Hitini Toe-Up Sock Pattern: Detailed Instructions for Chevron Striped Socks Using Leftover Yarn

Hitini

by Susan Luni

The Toe-up Version

The Hitini pattern provides instructions and a color guide that will allow you to use your bits of leftover sock yarn to knit chevron striped socks. This version of the Hitini pattern is knit toe-up, beginning with the chevron pattern that shapes the toe and following the color guide to transition the colors through the foot, the short-row boomerang heel, and up the leg to the garterstitch cuff.

If you are looking for a less complex knit, just start with a plain toe, increase to 54 stitches for the 6"/15 cm. size or 72 stitches for the 8"/20 cm size, and follow the pattern from the foot instructions. You can also substitute any short-row heel for the boomerang heel; just begin the leg with the next CC after the heel. Either way, you get a beautiful sock from leftovers. Materials: Approximately 400 yards of yarn in 12 or more different but related colorways, including 100 yards of MC, 50 yards of one CC for the heel and 25 yards of each of all other CC. Gauge: 28 sts and 44 rounds=4"/10 cm. in st st. 40 sts and 44 rounds=4"/10 cm. in pattern st. The chevron stitch pattern is inelastic. It is advisable to adjust needle sizes to improve fit. Due to the difference in gauge between the two stitch patterns used in the foot, there are more sts in the instep than in the sole. Take time to save time, check gauge. IS 2 (2.25 mm.), set of 5 dpns, or size needed to obtain correct gauge Size: 6"/15 cm. (8"/20 cm.) leg circumference. Notions: stitch markers, both removable and non-removable; tapestry needle. Abbreviations and Special Stitches CC: Contrasting color. D: Deep, 4-round stripe in Color Guide. Dpns: Double pointed needles. K2tog: Knit two stitches together--when preceded by royo, reorient the yarn over and knit it and the next stitch together so that the yarn over hangs loosely over the new stitch on the wrong side of the work. If next stitch is a m1l, this k2tog is easier if the increase is changed to a m1r. K3tog: Knit three stitches together. K: Knit. M1L: Make one left-with left needle tip, lift strand between needles from front to back. Knit lifted loop through the back. Modified M1l: yarn over the needle from front to back; knit the yarn over through the back loop in the next round. M1R: Make one right--with left needle tip, lift strand between needles from back to front. Knit lifted loop through the front. MC: Main color. N: Needle; N1=Needle 1; N2=Needle 2, etc. P2tog tbl: Purl two stitches together through the back loops--when preceded by royo, reorient the yarn over and purl it and the next stitch through the back loop so that the yarn over hangs loosely over the new stitch on the wrong side of the work. P: Purl. Pm: Place marker. Royo: Reorient yarn over-slip yarn over purlwise, slip yarn over back to left needle so it is not twisted, i.e. the front leg of the stitch is to the right and on top of the needle. S: Shallow, 2-round stripe in Color Guide. Copyright Susan Luni Designs 2013 all rights reserved S2kp: Slip 2, knit, pass--Slip the next two stitches together as if to knit. Knit the third stitch and pass the two slipped stitches over it. Sm: slip marker. Ssk: Slip, slip, knit-slip 1 st knitwise, slip the next st knitwise, knit these two slipped stitches together through the back loops. When the second stitch is a backwards yarn over, work as slip one knitwise, slip one purlwise, and knit these two slipped stitches together through the back loops. Sssk: Slip, slip, slip, knit—slip 3 sts separately knitwise then knit these three slipped stitches together through the back loops. St(s): Stitch(es). St st: Stockinette stitch. Yo: yarn over-yarn over the needle from the front to the back when knitting, from the back to the front when purling. Yo&k: Yarn over and knit-with yarn in front of needle, bring yarn over the needle to the back, knit the first stitch. Yo&p: Backwards yarn over and purl-with yarn behind needle, bring yarn over needle to the front, purl the first stitch.

Stitch Guide:

