Sock Lace is Complicated

So, I have my new sock yarn (sorry, no pics yet!) and I am considering designing some socks of my own which seems a big step, since they’ll only be my second pair. I’m not totally sure how one carries the pattern from the cuff (the leg bit) onto the foot without putting pattern on the sole or the heel of the sock. The sock pattern that I am hoping to adapt works on 60 stitches, but the pattern that I fancy is for multiples of 8. The number of rows for the cuff can be varied, so that’s fine, and I think I can get near enough (1 row extra) for the foot. I’ll leave the toe un-patterned too.

I’ve picked a pattern out of my pattern book, which has lots of choice in it. The pattern I’m favouring at the moment (though we’ll see what the swatch in the round turns out like) is gypsy lace. It’s a diamond lace pattern. I can either do 8*7 = 56 stitches or 8*8 = 64 stitches for the cuff – either 4 fewer or 4 more than in the original pattern. This still works okay for doing k2p2 rib on the top of the cuff at least! Now, I think that a lacy pattern will be a bit more stretchy than a stst pattern would be, because of the holes. I do wonder, though, whether I’d be better off finding a lace-based pattern and then re-jigging that rather than my pattern which came with my Opal yarn.

If I could find a lace sock pattern that I thought I could amend!

So, I’ll probably have to play. I’m confident that I can do the cuff/leg bit, but I’m just not sure what to do for the bit after the heel flap pickup. I think I know which bit will be on top, and I know how many stitches I might have there (based on the 64 stitch sock, I’ll want 32 on the top, which also fits in pattern!) and I’ll have to decrease to 64 rather than 60 stitches.

O, we’ll see anyway!

I’ll let you know how it goes, and eventually get some pictures of the new yarn! (It’s superwash wool mix in burgundy)

Oh, off to visit various parents and to a party in a barn this weekend. Knitting may happen, as I suspect will mud and wet-Tsuki. I am taking my walking boots for the party. I will also take a big sweater! (I’ll knit one of those one day)