@ Copyright 2013 Mary Spanos
MICHAEL's LARGE SOCKS Mary Spanos
Size: Men's shoe size 13 wide Yarn: 2 skeins of Kroy 4-ply sock yarn, black; 1 skein of contrast sock yarn for the toes. I used all but a few yards of the black Kroy skeins and approximately 0.6 ounces of the mystery, unlabeled spaced dyed toe yarn. Needles: 40-inch long U.S. size O circular needles. Lots of removable row markers. Gauge: 9 sts in 1 inch and 12 rounds in 1 inch. These socks feature special heel shaping, toe shaping, and gusset shaping designed for someone with a larger foot and a low arch. Markers are used to make creating the second sock easy and accurate. A simple technique is used to make a neat gusset join. This pattern was developed over many years of knitting socks for Michael. Michael has large feet, size 13 wide, so knitting socks for him is like knitting sleeves for a cardigan, a black cardigan (he only wants black socks). In addition to knitting them longer and wider, we have found that creating a larger than usual heel makes them more comfortable, too. I knit the toes in a contrast color so he can easily match the pairs up after the socks go through the wash (an idea from Pia Cusick) and so I can have a short break from knitting black yarn. (The colorful toes are not visible when his shoes are on.) Michael wears his socks all the time, including wearing them shoe-less at home where he walks around on carpeting, which I think is almost as abrasive as concrete. To make these socks more wear-resistant I knit with U.S. size O needles, which creates a fabric that is more dense. After many years of knitting these socks on double pointed needles, I now knit on long circulars, Magic Loop style. Cast on 80 stitches using the simple long tail method over the two size O needles held together. I knit the first row of the 2x2 rib fat, before joining stitches into a circle, to place the more attractive side of the cast-on edge on the right side of the knitting. Then I join and work 17 more 2x2 rib rounds for a total of 18 rib rounds, which is all the ribbing I can stand. Knit straight until the sock cuff measures 7 inches from the cast-on edge. I count knitted inches on these socks as 12 rounds and mark every 12th round near the end of the round. Marking near the end of the round on the top of the sock--not the heel side--allows me to continue counting rows for the entire length of the sock, which makes it easier to reproduce the second sock as an exact copy. Placing the pins gives me a sense of accomplishment, which can be difficult to see when knitting a large, long, black tube. Heel fap: Working just on the first half of the round and ignoring the instep stitches, I knit the heel fap in stockinette for 32 rows. Keep the first 2 and last 2 stitches in garter stitch to make counting rows and picking up gusset stitches easier. This longer-than-usual heel fap creates more room for this very wide part of the foot. Turn the heel: Knit 20 stitches, to the center of the heel fap, place a marker, k2, k2tog, k1, turn, slip 1 st, purl to center marker, p2, p2tog, p1, turn. Slip 1, knit to the last stitch before the turn on the previous row, k2tog, k1, turn. Continue in this way until all of the heel fap stitches have been gradually “turned", ending with holding the sock and working on the right side. This doesn't always work out evenly or exactly, but it always seems to be fine; it is just a heel, after all. Pick up stitches for the gusset: Pick up one stitch for every garter “ridge" or 16 stitches along the fap edges and pick up 3 stitches in the spaces where the heel fap separates from the sock (see the arrow on the picture at left below). Picking up 3 stitches in this small space will prevent an unsightly hole. It is a little fiddley, but easier than coming back later and sewing up a hole. Knitting the gusset: I keep all of the heel stitches on one "needle" and all of the in-step stitches remain on their original needle, this makes the decreases simple. Knit one plain round. Then begin gusset decreases, decreasing 1 stitch on each side of the heel every other round until there are a total of 80 stitches once again. Given that Michael has a big foot and that he doesn't have a high arch, decreasing the gusset slowly (every other round) provides more room for this part of the foot, which has a large circumference. I knit the decrease rounds, decreasing only on the heel needle, as follows: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1. Knit straight until there are 7 inches (for me that is 7 sets of 12 sts) plus 4 rounds from the beginning of the heel fap, or until the sock is the correct length. I have no rule for when to begin the colored part of the toe, I knit with the black yarn for as long as I can and then switch to the colored yarn. Most, if not all, of a Krory skein of black yarn is used up when I switch to the colored toe yarn. Toe: Decrease round, first needle: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts on needle, k2tog, k1; second needle: repeat. Knit one plain round. Decrease every other round 3 times, then decrease every round until 8 stitches remain. Even though I almost always use the same black yarn, I still have to get Michael to try on the first sock to check the length, which I do just before grafting. Trying on a partially completed toe and guessing, or hoping, doesn't always work. I graft the last 8 stitches together and finish in any loose ends. Using the markers on the first sock as a guide, I can quickly knit the second sock.
When picking up stitches for the gusset, I put 3 stitches in the space where the heel fap begins to avoid having a visible hole.
The end of Michael's foot is more blunt than pointy, so I decrease the toe quickly, every row after three sets of every other row.
All glory is feeting. A week later the cat threw up on the new socks. It was hairball season and they were on the foor. So, not the cat's fault.
