Shoediva's Simple Toddler Socks
Magic Loop one-at-a-time toe up socks
You Will Need Needles - 2.5mm circular needles, 80cm long ideally. Yarn - 4ply sock yarn.I used a $75\%$ wool, $25\%$ polyamide blend for mine, for warmth and elasticity. The blue stripy pair are made from Regia Sock Yarn, and the pink pair are made from Cygnet Wool Rich Sock Yarn. (The gauge was the same for both with the 2.5mm needles.) Gauge - 9 stitches to 1", 9 rows to 1"; stitch gauge more important than row gauge. While I don't like swatching, Ihave to convince you that in sock making it's really important, as even $\%$ a stitch off per inch alters the fit of the finished sock by up to 2 sizes. At baby sizes, too smalla sock can harm the development of the foot bones, so it's crucial to measure your knitworthy chid's foot and, sorry, swatch before you crack on. Never having made socksefore,Iwanted to finda toddler pattern that wassmlywrittenanddidn't assume prior knowledge of sock making - and couldn't. o,this pattern wes a debt of thanks to Judy'sMagic Cast On and Cat Bordhi's tutorial for Jeny's Suer Stretchy Bind Off, both available on youtube.com tutorials. Both cast on and cast off are pure knitting magic! At the risk of sounding lazy, I do urge you to look on the net for videos of the various techniques used for this sock. I know from experience that people learn differently, and if, like me, you've never made a sock before, watching a 3 minute video through a couple of times will help more than written directions. There are some super videos on youtube.com and I particularly recommend ones demonstrated by Cat Bordhi - I found her clear and easy to follow, and she didn't knit too fast! This pattern uses Judy's Magic Cast On, short row shaping to create the heel (asI prefer this look to heel flaps) and Jeny's Super Stretchy Bind Off. Another bind off you might like is the Russian Bind off- both produce magically stretchy cuffs that go on over the calf yet hold the sock up. Remember, what keeps a sock up is accurate measuring and following your own gauge for a firmly knitted fabric (but not so tight that your hands cramp up!) Cast on 28(30,32 )stitches on 2.5mm circs using Judy's magic cast on, and knit one round.
Make sure you have 14 (15, 16) stitches on each needle end. Increase to 44 stitches by the following method - K1, M1 by your favorite method - mine is by simply creating a YO, knit tillthe penultimate stitch, M, K1. Moving across to the other needle (the other half of the round), repeat. Knit one round with no increases and by knitting into the back of your yarnover stitches. Repeat these two rows until you have 44 (48,56) stitches on the needles, and then knit one more round.
You are nowready tobegin the rib patterning that is both simple and adds elasticity and warmth to the sock- On one halfof your stitches, work2stitches inK2, P2rib. On theother half, knit across all stitches.The rb side will form the top of your sock, the knit half the sole.
Sole:
At $4^{\circ}(4.5^{\circ},\,5^{\circ})$ long from the cast on, (about 38 (42, 44 rows) rib across the first half of the round. You are now going to focus on the bottom half for creating the heel. Knit across allstitches until the penultimate stitch, wrap and turn. Purl across all stitches until the penultimate stitch, wrap and tun. On the next row, knit across all stitches until the stitch before the previous wrap, wrap it and turn Purl across allstitches until the stitch before the previous wrap, wrap it, then turn. Each row you work, you will work one stitch less than the previous row, until you come down to having worked 10,(12, 14) stitches, depending on how narrow the recipients heel is! - two less stitches if they have really pointy heels likemy two, twomore stitchesfor awide fitting foot.Work your way straight to th end of this (purl) row,picking up all the wraps for a nearly invisible shaping, then turn and knit allalong the knit side picking up all the wraps as you find them.
Join the two halves together by making a tight stitch to join each of the two sides, and work the stitches as you find them for 6 rows (i.e,22 (24, 28) stitches at the ‘top' of your sock will be in rib, knit all the 22 (24, 28) stitches of the sole.) Heel, showing six rows of stockinette before rib pattern begins
Then work in rib all the way round following the K2, P2 already set out. Work for a further 65 rows in $2\!\times\!2$ rib all the way round, or as far up the leg as you prefer- the rib is stretchy enough to fit over ankles and calves if you stay confident and keep in gauge! When you are ready to bind off/ cast off, use Jeny's Super Stretchy Bind off, as a normal cast off/ bind off will be too tight. Ask me how I know! This bind off method is amazingly simple, and produces a nice clean finish to the rib while doing exactly what it claims in producing a lovely stretchy edge to your sock, enough to go over the chubbiest calves. Sew in the cast on and bind off ends, and they're ready to pop on the wriggliest toddler!
