Knitting Blog: Dragonskin Socks, a free pattern!

UPDATE: This pattern is now available as a reformatted, easier to read, free download on Ravelry. Here is the link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragonskin-socks

And now, I am proud to present: my very first knitting pattern.

These were knit for a friend. I'm pleased to say that they fit him perfectly. R. was kind enough to model the socks for the photos.

I learned one thing: it's best to avoid bright colors if you want to patterned knitwear. I fiddled with the contrast in PhotoShop, but the pictures are far from perfect. I hope that you can see the patterning on your monitor.

Many thanks to my daughter A. for creating the chart in Illustrator for me!

Dragonskin Socks

Sock design by Anita Figueras. Dragon Skin stitch pattern from page 136 of Barbara Walker’s A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (Charles Scribner’s Sons, NY, 1970).

Size: Men’s Large, for a foot that wears a size 11 shoe. A closely fitting sock about 8” in circumference at the instep and about 11” long at the foot.

Materials:

2+ skeins of Regia 4fædig Fingering Weight Yarn, 75% wool 25% polyamid, 50 g., 210 m. “+” means I had to use about 24” of a third skein of yarn to finish the second sock; I had 8” of yarn left over with the first sock.

Needles:

Size 1 U.S. (2.25 mm), two 16” circular needles or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge:

32 stitches and 46 rows to 4” (10 cm) over stockinette stitch

26 stitches of dragonskin pattern = 2.75” (7 cm)

The sample socks were knit on two circular needles. The pattern can be adapted to double-pointed needles or the magic loop method.

I used the M1 method of putting a twisted loop on the right hand needle because I found that it distorted the pattern less than making a stitch from the ladder between stitches on the previously knitted row. You, the knitter, have the freedom to choose the increase method that gives you the result you like best.

For those who hate to purl, you get a lot of rich patterning here for just 4 purl stitches every other round, excluding the obligatory purling encountered at the creation of the heel flap and turning of the heel.

Men’s size:

Cast on 72 stitches using long tail cast on. K2P2 rib for 1 inch, approx. 12 rows. On the last row of ribbing, shift a purl stitch from the right-hand end of each needle to the left-hand end of its neighboring needle, so that the first pattern row begins with a stitch whose parent is a purl stitch. The parent of the second stitch will be a knit stitch.

Begin the pattern, starting on row one of the chart. Repeat pattern until sock is about 7 inches long, ending with either Row 1 or Row 7.

Work heel over half of the stitches (36 sts), and hold the instep stitches.

Heel Flap:

Row 1: *Sl 1 purlwise, K 1*, repeat over half of the stitches, increasing 1 st as a K1 stitch at the center of the heel, K last stitch – 37 sts total.

Row 2: Sl 1^st stitch purlwise, purl 36 sts.

Row 3: *Sl 1 purlwise, K1*, repeat until last stitch, K1.

Repeat Rows 2 & 3 for 48 rows until heel flap is about 3” long, ending with Row 2.

Turn Heel:

Continue in Sl 1 K 1 as established on outer side, purling inner side. This continues the reinforced heel stitch around the bottom of the heel.

Row 1: S1 1, work in established pattern for 22 sts, SSK, K1, turn (12 sts left unknitted).

Row 2: Sl 1, p 8, p2 tog, p1, turn (12 sts left unpurled).

Row 3: Sl 1, work in established pattern till 1 st before the gap left by the turn on R1, SSK, K1, turn. Note: if 2^nd stitch is also a SL 1 stitch, you will have to K 2 sts, then resume the Sl1, K1 pattern.

Row 4: Sl 1, P until 1 st before the gap left by the turn on R2, P2tog, P1, turn.

Repeat rows 3 & 4 until no sts remain unworked at the end of a R4 – 23 sts total

Create gussets and resume working instep:

K 10, K 2 tog, K 11, pick up and knit 24 sts along edge of heel flap, M1 at the join of the instep and heel sts.

Switch to the needle holding the instep sts and knit across the instep, resuming pattern at R2 or R8.

With needle holding heel sts, M1 at join of instep & heel sts, pick up and knit 24 sts along edge of heel flap, knit across back of heel. 108 sts total.

Continue sock by knitting all heel and gusset sts and knitting instep in established pattern. Decrease gusset by SSK the first two sts and K2tog the last 2 stitches of the needle with the heel sts every other row. You will be either decreasing on the pattern row of the instep, or on the plain knit row; if you have followed the pattern exactly so far, your decreases will happen on the plain knit row. Which one isn’t important, but knowing which one will help you keep track of whether this is a decrease row or not. Continue gusset decreases until 36 sts remain on heel needle (72 sts total).

Knit in established pattern until sock is about 2” shorter than the desired length, ending on either Row 1 or Row 7 of the pattern. Sample was 8.75” at this point.

Toe Decreases:

Row 1: K 1, SSK, K till 3 sts remain on needle, K2Tog, K1, repeat on second needle. 4 sts decreased.

Row 2: K all sts

Repeat rows 1 & 2 until 12 sts remain on each needle,.

Graft toe using Kitchener stitch.

Weave in ends.

Copyright 2010 by Anita Figueras