Lacy Toe-Up Socks

Directions are for shoe sizes 7-8; changes for sizes (9-10, 11-12) are in parentheses.

Materials

• RED HEART® “Stardust™”: 2 (2, 3) balls 1252 Orange.
• Double Pointed Knitting Needles: 2.25mm [US 1].
• Crochet Hook: 2.25mm [US B-1].
• Yarn needle, smooth waste yarn.

GAUGE: 28 sts = 4” in St st. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge.

Special Abbreviations
M1R (Make 1 right) = With left needle pick up horizontal strand between 2 sts from back to front and knit through the front loop.
M1L (Make 1 left) = With left needle pick up horizontal strand between 2 sts from front to back and knit through the back loop.

Ssk (Slip, slip, knit) = Slip next 2 sts, one at a time, knitwise, to right needle; insert point of left needle into the fronts of these 2 sts from left to right and knit them together from this position.

Provisional Cast-On
1. With waste yarn, put a slip-knot on the crochet hook.
2. Hold a double-pointed needle in your left hand and the crochet hook in your right hand. Hold the yarn in your left hand.
3. Put the double-pointed needle over the strand of yarn. With the crochet hook, draw a loop over the needle and through the slip-knot.
4. Place the yarn under the needle.
5. With the crochet hook, draw up a loop over the needle and through the stitch on the hook.
6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until you have one stitch less than the required number.
7. Put the last loop from the crochet hook onto the needle. Cut the waste yarn leaving a 6” tail.
8. Begin knitting with sock yarn. Later, you will be removing the provisional cast-on by unraveling the crochet chain and placing each stitch on a double-pointed needle.

Sock (Begin at Toe)
With waste yarn and provisional cast-on, cast on 10 (12, 12) sts. Do not join. Purl 1 row with sock yarn. Work back and forth in St st for 6 rows ending with a Purl row. This is
Needle #1.

Remove waste yarn and place these 10 (12, 12) sts on a spare needle. Begin knitting in the round: With right side facing, K10 (12, 12) sts from Needle #1; pick up and K2 sts across first half of side edge; with Needle #2, pick up and K2 sts across remaining side edge and K5 (6, 6) sts from cast-on edg knit; with Needle #3, knit remaining 5 (6, 6) sts from cast on edge, pick up and K2 sts across first half of side edge; with spare needle pick up and K2 sts across remaining side edge for Needle #1 – 28 (32, 32) sts.

Complete this round by knitting across remaining sts on Needle #1 and all sts on Needles #2 and #3 – 14 (16, 16) sts on Needle #1 and 7 (8, 8) sts each on Needles #2 and #3.

Toe Increases
Round 1:

Needle #1: K1, M1R, knit to last st, M1L, K1;
Needle #2: K1, M1R, knit to end; Needle #3: knit to last st, M1L, K1 – 32 (36, 36) sts: 16 (18, 18) sts on Needle #1; 8 (9, 9) sts each on Needles #2 and #3.

Round 2: Knit.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until there are 48 (56, 64) sts in total.

Foot
Knit even every round until foot is desired length or 6.25 (6.75, 7.25)” from beginning.

Divide for Heel Flap
Knit across Needle #1. Divide 24 (28, 32) instep sts from Needle #1 onto 2 needles – 12 (14, 16) sts each needle.

Combine sole sts from Needles #2 and #3 onto one needle for 24 (28, 32) Heel sts and work Heel Flap:
Next Row: Sl 1 purl, purl to end.
Next Row: Sl 1 purl, knit to end.
Repeat last 2 rows 11 (13, 15) more times – 24 (28, 32) rows completed.

Turn Heel
Row 1 (Wrong Side): Sl 1 P, P13 (15, 17), P2tog, P1, turn.
Row 2: Sl 1 P, K5, ssk, K1, turn.
Row 3: Sl 1 P, P6, P2tog over slip st and next st of last long row, P1, turn.
Row 4: Sl 1 P, K7, ssk over slip st and next st of last long row, K1, turn.
Row 5: Sl 1 P, P8, P2tog as before, P1, turn.
Row 6: Sl 1 P, K9, ssk as before, K1; turn.
Row 7: Sl 1 P, P10, P2tog, P1; turn.
Row 8: Sl 1 P, K11, ssk, K1; turn.
2nd and 3rd Sizes Only-Row 9: Sl 1 P, P12, P2tog, P1; turn.
Row 10: Sl 1 P, K13, ssk, K1; turn.

3rd Size Only-

Row 11: Sl 1 P, P14, P2tog, P1; turn.
Row 12: Sl 1 P, K15, P2tog, P1; turn

All Sizes-

Row 9 (11, 13): Sl 1 P, P12 (14, 16, P2tog; turn.
Row 10 (12, 14): Sl 1 P, K12 (14, 16), ssk – 14 (16, 18) sts.

Gusset
Needle #1 (already holding heel sts): pick up and K12 (14, 16) sts down side of heel flap; Needle #2: K12 (14, 16) sts from one instep needle and 12 (14, 16) sts from second instep needle; Needle #3: pick up and K12 (14, 16) sts up side of heel flap and then knit 7 (8, 9) sts from Needle #1 – 62 (72, 82) sts; there are 19 (22, 25) sts on Needles #1 and #3 and 24 (28, 32) sts on Needle #2.

Gusset Decreases
Round 1: Needle #1: Knit to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1; Needle #2: Knit; Needle #3: K1, ssk, knit to end.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until 48 (56, 64) sts remain and there are 12 (14, 16) sts on Needles #1 and #3 and 24 (28,32) sts on Needle #1.

Leg
Round 1: * K1, yo, K1, K2tog; repeat from * around.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until leg measures 5.5” or 1.5” less than desired length. Change to K1, P1 ribbing for 1.5”.
Bind off in ribbing.