Step Four

Why am I giving you a whole section about the foot portion? Isn't that just straight knitting? It is if you're knitting a plain stockinette sock. And if you are knitting a plain sock, just knit straight with no increases around and around until the length is 2 inches shorter than your foot from heel to toe..

You could choose to knit straight stockinette, but create some stash busting socks and knit crazy stripes with multiple colors. Stick with the same weight of yarn though.

NOTE: If you're knitting contrasting toes and heels, switch to your main color now.

Or you can take this opportunity to try designing your own sock.

At this point, you have 32 stitches on both sides of your sock. Usually, you'll want to knit a fancy design on the top of the foot only, since a stitch pattern on the sole might be uncomfortable to walk on.

So, get out your favorite stitch dictionary and find something you like. If you don’t have a book of patterns, you can find many different free stitch patterns online. Just remember, you have 32 stitches to work with. You can do 4 repeats of an 8 stitch pattern, or 2 repeats of a 16 stitch pattern, for example. You can choose a stitch pattern of any number as long as it’s no more than 32 stitches. For this sock, stick with even numbers though. Next time, you can start your sock with an odd number cast on, and plan ahead for an odd numbered stitch pattern.

Lace patterns are great for socks, or weave stitches, or grab some graph paper and make your own design! And, very important: take notes on everything you do. That is if you want the mate to this sock to look the same!

If the thought of designing your own is beginning to give you panic attacks, but you want to do something, just go simple. Add some cables.

For this sock, all I did was purl 2, knit a 4 stitch cable, purled 2 more, knit the center 16, purled 2, knit a 4 stitch cable (twisting in the opposite direction) and purled the last two. Then knit all stitches on the sole of the sock.

(I could have just as easily knit cables all the way across the top by doing a pattern like this: P2, Cable 4, P2, C4, P2, C4, P2, C4, P2, C4, P2)

Knit the foot portion in your desired pattern until the sock is 2 inches shorter than your foot from toe to heel. Measure your sock from the tip of the toes to the needles. An average woman's size 8.5 foot is about 9 inches long, so knit the sock until it's 7 inches long from toe to needle.