Judy's Magic Cast On: Wrap the yarn around two needles alternatively to cast on stitches on both ends of the work. Judy Becker's video tutorial for this cast on is available online at http://www.youtube.com/user/JudyBeckerKnits. Chevron Stitch Pattern: (10 st repeat) Round 1: [M1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] 6 (8) times. Round 2: Knit all sts. Cuff Stitch Pattern: (10 st repeat) Round 1: [M1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] 6 (8) times. Round 2: Purl all sts. Notes: This pattern is written for an experienced knitter, one familiar with increasing, decreasing, short-rows and frequent color changes. There are a lot of ends to weave into the work! Heel: This pattern incorporates a boomerang heel—a version of a short-row heel that eliminates the need to purl 3 sts together. Since the instructions provide for a MC stripe before and after the heel, the boomerang rounds in the center of the heel may be worked with the heel color or another CC without disrupting the color pattern. Color Guide (page 9): D (Deep) denotes a 4-round stripe; S (shallow) denotes a 2-round stripe. Fill in the name for the color as you choose it in the blank area on the right side to help in following the guide in subsequent repeats. Choose next CC by coordinating with previous CC. i.e. CC2 should be a complement of CC1, or if variegated, CC2 should have one color in common with CC1. End of round: It is helpful to mark the end of the round in the toe, either with a removable stitch marker or a yarn end that is positioned a few rows below your work. Color changes are made at the end of a round. Once the color changes are established, they will mark the end of the round and the marker will not be needed. In the foot, the end of round is at the middle of the sole where any unevenness resulting from the color change will not be noticeable. In the leg, the end of round is at the back of the leg. The pattern requires increases on either side of the last stitch of the round. These increases will help disguise any unevenness resulting from the color change at the back of the leg. Increases: The instructions for two types of m1 (make one) increases in the abbreviations section on page 2 provide an alternative, modified increase for those who find the standard m1 difficult. All pattern samples were knit with standard increases. Markers: In addition to the removable stitch marker that is used to mark the end of the round, a stitch marker (removable or not) is used to track the stitch pattern in the toe. You may find it helpful to continue using this marker, along with others, to mark the division between multiple repeats of the stitch pattern on the same needle.

Instructions:

Cast on: With 2 dpns, cast on 20 sts in MC using Judy's Magic Cast On. Knit cast on sts evenly onto 4 dpns, knitting sts onto N3 and N4 tbl. With 5th dpn, K5, mark end of round. (20 sts) Follow Chevron Toe Chart on pages 10-11 or written instructions on pages 5-6. Follow chart through round 19 (29). Knit one plain round and begin foot, following Color Guide on page 9 and instructions for chosen size on page 6-7, or follow round 31 of the Chevron Toe Chart for the foot of the 8"/20 cm. leg circumference sock. For a plain toe, follow chart or instructions through the first three rounds, then repeat rounds 2 and 3 five (nine) more times to a total of 48 (64) sts. Repeat round 2, repeating the sequence, [k3, kfb, kfb, k3] through the instep sts to a total of 54 (72) sts, then begin foot following Color Guide and instructions for chosen size on page 6-7.

Chevron Toe Instructions:

Round 1: K4, kfb twice, k to last st of N3, kfb twice, k to end of round. (24 sts) Round 2: Knit all sts. Round 3: K to last st of N1, m1r, k2, m1l, k to last st of N3, m1r, k2, m1l, k to end of round. (28 sts) eat rounds 2 and 3 once more, and then repeat round 2 once. (32 st: Join CC1 and begin chevron shaping on instep of toe, beginning with round 7 below. Round 7: With CC1, k to last st of N1, m1r, k2, m1l, k1, pm, k2tog, k3, m1r, k1, m1l, k3, ssk, k2, m1r, k2, m1l, k to end of round. (36 sts) Round 8: With CC1, knit all sts, sm as you come to it. Round 9: With CC1, k to last st of N1, m1r, k2, m1l, k to marker, sm, k2tog, k3, m1r, k1, m1l, k3, ssk, k to last st of N3, m1r, sm, k2, m1l, k to end of round. (40 sts) Round 10: With CC1, knit all sts, sm as you come to it. With MC, repeat rounds 9 and 10 twice more. On final round, move marker on N2 four sts to the right, leaving ten sts to the left of the marker. (48 sts)

For 6"/15 cm. sock:

Round 15: With CC1, k13, m1l, k to marker, sm, [m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] twice, k to last st of N3, m1r, pm, k13 to end of round. (50 sts) Round 16: With CC1, knit all sts, sm as you come to it. at rounds 15 and 16 once more with CC1, then once with MC. (54 sts) For a 6"/15 cm. sock, all toe increases have been completed. Begin knitting the foot. There will be 24 sts in the sole and 30 sts in the instep. Follow the Color Guide on page 9 and the instructions for Foot for 6" /15 cm. on page 6.

For 8"/20 cm. sock:

Round 15: With CC1, k to last st of N1, m1r, k2, m1l, k to marker, sm, [m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] twice, k to last st of N3, m1r, k2, m1l, k to end of round. (52 sts) Round 16: With CC1, knit all sts, sm as you come to it. at rounds 15 and 16 once more with CC1, then twice with MC. (64 sts) Round 23: With CC1, k17, m1l, k to marker, sm, [m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] twice, k to last st of N3, m1r, k 17 to end of round. (66 sts) Round 24: With CC1, knit all sts, sm as you come to it. at rounds 23 and 24 once more with CC1, then twice with MC. (72 sts) For an 8"/20 cm. sock, all toe increases have been completed. Begin knitting the foot. There will be 32 sts in the sole and 40 sts in the instep. Follow the Color Guide on page 9 and the instructions for Foot for 8"'/20 cm. below. Foot for 6"/15 cm. sock: Round 1: N1knit; N2 and 3--k2tog, k2, m1r, k1 [m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] twice, m1l, k3, ssk; N4—knit. Round 2: Knit all sts. Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until work measures 2.5"/6 cm. less than desired foot length. Set up for heel by increasing sole sts to 30, working rounds 1 and 2 below for the next 6 rounds. The last two of these six rounds should be knit with MC. Round1: Knit to last st of N1, m1r, k1, N2 and 3-- k2tog, k2, m1r, k1 [m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] twice, m1l, k3, ssk; N4: k1, m1l, k to end. Round 2: Knit all sts.

