Nordic Summer

FRESH AND pretty, these socks feature a band of stranded colourwork around the top of the leg, complemented by a strip of garter stitch with eyelets below the ribbed cuff. The colourwork section is knitted in a printed yarn, DROPS Delight, which gives a subtle tonal variation to the pattern. The main body of the sock, meanwhile, is worked in a solid cream shade of the classic DROPS sock yarn, Fabel.

SOCKS

Using 2.5mm needles and yarn A, cast on 72 ( 76: 80) sts. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist sts, and pm to mark beg of rnd, which is at the centre back of the sock.

Knit 1 round.

Work in K1, P1 rib until piece meas 4cm, dec 0 ( 4: 8) sts evenly on last round. 72 ( 72: 72) sts. Work rows 1-10 of Chart A. Work rows 1-26 of Chart B. 66 ( 66: 66) sts. Piece meas approx. 13cm. Working in yarn A only, continue working in st st as foll: Dec rnd: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog tbl. 2 sts dec’d. Rep Dec rnd on next 5 ( 3: 1) foll 4th ( 6th: 10th) rnds. 54 ( 58: 62) sts. Work without decreasing until piece meas 20 ( 21: 22) cm. Keep the first 12 ( 13: 14) sts on needle, slip the next 30 ( 32: 34) sts on a stitch holder for instep, and keep the last 12 ( 13: 14) sts on needle. 24 ( 26: 28) sts rem for heel.

HEEL FLAP

Work in st st back and forth on heel sts for 5( 5 :6) cm.

TURN HEEL

Row 1 (RS): Work until 6 ( 7: 7) sts remain, skpo, turn. Row 2 (WS): Work until 6 ( 7: 7) sts remain, sppo, turn. Row 3: Work until 5 ( 6: 6) sts remain, skpo, turn piece. Row 4: Work until 5 ( 6: 6) sts remain, sppo, turn piece. Continue to decrease like this with 1 st less before each dec until there are 14 ( 14: 16) sts on needle.

GUSSET

Pick up and knit 13 ( 14: 16) sts along side of heel flap, pm, knit the 30 ( 32: 34) sts from stitch holder, pm, pick up and knit 13 ( 14: 16) sts along side of heel flap, knit across 7 ( 7: 8) heel sts. 70 ( 74: 82) sts. Rnd 1 (Dec): K to 2 sts before mrk, K2tog tbl, slm, work across 30 ( 32: 34) instep sts, slm, K2tog, K to end. 2 sts dec’d. Rnd 2: K to end. Continuing in st st, repeat last 2 rnds 8 ( 8: 10) more times. 52 ( 56: 60) sts.

FOOT

Work in st st without shaping until foot meas 4 ( 5: 6) cm less than desired length. Replace instep markers on each side so that there are 26 ( 28: 30) sts both on instep and sole, taking care to keep the toe central.

TOE

Rnd 1 (dec): *K to 3 sts before mrk, K2tog, K1, slm, K1, K2tog tbl; rep from * once more, K to end. 4 sts dec’d. Rnd 2: K to end. Repeat Rnds 1 and 2, 3 ( 6: 8) more times. 36 ( 28: 24) sts. Repeat Rnd 1 only a total of 6 ( 3: 2) times. 12 ( 16: 16) sts. Next round: K2tog to end. 6 ( 8: 8) sts. Cut the yarn and pull it through the remaining sts, tighten tog and fasten.

FINISHING

Weave in ends. Block carefully, following any yarn care instructions on the ball band.