Woolgathering

 

Designer:
Melissa Jenkins-Cox
Winter is a beautiful time! It’s
fun to look at glistening snow
from your place near a cozy
fire! These lacy, beaded
socks will give you all that
winter has to offer. The
beaded crystal pattern and
snowy white yarn will remind
you of sparkling snowflakes
while keeping your feet toasty
warm throughout the winter.
All you need is some hot
cider to get into the winter
mood. 

Skills
Knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, lace, chart reading, pick up and knit, cable cast
on*, using markers, beading*, Kitchener stitch/grafting.
* instructions provided at end of pattern 

Tools
Needles and hook
16” circular needles #1 (2 needed)
#13 steel crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Markers, accessories, etc.
3 stitch markers 

Materials
Yarn
Sock Yarn
Knit Picks Palette, #23728, White, 2 balls
Fingering weight, 231 yards per ball
7-8 sts = 1” 

Notions
120 #8 seed beads, clear glass
(This should be more than enough to account for any defective beads and also
for knitting the sock in a larger size.) 

Gauge: 7 sts/inch in Stockinette 

Size and size adjustments: This sock as written will fit a women’s size 7-8.5
average width foot with an 8” ankle. The leg as written will stretch out to 10”. This will
shorten the leg, so for a 10” ankle, adding another chart repeat is recommended.
Larger size: To make the sock fit a 11-12” ankle and size 9-10.5 foot, CO 78 sts and
work 6 pattern repeats around the leg, 3 repeats on the instep needle and 3 on the sole
needle. You will need 4 markers. You will have 39 sts on each needle for the foot. Add
2” to the foot length, or adjust as needed.
Smaller size: To make the foot fit a 6” ankle and size 5.5-7 foot, CO 52 sts and work 4
pattern repeats around the leg, 2 repeats on the instep needle and 2 repeats on the sole
needle. You will need 2 markers. You will have 26 sts on each needle for the foot.
Subtract 2” to the foot length, or adjust as needed. 

Pattern Instructions: 

Cuff and leg:
CO 65 sts + 1 extra for joining
Divide sts between needles, being careful not to twist
Rounds 1-10: Work in K1, P1 rib
Rounds 11-47: Work in charted pattern. There are 5 pattern repeats around the leg. It
will help to keep your place if you place 3 repeats on one needle and 2 repeats on the
other, with stitch markers placed in between repeats. You will repeat the chart three
times for the sock as pictured. If you want a longer leg, repeat the chart additional times
as desired before proceeding to the heel and foot.




Heel and foot:
Note: There will be 5 repeats of the pattern around the leg. Decide how you will
arrange the repeats on the front and back of the leg, and rearrange the stitches on the
instep and sole needles. In the sample, one repeat is centered on the instep needle,
with 10 stitches on either side, for a total of 33 instep stitches. There are 32 sole
stitches.
Use a safety pin or scrap yarn to mark the front of the sock after you have arranged
your stitches. The rest of the sock will be knitted in Stockinette Stitch. Knit around to
the beginning of the heel stitches. Leave the instep stitches while you work on the heel
flap. Remove markers and set aside. 

Heel flap:
Heel Row 1: *(S1, K1) repeat from * across
Heel Row 2: S1, P across
Repeat these 2 rows 10 times (22 rows) 

Turning the heel:
Row 23: S1, K21, turn
Row 24: S1, P10, turn
Row 25: S1, K9, K2tog across gap, K1, turn
Row 26: S1, P10, P2tog across gap, P1, turn
Continue working in Stockinette Stitch across rows to 1 st before gap. Work 2 sts
together across gap, work 1 st, turn, repeat until all sts have been worked. End with a
knit row. 

Heel gussets:
Pick up and knit (PUK) 20-22 sts along the edge of the heel flap. The actual number of
stitches is not crucial; pick up as many as necessary to avoid leaving gaps. You will be
picking these stitches up from the left side of the flap as the back of the sock faces you.
At the end of the gusset, go to the instep needle and knit across to get the yarn to the
other side of the gusset. PUK 20-22 sts as before along the right side of the gusset.
Work all remaining rounds in Stockinette Stitch.
Round 1: Work across the sole needle to the last 4 sts, SSK, PM, K2
Work across the instep needle
At the beginning of the sole needle, K2, PM, K2tog
Round 2: Work 1 round
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until 32 sts remain on each needle. Remove markers and set
aside. 

Foot:
Continue working around until foot measures 5.75” from bottom of cuff. Add length here
as necessary to customize the fit. Finish with the left side of the sole needle with the
sole facing you.
Toe:
Round 1, instep needle: K1, PM, K2tog, K to 3 sts from end of needle, PM, SSK, K1
Round 1, sole needle: K1, PM, K2tog, K to 3 sts from end of needle, PM, SSK, K1
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *(K1, K2tog, K to marker, SSK, K1), repeat from * once
Round 4: Knit
Repeat Rounds 3 and 4 until 10 sts remain on each needle.
Close toe with Kitchener stitch. Weave in ends, and enjoy your new socks! 

Skills:
Beading:
Work the pattern up to the stitch before the bead stitch. Place a bead on the crochet
hook. Slip the bead stitch off the needle with the crochet hook. Grasp the bead with
your fingers and slip it off the hook, onto the stitch. You should see the stitch with a little
bead collar around the base of it. Slip the stitch back onto the left needle and knit the
stitch. If you don’t have a crochet hook, you can use stiff dental floss (Superfloss is one
brand) and bead the stitch by threading the bead onto the floss, then threading the floss
through the stitch and again through the bead. Slip the bead down onto the stitch, slip
the stitch back onto the left needle, and knit the stitch. A needle and thread could also
be used in a similar way.
Cable Cast On:
This makes a nice, stretchy edge for a sock, and it looks very neat. The CCO is very
similar to knitting on. To knit on, make a slip knot, put it on the left needle, and knit one.
Instead of sliding the knit stitch off, slide the new stitch back onto the left needle. Now
you have two stitches. Knit into the second stitch, and replace the new stitch on the left
needle. Three stitches. For CCO, make a slipknot and knit on one stitch. Now,
instead of inserting the needle into the second stitch to make the third, insert the needle
between the two stitches, knit one, and slide the new stitch onto the left needle. Keep
knitting between the newest and next newest stitches, and slide the resulting stitch onto
the left needle.