« resistant | Home | happy new year »

celtic socks

29 December 05 - 13:16

inspired by an aran jersey (too much work for my taste) i thought up these aran socks.
last update 13 september 2011




celtic socks
by miriam jorna

copyleft january 2005 by miriam jorna. all rights reserved. this pattern is freeware and must remain so. this pattern is for your personal use only. it may be shared with others as long as it remains fully intact, including this copyleft notice. it may not be sold, used to produce items for sale, re-printed or used on another webpage without written permission from the author.

celtic pattern copyright girlfromauntie.com ! and hers alone.

° about yarn: light plain (unpatterned) colours show off the cables best, but the socks can be made with any sock yarn.
° 4 double pointed needles 2.5mm, if so desired 4 dpns 2mm for the cuff.
these socks can be done with circulars, magic loop etc, but i found it most comfortable to have a separate needle for each cable.
° cable needle
° row counter
° a print out of the cable pattern.
mind: the repeat as shown in the pattern is not applicable for this sock. see directions below.

a note on sizing: normally i use this yarn for 64 stitches per round. this sock is based on 69 stitches. read through the pattern before you start. quite a lot of sizing variety is possible with the 4 edge stitches on the sides: these can easily be skipped or doubled to suit your plans.
if you opt for less stitches, please bear in mind that cables make a sock less stretchy.

cuff:

cast on 3x 23 stitches. choose 2.5mm needles for a relaxed cuff or 2mm for a tighter cuff.

15 rows of cuff: p1, k2

if you chose the tighter cuff, this is the moment where you change needles.

the sock consists of three cables in one round. therefore each needle has its own cable. in sequence: needle 1 makes the left back, needle 2 the instep, needle 3 the right back panel.

after the cuff, do per needle k2, p2, k2, p11, k2, p2, k2.
so three needles make one row.

make five rows.

keep the four edge stitches on all sides. in between, start the cable pattern from row 1. meaning that you work k2, p2, pattern, p2, k2 per needle.

skip the black squares in the pattern. from row 3 onwards you have 31 stitches per needle.

follow the pattern up to and including row 23.

in row 24 make the stitches like they are (knit on a knit stitch, purl on a purl stich). row 25 goes like this:

(4 edge stitches) ||--TT\==-----TT\==--|| (4 edge stitches)

meaning, instead of the given bracket make a cable. it's the same cable as in rows 9 and 17.

row 26: make the stitches like they are.

now return to the pattern. skip row 1 and 2. your row 27 is row 3 of the pattern. reset row counter and once again knit up to and including row 23.

you're almost at the heel now.
on needles 1 and 3: finish the cable as directed in row 24 of the pattern.
on needle 2 the cable will continue, so knit the connecting rows as described above.

needles 1 and 3 are destined to become the heel. they continue with k2, p2, k2, p11, k2, p2, k2 per needle. do this five times (whilst the instep continues in pattern). finish by knitting needle 1 once more, except the last 4 st.

now rearrange stitches: the last 4 of needle 1 and the first 4 of needle 3 are added to needle 2.
needle 2 now has 2 purl and 4 knit stitches on the right hand side an 4 knit and 2 purl on the left hand side. both other needles have 2 knit st on the sides (being the sides of the cable).

leave needle 2 be and use needles 1 and 3 to make the

heel:

slip 1 st as if to knit, purl until end.
turn the work.
# slip 1 st as if to purl, k1, sl1 as f to purl, etc.
turn the work.
slip 1 st as if to knit, purl until end. #

repeat part between ## 13 times to a total of 29 rows. after some 5 rows working will be easier if all 38 st are on one needle.

for a high instep: make 2 to 3 extra repeats (=4-6 rows)

knit the next row. the right side of the work is facing you.

now on to the minor heel:

turn work, p21, k2tog, p1, turn (the remaining st on the left needle remain untouched)

sl1, k5, k2tog, k1, turn (the remaining st on the left needle remain untouched)

sl1, p6 (until 1st before the 'gap'), k2tog, p1, turn.

continue until all stitches are used. you now have 22st and the right side of the work is facing you.

on to the gusset.

along the side of the flap you just made, pick up the side st. make an extra st after the last one to prevent the instep from pulling.
knit the instep according to pattern.

for needle 3 once again an extra st in the 'corner' and pick up the same amount of st as on the other side.

add the first 11st of the heel on this needle.

take the next 11st of the heel as the beginning of needle 1; you're now back on four needles and the middle of the heel is the beginning of the round.
on needles 1 and 3 all stitches are knit; needle 2 continues in pattern.

decrease in every third row 2st on the underside: one at the end of needle 1, one at the beginning of needle 3 (no decreasing on the instep!). continue until needles 1 and 3 each have 19 st again. this makes for a sock total of 77 st.

needles 1 and 3 continue in stockinette, needle 2 in pattern.

for uk size 8 [ = us womens size 10 = european size 41]* the instep measures 5x the cable with 4x the intermediate part when measured from the cuff. the fifth time use the pattern's row 24 to finish the cable. then at either side pick up 2 knit stitches from the back needles.

needle 2 now contains 35st, the back ones each 17 st.
needle 2 is now beginning of the row.
next 3 rows: k2, p2, k4, p2, k2, p11, k2, p2, k4, p2, k2, k34.

now start the

toe:

k1, k2tog (prettiest if you do sl1, k1, psso), k all st to last 3, k2tog, k1.
repeat for underfoot.

decrease in every row. fit sock after 12 rows.
bind off per your preferred method.

* for size 7 [us8, euro 39] make toe decreases immediately after end of cable, bind off after 10 rows.

be proud of your achievement... and proceed making the other sock.

°