Foot for 8'"/20 cm. sock:

Round 1: N1—knit; N2 and 3—[m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] 4 times; N4—knit. Round 2: Knit all sts, sm as you come to them. Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until work measures 3"/7.5 cm. less than desired foot length, Copyright Susan Luni Designs 2013 all rights reserved Set up for heel by increasing sole sts to 40, working rounds 1 and 2 as below for the next 8 rounds. The last two of these eight rounds should be knit with MC. Round1: Knit to last st of N1, m1r, k1, N2 and 3—[m1l, k3, s2kp, k3, m1r, k1] 4 times; N4: k1, m1l, k to end. Round 2: Knit all sts.

The photo on the left was taken after completion of the first sock of a 6"/15 cm. pair. The yarn in the basket is ready for the second sock. Completed Hitinis in the larger size lie beside the basket.

Heel Instructions:

With heel color, begin working heel on 30 (40) st sts in sole on N1 and N4. Section 1: Row 1: k15 (20), turn. Row 2: yo&p, p29 (39), turn. Row 3: yo&k, k28 (38), turn. Repeat these last two rows, working each row 1 stitch shorter than the last, until 11 (13) plain stitches remain in center of heel. The final row of Section 1 of the heel is: Yo&k, k5 (6) to end of round. Boomerang round 1: k6(7), (royo, k2tog) 9 (13) times, royo and k3tog (k2tog) last yo with first instep stitch (substitute m1r for m1l). Work instep in pattern to last st on N3, sssk (ssk) last instep st with first yo in heel, (ssk) 9 (13) times, k6 (7). Boomerang round 2: k60 (80) Section 2: Row 1: k6 (7), turn. Row 2: yo&p, p11 (13), turn. Row 3: yo&k, k11 (13), royo & k2tog. Row 4: yo&p, p12 (14) royo and next st & p2tog tbl, turn. Repeat these last two rows, working each row one stitch longer than the last, until all heel stitches have been worked. The last row will be worked as: Row 21 (29): yo&k, k14 (19) to end of round. The final round of Section 2 of the heel is: With MC, k14 (19), royo & k3tog (k2tog) with 1st instep stitch (substitute m1r for m1l). Work instep in pattern to last st on N3, sssk (ssk) last instep st with first yo in heel, knit to end of round.

Leg:

Complete the remaining rows of the Color Guide, if any, and begin following the Color Guide again at the top, repeating the color sequence while repeating the Chevron stitch pattern found on page 3 six (eight) times around leg. 60 (80) sts

Cuff:

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 of Cuff Pattern found on page 3 three times, following Color Guide but modifying stripes to 3 shallow, 2-round stripes. Bind off loosely. Finishing: Use tapestry needle to weave in ends. Block as desired. Color Guide: (D=deep, 4 round stripe; S=shallow, 2 round stripe)

For a longer leg, add: Copyright Susan Luni Designs 2013 all rights reserved

Hitini Pattern for Toe-up Socks

Chevron Toe Chart, first half-N1 & N2

Please note that all even rows are workedinstst. MC-Knit Knit front and back of same st With left needle, lift strand between sts from the front and knit through the back loop With left needle, lift strand between sts from the back and knit through the front loop Knit 2 together Slip 2 sts knitwise, k1 st from left needle, pass 2 slipped sts over Knit on RS;purl on WS ML With left needle lit strand between sts from the front and knit through the back loop MR With left needle, lift strand between sts from the back and knit through thefront loop Slip2stsknitwise,k1st fromleftneedle,pass2slipped stsover Knit 2 together

Hitini Pattern for Toe-up Socks

Chevron Toe Chart, second half-N3 & N4

Please note that all even rows are workedinstst. MC-Knit Knitfront and backof samest With left needle, lift strand between sts from the front and knit through the back loop R With left needle, lift strand between sts from the back and knit through the front loop Slip, slip, knit Slip 2 sts knitwise, k1 st from left needle, pass 2 slipped sts over Knit onRS;purl on Ws MR With left needle, lift strand between sts from the back and knit through the front loop M With left needle lift strand between sts from the front and knit through the back loop Slip, slip, knit Slip 2 sts knitwise,k1 st from left needle, pass 2 slipped sts over