This original pattern is ©1996 and 2000 by Kim Salazar. Please see the copyright note
at the end of the pattern. It was originally shared with the
KnitList - (a knitting-oriented mailing list).
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Notes
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This isn't so much an original as an accreted pattern. Deepest appreciation goes to Judy
Gibson - I grovel at her well-clothed feet. I've borrowed the no-graft cast-on and toe
idea of her "You're Putting Me On" toe-up socks but adjusted it to the smaller gauge of sock
yarn. If you have any problems understanding my directions, please look at her original
pattern - it's exceptionally well written.
The heel is an toe-up adaptation of the hourglass style heel I found in an old
Aarlan pattern book. I posted the original to the KnitList in early 1996. This heel has no
heel flap. It looks like a commercially knit sock with a single diagonal line running
from the ankle bone to the heel. Interestingly enough, this heel is formed in exactly the
same manner regardless of whether it is knit toe-up or cuff-down.
The pine tree ankle pattern is based on one in Barbara Walker's first Treasury
of Knitting Patterns.
I used two 50-g skeins of Brown Sheep's Wildefoot in a multicolor green combo -
#SY-15 Jungle. The color inspired my choice of ankle pattern. I picked the 12-Stitch
Rib variant of Walker's Razor Shell pattern, modifying it slightly so the central line
in the wide rib stands out more. Upside down it looks like a pine branch.
These socks fit my women's US shoe size 10EEE feet. I even had yarn left over.
(Note for overseas feet - I wear just about the largest women's size shoes you can
find in the stores without having to place a special order.) These socks are longer
than crew socks, but are not knee socks and have no calf shaping. I imagine that
you could get a man's sock up to about shoe size 12.5 from two skeins.
Apologies for the quality of socks in the photo, above. This is the original pair of
Pine Tree Socks, knit in 1996 when I originally shared the pattern. The photo was taken
in February, 2001 - after considerable washing and wearing. Notice that the heels are not
appreciably eroded. The pattern is a bit scuffed on the ankle because I wear these with
high-ankle hiking style boots whose lacing hooks tend to abrade the yarn. |
Materials
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- Approximately 100g of fingering weight sock yarn. I used two 50g skeins of Brown Sheep
Wildfoote, in color #SY-15, Jungle.)
- US #1 double pointed needles - one set of five
- US #0 double pointed needles - one set of five (optional, needed only if you prefer tight ribbing
at the top of your socks)
- Tapestry or yarn needle for weaving in the ends
- Nylon reinforcing yarn for the heel - highly optional
- A safety pin or scrap of yarn for marking
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Gauge
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9 st = 1 inch in stockinette on US #1 needles;
11 rows = 1 inch in stockinette on US #1 needles |
Special Instructions
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| These abbreviations and symbols are used in this pattern. |
| M1 |
Make One - Pick up the bar running between the stitches on each needle, knit through
the back of this new "loop" to make an invisible no-hole increase. |
| yf |
Yarn Forward - bring the yarn to the front of the work WITHOUT making a loop over top of the needle. |
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No-Sew Toe Cast On
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Take two of the needles and wrap the yarn around them, figure-eight style. The yarn should
loop around the bottom needle and cross to the opposite side of the top needle.
Loop over it and then return between the two. The result should look something like this:
Continue wrapping the yarn this way until you have 12 loops on each needle.
Let the end dangle free with no knots or other securings - you'll need to work looseness in the first
row out towards the end later. Knots will interfere with this in-flight adjustment.
Take a third dpn and knit across the top needle. Take the fourth dpn and knit across the bottom
needle. Be careful not to twist stitches - one needle's loops will be "backward" with the leading
edge of the loop on the rear side of the needle. Make sure you knit into the rear side of these
"backward" loops.
You now have a very narrow and slightly awkward strip of knitting suspended between two needles.
There should be 12 stitches on each needle. Don't worry if the stitches running down the center
are loose, in a couple of rows you can tighten them up by carefully working the excess down towards
the dangling tail end.
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Toe Shaping
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Row 1: k1, M1, k5. Using another dpn, k5, M1, k1. Using a third dpn, k1, M1, K5.
Using the fourth dpn - K5, M1, K1. You should now have 4 live needles in your work,
each with 7 stitches on it.
Row 2: Knit all stitches on the first needle. Mark the first stitch on the second needle
by inserting a scrap of yarn or safety pin in it as you knit it. This marks the center bottom
of the sock. Knit all stitches on remaining needles.
Row 3: *k1, M1, k6. K6, M1, K1* repeat
Row 4: Knit
Row 5 and subsequent odd rows: Continue adding one stitch after the first stitch of
the first and third needles, and one stitch just before the last stitch of the second and
fourth needles.
Row 6 and subsequent even rows: Knit.
