Tulip Rib Socks

This sock is constructed from the top down with a ribbed cuff and heel flap. A lace pattern grows out of the ribbed cuff and and forms columns of tulips down the leg and foot.  The lace and rib pattern will stretch to fit a variety of sizes.  

Materials

Needles: Set of 5 doublepointed needles, size 1.5 (or size needed to obtain gauge)

Tapestry needle

Yarn: 350 yards sock/fingering weight yarn. Solid or semi-solid yarns will show off the lace pattern.  Recommended yarns: Koigu Knitter's Palette Premium Merino (2 skeins, 350 yards); Collinette Jitterbug (1 skein, 400 yards)

Gauge: 8 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Size: Women’s medium

Abbreviations:

K - knit

P - purl

ssk - slip, slip, knit slipped stitches together

K2tog - knit two together

yo - yarn over

* - repeat between * until indicated otherwise

Cuff

Using long tail cast on, cast on 64 stitches. Join to work in the round, taking care not to twist stitches. Tail from cast on will serve as a marker for the beginning of the round. 

Arrange evenly on four double pointed needles (16 stitches each).

Work K2, P2 ribbing for 10 rounds.

Before beginning the leg, knit the first stitch of the round with the fourth needle. Slip the first stitch on each of the other three needles to the previous needle so that there are still 16 stitches on each. First and last stitches on each needle should be a knit stitch.

Leg

Work Tulip Rib pattern 7 times or to desired length of leg, ending with row 8 of the pattern.

Tulip Rib pattern:

Row 1: *K1, P2, yo, ssk, P2, K2, P2, K2tog, yo, P2, K1* four times

Row 2: *K1, P2, K1, yo, ssk, P1, K2, P1, K2tog, yo, K1, P2, K1* four times

Row 3: *K1, P2, K2, yo, ssk, K2, K2tog, yo, K2, P2, K1* four times

Row 4: *K1, P2, K2, P1, yo, ssk, K2tog, yo, P1, K2, P2, K1* four times

Row 5-8: K1, P2, *K2, P2* to last stitch, K1

Heel

Heel flap is worked back and forth on the 32 stitches in the last half of the round. The stitches on the first and second needles form the instep and will rest while the heel is fashioned.

Slip the stitches from the third and fourth needles on to one needle.  Turn the work to begin working the heel on the wrong side. 

Row 1 (WS): Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front, purl to end of row

Row 2 (RS): *Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, K1*, repeat to end of row

Repeat these two rows 15 times. Repeat Row 1 once more.

Heel turn begins on the right side of the work and incorporates short rows to form the three-dimensional heel.

Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, K16, ssk, K1, turn.

Row 2 (WS): Slip 1, P3, P2tog, P1, turn.

Note the gap that is evident between the unworked stitches on the needle and the last worked stitch in the short rows.

Row 3 (RS): Slip 1, K to one stitch before the gap, ssk, K1, turn.

Row 4 (WS): Slip 1, P to one stitch before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until all heel stitches have been worked. Knit across all stitches.

Gusset and Foot

Rearrange stitches as follows. Slip half of the heel stitches (Needle 1) to a free needle (Needle 3). Slip instep stitches on to a single needle (Needle 2). Needle 2 now has 32 stitches. 

Beginning with Needle 1, which has half of the heel stitches, pick up 16 stitches along the heel flap. Work across Needle 2 in next row of Tulip Rib pattern. With a free needle, pick up 16 stitches along the heel flap and knit across the remaining heel stitches.

Needle 1 now holds half of the foot stitches, Needle 2 has the instep stitches, and Needle 3 holds the other half of the foot stitches. Beginning of round is at center bottom of foot.

Gusset Row 1: Knit to last three stitches on Needle 1, K2tog, K1. Work across Needle 2 in established Tulip Rib pattern. On Needle 3, K1, ssk, knit to end of round.

Gusset Row 2: Knit Needle 1. Work across Needle 2 in established Tulip Rib pattern. Knit Needle 3 

Repeat these two rows until there are 16 stitches on Needles 1 and 3.  

Work even on Needles 1 and 3, maintaining Tulip Rib pattern on Needle 2, until foot is 1.5 inches shorter than desired length, ending with Row 8 of Tulip Rib Pattern.  (On my sample socks I had 13 repeats of Tulip Rib from cuff to toe)

Toe

Toe Row 1: Knit to last three stitches on Needle 1, K2tog, K1. K1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches on Needle 2, K2tog, K1. K1, ssk, knit to end of Needle 3.

Toe Row 2: Work even.

Repeat these two rows until there are 28 stitches remaining. Repeat first row until there are 16 stitches remaining. Knit stitches on Needle 1 to bring yarn to side of toe for finishing.

Finishing

Slip stitches from Needle 3 to Needle 1. Use kitchener stitch to join toe stitches together. Break yarn. Weave in ends.