Lions bask in the shade of acacia trees on the unusual border of these ankle-length socks, knit from the top down with a hemmed cuff, a heel flap, and asymmetrical (anatomical) toes.
Yarn: 210 yards fingering weight sock yarn, white; 10 yards fingering weight sock yarn, black
Needles and notions: Set of 5 dpn, Size 1 or size needed to obtain guage.
Gauge: 8 stitches per inch and 10 rows per inch
BEGIN: CO 54 st with waste yarn. Place 18 stitches on each of three dpns. Join white for working in the round and k 13 rows.
Round 14: purl one round for the fold of the hem.
Rounds 15 and 16: knit.
Rounds 17 through 24: Join black and work from chart in stockinette stitch, beginning at the top left corner. Note that blue in the chart represents white, and white represents black. Since the eight-row pattern repeats over nine stitches, and there are a multiple of nine stitches on each needle, the end of each needle can be checked as a quick confirm3r that you haven't missed a stitch.
Continue knitting plain in white until the inside and outside hem are exactly even. Remove waste yarn and pick up 72 stitches, 18 at a time, on a dpn. Fold hem.
Join the hem: Knit together one stitch from the current needle and one stitch from the back needle holding the picked-up stitches from the cast on edge. Repeat on each back-front pair of stitches.
Work even until piece measures 2.5 inches.
Divide for heel: k 27 st. Turn work.
Heel row 2: purl.
Repeat these two rows for 2.5 inches, until the entire piece measures 5 inches.
Turn the heel: k 18 st, SSK, turn work.
Turn Row 2: sl 1, p 8 st, P2TOG, turn work
Turn Row 3: sl 1, k 8, SSK, turn work.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 11 st remain.
Divide heel stitches onto two needles. Round starts at back of heel.
Round 1. Knit 6 heel stitches, pick up 15 st from side of heel flap on same needle. K 27 top stitches. With a new needle, pick up 15 st from heel flap. k 5 st on this needle. 68 st.
Round 2. Knit.
Round 3. K to last two stitches on needle, k2tog. K 27 stitches on top needle. On third needle, SSK, k to end.
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 until 54 st remain. Distribute stitches evenly and work even until sock measures two inches from the tip of the wearer's toe.
Make two.
Right sock: decrease for toe.
Distribute stitches evenly among four needles, symmetrically with the established sock. Round begins at center bottom of foot.
Round 1: k to 2 st before end of first needle, k2tog; next needle, ssk, k to end.
Round 2: k
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 40 st remain. Redistribute stitches between left and right needles as necessary, maintaining top-bottom symmetry.
Round 15: [k to last 2 st of needle, k2tog, next needle ssk, k to end of needle] twice.
Round 16: k.
Repeat these two rounds until 18 st remain. Repeat Row 15 twice.
Join toe stitches with Kitchener stitch.
Left sock: decrease for toe.
Distribute stitches evenly among four needles, symmetrically with the established sock. Round begins at center bottom of foot.
Round 1: k first 2 needles straight, k to 2 st before end of third needle, k2tog; next needle, ssk, k to end.
Round 2: k
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until 40 st remain. Redistribute stitches between left and right needles as necessary, maintaining top-bottom symmetry.
Round 15: [k to last 2 st of needle, k2tog, next needle ssk, k to end of needle] twice.
Round 16: k.
Repeat these two rounds until 18 st remain. Repeat Row 15 twice.
Join toe stitches with Kitchener stitch. Weave in ends.
