Drip Drip Drop Socks
Clue #Il.... drip!
Does anyone else remember the song from Bambi? I'd listen to it for hours when I was a kid, and to me, it means springtime, puddles, splashing, new galoshes, and lots of fun. It seemed perfect for a mystery in May. I hope you enjoy it! NOTE: The clues are set up so that you'll be working first one leg, then the other leg. So, if you want to work the clues in order you'll need either to split your yarn or to be able to work both ends. Some LYSs will wind 1 skein of yarn into two even halves, but this isn't strictly necessary if you have access to both the outside and the inside of the ball of yarn. Skill Level: Intermediate. This involves some serious cable work, and a slightly complicated pattern. Materials: Approx. 400 yds (365m) of sock yarn. I used a skein of Dream in Color's Everlast 8-ply Sock yarn, and it's gorgeous. Colorway: Shy If knitters would prefer to do colorwork cabling, I'm estimating 250-300 yds of Main color &100-150 yds of Contrast color. Needles: US1 or 2.25mm sock needles. Note that the pattern will eventually be written with DPNs in mind, but Magic Loop users can easily adapt the pattern with stitch markers. sizing: Small (Large) sock creates a circumference of 8(9) inches or 20(22.5) cm. However, because a lot of the leg is ribbing, the circumference of this sock is really forgiving. Leg length and foot are adjustable to fit. Gauge: 8 stitches & 12 rows/rounds to the inch or 2.5cm in stockinett
Abbreviations:
K= knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side P=purl on the right side, knit on the wrong side S= slip one stitch purlwise SSK= slip, slip, knit K2tog= knit two stitches together as one P2tog= pur two stitches together as one P3tog= purl three stitches together as one 3x3 rib= a pattern of ribbing that features 3 knit stitches then 3 purl stitches PM= place a marker (you'll need at least 3) SM= slip the marker \*Cable descriptions and chart symbols are defined in the chart key. (Optional) For Colorwork: Establish your colorwork from the beginning of the sock by working the Knit stitches in the CC and the Purl stitches in the MC. This means that your ribbing should look like a corrugated rib. when working the cables, continue this pattern, and work knit stitches in the CC and Purl stitches in the MC. You'll be able to work this by stranding until the end of the leg, but you'll need to anchor the longer strands. Once the heel flap/turn/gusset begins, you'll need to create bobbins and work intarsia cables to avoid carrying the yarn across the sole of the sock. CUFF: Cast-on 66(72) stitches and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Left Leg: Work [K3, P3] ribbing for 2 rounds (or until the cuff reaches desired length). Right Leg: Work [P3,K3] ribbing for 2 rounds (or until the cuff reaches desired length). This is the only place to make minor adjustments to the length of the leg (major adjustments are possible by choosing the SHORT SOCK or the LONG SOCK options in the Leg section). 2 Rounds is the bare minimum necessary to establish the cuff pattern, so for a shorter sock work these 2 rounds then move on to the leg. For a longer sock, work as much cuff as you enjoy, and then move on to the leg. For reference, with only two rounds of 3x3 ribbing, the SHORT SOCK's leg will measure approximately 3 inches or 7.5cm and the LONG sOCK's leg will measure approximately 5.5 inches or 14cm. Add cuff length as you prefer to those base measurements.
LEGS:
This is definitely a case of the explanation being much more complicated than the knitting. The basic idea here is simple. What begins as a 3x3 rib becomes a tangled cable-motif, but that motif is staggered down and around the sock like circular stair steps. After the motif has "untangled" itself, simply continue the pattern that's been established down the leg. For the SHORT sOcK, each new motif begins at Round 14 of the current motif. For the LoNG sOcK, each new motif begins on the final round of the previous motif. Trust me, it's a whole lot easier to knit! You'll want to keep track of your motifs with stitch markers (Il used 3), and keep your place in the chart using sticky notes or highlighter or something (l printed the thing out three times and used a different color highlighter for each motif, but do what works for you). LEFT LEG: Use the Left leg chart for all Left leg rounds & rows. Directions for the SHORT SOCK are given in RED lettering. Directions for the LONG SOCK are given in BLUE lettering. Both the SHORT and LONG socks should work the same Round 1. LLeg Round 1: Work the first round of the chart once over the first 18 stitches, PM1, then work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Rounds 2-13 (Lleg Rounds 2-25): Work the next round of the chart until the marker, SM1, then work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Round 14 (Lleg Round 26): Work the next round of the chart until the marker, SM1, work the first round of the chart over the next 18 stitches, PM2, work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Rounds 15-26: Work the next round of the chart until the first marker, SM1, work the next round of the chart until the second marker, SM2, work [K3, P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Rounds 27-50: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches until the first marker, SM1, Work the next round of the chart until the second marker, SM2, work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Round 27 (Lleg Round 51): Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches until the first marker, SM1, Work the next round of the chart until the second marker, SM2, work the first round of the chart over the next 18 stitches, PM3, work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Rounds 28-39: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches until the first marker, SM1, work the next round of the chart until the second marker, Sm2, work the next round of the chart until the third marker, SM3, work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Lleg Rounds 52-63: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches until the second marker, SM2, Work the next round of the chart until the third marker, SM3, Work [K3,P3] ribbing until the end of the round as established. Charts and other important things..
