I’m a sucker for rainbow yarns, and when I saw the limited edition ‘out and proud’ yarn from Round Mountain fibers, I just had to play with it. I really wanted to keep the colors separate, rather than allowing them to mix and become muddy. My first attempt was to try entrelac socks, figuring that the smaller squares would help get cool pooling.
I think it’s really neat how each square contains its own rainbow, but it wasn’t quite the overall effect I was looking for, so next I decided to try socks with a zig zag pattern on the cuff. I need to work on calculating the number of stitches better-on these the ankles are a bit on the big size, as I increased too many when switching to the zig zags. After the heel flap I decreased until the sock felt snug, so I now have a better idea of how many stitches I should have used!
My third (and final) attempt is the one I’m super excited about-I’ve written up the pattern, and should be looking for test knitters soon. I figured out how many stitches I’d need to get the colors to pool, and in order to use that number of stitches for the ankle, I did short rows so that I knit at an angle, increasing and decreasing two stitches every 4 rows.
I’ve written instructions for both a short row heel and a heel flap, though both heel styles had to be modified to fit the sock. The short row heel has a swipe of black that goes up into the top of the sock to make the geometry work out, and similarly the heel flap is shorter on one side than the other. Also, the socks are “handed”, with a right and a left foot. I considered writing them with a symmetric toe, but the “handed” toe follows so naturally from the rest of the pattern that it seemed a shame not to give it a try.
I’m really excited about this pattern because it not only looks really cool with indie dyed yarn (particularly this yarn from Round Mountain Fibers), but also in self striping sock yarn. The socks below are done in Knit Picks Felici, in the color “rainbow” (matches some of the hats I made last winter). I love how the stripes make ‘v’s down the cuff and foot. I did the heel flap for this pair. Normally I have a really strong preference for a heel flap heel, and I make it really long, but something about knitting on the bias seems to make both a short row heel and a short heel flap work really well for my foot. I love that these socks have a lot more stretch and give to them, just because the knitting is at a slight angle. My working title for this pattern is the 22.5 degree socks, as that’s the angle the stitches are tilted by. I’m still trying to decide if I should stick with that name or come up with something different!