28, turn.

Continue in this manner until the centre 10 sts have just been purled, turn.

K 11, turn.

P 11, pick up a st in between work and next slipped st, p2 tog, turn.

K 12, pick up a st in between work and next slipped st, k2 tog, turn.

P 13, pick up a st in between work and next slipped st, p2 tog, turn.

Continue in this manner until all sts are live again, finish on a k row.

Shape Instep

Next Round: Pick up 4 sts between heel and start of sts on next needle, k to end of needle.  K to end of next needle, pick up 4 sts.  K across heel.

Next Round: K

Next round: K

Next round: K2, sl 1, k1, psso, k to end of needle.  K to last 4 sts on next needle, k2 tog, k2.  K across heel.

Continue in this manner, reducing every 3rd row until back to original 60 sts on all needles.

Work straight until sock is approx 4cm shorter than foot finishing at start of needle with heel on it.

Shape Toe

Toe Shaping In Progress

Next round: K2, sl 1, k1, psso, k to last 4 sts, k2 tog, k2.  Next needle, K2, sl 1, k1, psso, k to end of needle.  Next needle, k to last 4 sts, k2 tog, k2.

Next round:

Rep these two rows until 20 sts total remain.

Graft toe sts together or cast off the 2 sets of sts together.

Make Up

Sew up toe, depending on how you’ve finished it, and sew in start tail to even up top of sock.

The heel shaping - picking up a st in between work and slipped sts prevents many of the holes that you often get with this kind of shaping.  I found it in a wonderful book Anticraft: Knitting Beading and Stitching For The Slightly Sinister by Renee Rigdon and Zabet Stewart.  They also have a great website filled with some interesting projects.

When I’m knitting socks, I like to use stripes so that I don’t have to constantly measure the second sock to match.  It’s a simple thing to see that there are so many stripes in each colour and do my shapings etc to match the first.  Different coloured stripes can be a good way to use up those little bits of yarn left over from other projects.  Or if you’ve made similar socks for several people, give them each their own colour and make at least one stripe on each pair in that colour so they can easily tell whose is whose and there aren’t arguments about who is stealing socks. (Can you tell I’ve got children?)

I’ve learned that not all yarns are good for socks.  I was given a lovely fluffy wool that makes wonderfully warm socks, but after wearing them only a few times, I started to get balls of felted fluff under my toes inside the socks and holes formed shortly after.  This yarn is NOT good for socks.  I’ve tried making the toes and heels in something more durable and that is working so far, but I haven’t had those socks for too long.  They’ve lasted longer than the first pair however.  You’d think that nylons or acrylics would be more durable and hardy, but that doesn’t seem to be necessarily true either.

Since I wrote this, I discovered Sock Yarn.  It's a blend of wool and acrylic that makes them far more durable.