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Magic Sock Pattern
CASTING ON
Cast on 60 (64, 68) stitches to one needle point.
Slide the stitches backwards onto the cable and
find the middle two stitches. Pull out a loop of
cable between these two stitches.
Position your knitting with the working yarn
coming from the tip of the back needle point.
Join your knitting into a circle, being certain not to
twist your stitches.
You now have 30 (32, 34) stitches on each side of
the magic loop.
Magic Socks
CUFF AND LEG
MAKING SOCKS SIMPLE
Knit a few rounds of K2, P2 rib, or any rib of your
choice. Just enough to hold the leg up – the depth
of the ribbing is up to you.
Any socks can be magic socks and it is easy to knit
any sock pattern using the Magic Loop.
When the ribbing gets boring, switch to Stocking
Stitch (knit every stitch) and knit the leg.
Our Magic Socks are deliberately plain and simple, in
order to allow any level of knitter to explore this
technique.
The leg of your sock can be knitted to your
personal preference. We do not recommend thigh
length if you have only one ball of yarn! A good
length would be 15-20cm (6-8 ins). You can fit
the sock on as you go. The leg stops at the top of
your heel. You will want the ribbing to be
positioned short of your calf.
The socks are made using the most common
construction and are knitted from the cuff downwards,
with a heel flap, turned heel and a gusset shaping.
We give instructions for a plain stocking stitch fabric,
with a choice of plain or reinforced heel flap and a
couple of options for the toe shape.
SIZE
Instructions are given for socks to fit Ladies Small,
Medium, and Large (60, 64 and 68 stitches.)
Size relates to the girth of the foot and ankle. Length
can be adjusted to suit as you work.
MATERIALS
You will need one 100g ball of standard 4ply sock
yarn and one 2.5mm circular needle at least
100cm long, or any needle diameter that will provide
a tension of approximately 36 stitches per 10cm or 4”
Needle sizes for sock knitting generally fall between
2mm and 3mm depending on the user’s tension. Aim
for a firm and closely-knit fabric, to avoid wear and
abrasion.
When your sock leg fits your own leg, stop; it is
time to make a heel flap.
Leave the stitches that you have just knitted on
the needle point.
THE HEEL
The heel flap is knitted on half the total number of
stitches i.e. on the stitches of one needle point
only.
Turn your work around. The working yarn is now
coming off the back needle again and you are
looking at the inside of the sock.
You will work on these stitches only for the heel
flap.
Keeping the working yarn to the inside of the
sock, slip the first stitch of every row purlwise.
Row 1: (WS) Sl1, Purl to end of row
Row 2: (RS), Sl1, Knit to end of row
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until the heel flap is a
square – or approximately 5-6 cm (2-2½ ins)
long. This often turns out to be approximately the
same number of rows as you have stitches on
your needle. Finish after a Purl row (Round 1.)
See Heel Options for reinforced heels.
HEEL TURN
For an extra dose of magic, we are going to turn the heel.
The heel turn is a miracle of engineering that not only
provides a neat little cup to set your foot into, but also
turns a right angle in your sock. You were previously
knitting vertically downwards; after turning the heel you
will be knitting horizontally along the foot. All this without
the aid of a safety net… just a few short rows involved.
Row 1: With the right side of your work facing, and
slipping the first stitch as before, knit half your heel
stitches + 2 stitches more, then knit the next two stitches
together through the back of the loop (OR slip 1, knit 1,
pass slip stitch over.) Knit the following stitch and turn the
work.
Row 2: Slipping the first stitch, purl 5 stitches, then purl
the next 2 stitches together. Purl 1 more stitch and turn
the work.
The decreases create gaps between stitches on your
needle. On each following row, you will knit or purl
together the stitches on either side of that gap. Doing so
closes the gap. Keeping note of the position of the gap
means that you do not have to count stitches.
Carry on working as in Rows 1 and 2, always slipping the
first stitch purlwise (keeping the yarn to the inside of the
sock.) Work to the stitch before the gap, and then work a
decrease with that stitch and the one beyond the gap.
Work one more stitch.
As you work the heel, the outside stitches will be consumed
and incorporated into the centre heel construction, until on
the last two rows you decrease over the gap with the final
stitch with no extra stitch to work.
The last row will be a Purl row. Turn the work and knit back
across.
GUSSET PICK-UP
It is now time to incorporate the heel into the whole sock
and return to knitting in the round.
This is the point at which you will be grateful that you
slipped the first stitch on every row of the heel flap. Or not.
If you did slip your stitches, the gusset pick-up is a very
simple process. Look at the edges of your heel flap. You
should see a chain of larger stitches. All we are going to do
is to insert the needle tip from front to back through each
stitch in turn, knitting them as we go. No counting involved
– just pick up every stitch. As long as you slipped them all,
both sides will come out the same.
Pick up and knit the slipped stitches down the right hand
side of the sock. Place a stitch marker here if you wish.
Knit across the top of the foot – these were the stitches
that have been held while you worked the flap and heel.
(NB If you are knitting a patterned sock, remember to knit
the correct row of the pattern here.) Place a second stitch
marker if needed.
Now pick up and knit the slipped stitches long the left hand
side of the heel flap.
GUSSET SHAPING
You now have a lot more stitches than when you started.
That’s OK. Don’t panic.
The next phase of sock construction involves decreasing on
each side of the sock, on alternate rounds, until the sock
has the same number of stitches as you cast on.
Magic Loop, joined
Gusset shaping (continued)
This is not a fixed rule. If your foot is wide, you
can make fewer decreases and aim to have
more foot stitches than leg stitches. If you have
a narrow foot, do the opposite.
Round 1: (Decrease round) Knit across the heel
stitches, then knit along the gusset stitches until
3 stitches remain. Knit 2 together, knit 1 stitch
more. Move the stitch marker over, if used.
Work across the foot stitches. Move stitch
marker, if used. Knit 1 stitch; slip 1, knit 1, pass
slip stitch over (or knit 2 tbl.) Work the rest of
the round.
Round 2: Work this round without decreasing
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until you have the
required number of stitches remaining. Remove
stitch markers, if used.
FOOT
Work the foot until it measures approximately 22½ inches shorter than desired.
TOE
The toe is worked in a similar fashion to the
gusset, except that four decreases are made in
the shaping rounds instead of two.
The start of the round now becomes the right
hand edge of the top of the foot.
Round 1: Knit 1; slip 1, knit 1, pass slip stitch
over (or knit 2 together tbl.) knit across the foot
to the last 3 stitches, knit 2 together, knit 1.
Repeat for the sole stitches.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat these two rounds until the toe is 8 (10,
12) wide. (16, 20, 24 sts)
The end of the toe now has to be grafted to
close the remaining gap. This is known as
Kitchener Stitch. (See separate sheet.)
Once the toe is grafted, weave in all ends and
admire your completed sock!