One of my favourite ways of showcasing stitch patterns is to knit them into socks; by the time you've got to grips with the stitch pattern you are ready to tackle the heel, so socks always have something interesting going on, even if the pattern is the same throughout the sock. I found this stitch pattern in a stitch dictionary while looking for something else entirely and couldn't get it out of my head! I've named the socks ‘Contorto’, which is Italian for twisted, after the beautiful twisted cables in the stitch pattern.
The Contorto socks are knitted from the toe up and use a gusset and heel flap construction, shaped with short rows, and with a slipped stitch pattern on the heel flap for reinforcement. The gusset length is affected by your row/round gauge, so a table of gauge-dependent lengths is included to help you achieve the perfect fit. Toe-up with a heel-flap and gusset is my favourite sock construction, but it's been a while since I've made any socks from the toe-up. I know that a lot of people shy away from toe-up socks as they're concerned about the fit; I'm confident that if you follow the instructions in the Contorto pattern you'll finish up with a beautifully fitting pair of socks - there are plenty of hints and tips throughout, and links to helpful tutorials for the cast on and cast off, the wrap and turn technique and on choosing what size socks to knit.
This pattern was originally published in Knit Now, but I've added an extra size, and additional options for knitting your socks, so you can now choose between:
• Having the Contorto pattern on top of the foot and round the leg, with either cabled or 2 x 2 rib for the cuff
• Having the Contorto pattern on the top of the foot and the front of the leg only, finished with 2 x 2 rib for the cuff
• Either fully matching-socks, or mirrored, fraternal socks
The pattern is needle-neutral and the socks can be knitted using DPNs, short circulars, or long circulars using the magic loop technique.
The Contorto pattern is available now, and until 11.59pm GMT Wednesday 12th February 2020 you can have 20% off with the code TWISTED. Until the end of February 2020, I will also be donating £1 from each copy sold to Down Syndrome International as part of the #LotsOfSocksKAL.
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Full pattern details can be found on the Ravelry pattern page, but here are the essentials.
Sizes
S (M, L, XL)
Finished sock foot circumferences: 15.5 (19, 23, 26.5) cm [6.25 (7.75, 9, 10.5) in] designed to fit with 2.5 cm [1 in] negative ease. These are the sizes of the finished socks; for the best fit, choose a size that is approximately 2.5 cm [1 in] smaller than your foot circumference.
Finished sock leg circumferences:
• Fully-cabled: 15 (19, 22.5, 26.5) cm [6 (7.5, 9, 10.5) in]
• Simplified: 15.5 (19, 23, 26.5) cm [6.25 (7.75, 9, 10.5) in]
The stitch counts for the cabled portions are modified so that the cabled panels are the same width as the stocking stitch sole, this results in the socks fitting the same as a regular stocking stitch socks with a stitch count of 52 (64, 76, 88) sts.
Yarn
Dedicated 4 ply sock yarn in the following amounts:
• Fully-cabled version: 260 (390, 550, 740) m [290 (430, 610, 810) yds]
• Simplified leg version: 220 (330, 460, 620) m [250 (370, 510, 680) yds]
Needles
• 2.5 mm DPNs
• or a 2.5 mm circular needle at least 80 cm [32 in] in length
• or a 2.5 mm 20 cm [9 in] circular needle
Notions
• Stitch markers x 4
• Cable needle
• Tapestry needle
This pattern was first published in Knit Now magazine, issue 84.
This pattern was tech edited by Jo Torr.
Remember, you can get 20% off the Contorto pattern until 11.59pm GMT Wednesday 12th February 2020 with the code TWISTED. Until the end of February 2020, I will also be donating £1 from each copy sold to Down Syndrome International as part of the #LotsOfSocksKAL.
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