When you have 18 stitches on each needle (72 stitches total) the toe is done. |
Foot
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| Continue knitting around with 18 stitches on each needle. For my women's size 10 feet I knit
until my sock foot measures 6.75 inches (approx. 16.25cm) from the tip of the toe. People less
endowed in the foot department should knit until the growing foot when tried on is long enough
to generously reach to the point where their ankle meets their foot. The sock foot should not
be tightly stretched when measuring. Once you have enough foot length you can begin the
heel. |
Heel
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Find the column of the stitch you marked as the center bottom of your foot. The needles to
the right and left of it (needles #1 and #2 respectively) will be the ones on which you work
your heel. The other two needles (#3 and #4) will lie dormant until the heel is finished.
If you like you can move the stitches from #3 and #4 onto a stitch holder or spare piece of string
if you are more comfortable working that way.
Start the heel with needle #1 and work the following directions across both needles as if
they were a single unit. I prefer NOT to move these stitches onto one needle because using
two creates less stress at the ends and tends to minimize any top-of-gusset holes when the
foot top stitches are rejoined to the heel.
If you are using nylon to reinforce the heel, introduce it on the next row.
Row 1 of decrease: K35, yf, slip next stitch purlwise onto right needle. Turn work.
Row 2: Yf (wrapping the yarn around the base of the stitch that was just slipped - it
should look like it has been lassoed by a noose), slip this just-wrapped stitch purlwise, p34, slip the next stitch purlwise
keeping the yarn in front of the work. Turn work.
Row 3: Yf (wrapping the yarn around the stitch you just slipped), K33, yf, slip the next
stitch purlwise onto the right needle. Turn work.
Continue in this manner described in rows 2 and 3, working one less stitch per row before doing the yf/wrap/turn. THERE WILL
ALWAYS BE 18 STITCHES ON EACH NEEDLE.
Each row the number of wrapped and retained stitches (as opposed to "live" stitches) will
grow by one. Eventually you will have only 12 "live" stitches - 6 on each needle. The
remaining 12 stitches on each needle will each have a wrap around them. At this point the heel
will look triangle with the top cut off. Along the left and right sides of the triangle will be
the wrapped stitches, evenly placed.
The last row before you begin increasing again is the row in which you purl 12 live stitches.
When that's completed it's time to begin increasing.
Row 1 of increase: K12, knit the next stitch through the back along with the wrapped loop
around its base. (I do this by picking up the loop on the point of my right hand needle, then
knitting the loop and the stitch together), yf, slip next stitch knitwise onto the right needle.
Turn work.
Row 2: Yf, (wrapping the yarn around the slipped stitch so that there are now TWO wraps at
its base), slip the just-wrapped stitch, p13, purl the next stitch along with the loop wrapped around its base, slip next stitch
purlwise (keeping the yarn in the front of the work). Turn work.
Row 3: Yf (wrapping the yarn around the base of the slipped stitch), slip the just-wrapped stitch, k14, knit the
next stitch through the back of the loop along with the two loops wrapped around its base, yf,
slip next stitch knitwise onto right needle, K14, turn work.
Continue in this manner, working across the rows, knitting through the back of the loop
(or purling on purl side rows) the next slipped and reserved stitch along with all loops around
its base; then slipping and wrapping the stitch after it until you have "reclaimed" all of
the reserved stitches and all 18 stitches on each needle are again "live."
When all 18 stitches are "live" the heel is finished and it's time to begin working the stitches
on the top of the foot again. |
Ankle Join
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If you have been using reinforcing nylon, break it off before starting the ankle join.
Knit two rows around all 72 stitches.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a small tendency for a little hole to form at the top of the
diagonal line made by picking up the reserved stitches. I counteract this on the first row
of my rejoin by picking up a stitch at the top of each of the diagonals, then knitting one of
them together with the first stitch on Needle #3 and doing a ssk with the other picked up
stitch and the last stitch of Needle #4. |
Ankle Pattern
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For ease in working the ankle pattern - on the second row of the rejoin you can
transfer the stitches from four onto three needles. Each of the three will now hold
24 stitches. The pattern "row" (and new Needle #1) should commence with the stitch
column you marked as being the center bottom - now the center back-of-heel.
Beginning with the stitch at the center back-of-heel (the first stitch on
new Needle #1) begin working the following pattern:
Row 1: *yo, k4, k1-k2tog-pass knit stitch over the k2tog, k4, yo, k1* repeat
Row 2: Knit
Repeat these two rows until your sock measures approximately 7.5 inches (19cm)
from the bottom of the heel. You can make it shorter or longer to your own taste.
Knit one row plain.
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Ribbing
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If you like tight ribbing, now is the time to switch to the smaller needles.
I don't like tight sock tops so I don't bother.
Row 1: *K2, P2* repeat.
Continue knitting in K2,P2 rib for about 1.5 inches.
Work sock #2 to match. Counting the column of yarn overs to make sure you have
the same number of rows is the best way to ensure uniform length between the
two socks. |
Finishing
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When both socks are done, use the tapestry needle to weave in the loose
ends at toe and top.
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