Express Lane

By Diane Mulholland

These socks have a lot going for them. A simple, easy to remember stitch pattern; plenty of stocking stitch to make the knitting go faster, but not so much that you’re bored; and just a little calf shaping so you can keep going all the way up.

The simple leaf pattern looks great in solids or multi, so you can use all that patterned yarn that would be lost in a fancier design. Super fast and completely uncomplicated, these socks almost knit themselves!

Photographs: Kate Blackburn

Size
Sizes: S/M (L)
Shown in size medium

Requirements
Yarn: 1 skein Dream in Color Smooshy (450yds/4oz) in colour: Good Luck Jade
Needles: 2.5mm/80cm needle for magic loop method or needles for your preferred method of knitting in the round.
Notions: 4 stitch markers, crochet hook and waste yarn.

Tension
9 sts = 2.5cm/1inch in stocking stitch

Pattern Notes
These socks are knitted from the toe up beginning with a provisional cast-on. Substitute your preferred toe-up toe and heel if you like, it won’t alter the effect.

The instructions for the short rows may seem strange at first, but will make sense once you are actually doing it! Bringing the yarn forward or back before working the stitch makes a yarn-over pair, these are knitted together later to close any gaps.

Calf shaping is included in both sizes, yardage on Smooshy is very generous and working toe up means you can get the most out of your yarn. Further increases can easily be added for very long socks but you may need to fiddle a bit with the ribbing to get the pattern to flow nicely.

Abbreviations
The standard list of Inside Loop abbreviations can be found here.

yf – yarn forward as if to purl
yb – yarn back as if to knit

Instructions

Toe
Using waste yarn, crochet a chain 35 stitches long. Join main yarn

and carefully pick up and knit 30 (32)sts in back loops of chain.
Row 1: k to last stitch, turn.
Row 2: yb p1, p to last stitch, turn.
Row 3: yf k1, k to next yo pair, turn.
Row 4: yb p1, p to next yo pair, turn.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until 9 stitches remain between the yarn-over pairs.

To complete toe:
Row 1: yf k1, k to next yo pair, k 1st stitch of pair, slip next yo p-wise and slip first stitch of next pair k-wise, return slipped stitches to left needle and k2togtbl, turn.
Row 2: yb p1, p to next yo pair, p 1st stitch of pair, p2tog (next yo and 1st stitch of next pair), turn.
Row 3: yf k1, k to next yo pair, k 1st stitch of pair, slip next 2 yos pwise and slip first stitch of next pair kwise, return slipped stitches to left needle and k3togtbl, turn.
Row 4: yb p1, p to next yo pair, p 1st stitch of pair, p3tog (next 2 yos and 1st stitch of next pair), turn.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until the final k3togtbl, there will still be yarn-overs at the other end of the needle.
Commence working in the round.
Unzip provisional cast-on and knit across the resulting 29 (31) live sts, m1.
Next round: k3tog (last two yarn-overs), k around, 60 (64)sts.

Instep
Round 1: k8 (9), pm, work row 1 of chart A, pm, k to end.
Round 2: k8 (9), work next row of chart A, k to end
Continue working this round for 7 (8) repeats of the chart or until 2 inches short of back of heel. Finish with an even round.
Next round: k8 (9), work next row of chart A, k8 (9), work heel over next 30 (32)sts.


Note: charts will appear much larger in printable version

Heel

The short row heel is worked exactly as for the toe, beginning with Row 1. After working the final k3togtbl recommence working in the round as follows:
Next round: k8 (9), work next row of chart A, k8 (9), k3tog (last two yarn-overs), k to end

Cuff
Next round: k8 (9), work next row of chart, k to end
Continue working this round until you next finish row 8 of the chart.
Next round: k8 (9), work row 1 of chart A, k16 (18), pm, work row 1 of chart, pm, k8 (9).
Next round: [k8 (9), work next row of chart A, k8 (9)] twice.
Continue working this round for until 5 (4) repeats of chart have been worked on back of cuff.

Calf shaping
For next 2(4) repeats of the pattern work from Chart A on the front of the leg, Chart B on the back, 4(8)sts increased.

S/M size only: work one further repeat of Chart A.

Beginning with k2, work 15 rounds of k2, p2 ribbing. Ribbing should flow neatly out of pattern.

Finishing
Darn in ends and block if desired.

About the Yarn
Dream in Color is a small American company famous for its artisan–dyed yarns. Their Smooshy sock yarn is experiencing growing popularity in the UK and is available from Stash Yarns in London.

About the Designer
Diane Mulholland had the good fortune to grow up on an Australian sheep farm and a love of all things fibre-related is a natural result. A long way from home now, she tries her best to fit as much wool as possible into her tiny London flat. Read about what she’s been up to at her blog, Needles on the Move.

Contact Diane