Major changes to the KnitFreedom Faux Heel Flap pattern were not necessary for these socks as the pattern repeat for the mosaic pattern that I used had the same number of stitches as the size sock I was making. I did make a few minor adjustments.

Using the MC (Copper) I cast on 12 stitches using Judy’s Magic Cast-On, leaving a long tail, and worked one round. I worked the next round with the working yarn and the cast-on tail held double, bringing the stitch count up to 24. I then continued the toe increases as given in the pattern until I reached a total of 65 stitches (32 stitches on the heel needle and 33 on the instep). I added the one extra increase in the center of the instep needle on the last increase round in order to accommodate the +1 in the pattern repeat on the instep. I knit 2 rounds even before beginning the mosaic stitch pattern.

The stitch pattern that I used was the Caesar’s Check mosaic stitch pattern from Charted Knitting Designs, A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker. The pattern is a multiple of 16 stitches plus 1 (or just 16 stitches when working continuously in the round). I added the CC (Marshmallow) and worked the top of the foot in the mosaic pattern and the bottom of the foot in stockinette. I began the gusset increases on row 7 of the 3rd repeat of the mosaic pattern to ensure that the heel turn would fall between two rows of the MC. (Rows 3, 11, 15, 19, and 23 would all have also worked, but the foot measurement was closest to being right for beginning the gusset increases at a row 7.) The heel turn and heel flap are the same as in the pattern. I used Eye-of-Partridge for the heel stitch.

After completing the heel and before continuing the mosaic stitch pattern all the way around the leg I moved the last instep stitch (the +1 from the pattern repeat) to the heel needle and knit it together with the first heel stitch so that both needles began with the first stitch of the mosaic pattern and the continuity of the stitch pattern was maintained on the front of the sock(s). From that point on I worked the mosaic stitch pattern all the way around the leg with 32 stitches on the instep needle and 32 stitches on the heel needle. After completing the 6th full mosaic pattern repeat I worked rounds 1-12 of the mosaic pattern once more and then worked the hemmed picot cuff option from the pattern in the MC.

Generally with mosaic stitch patterns the amount of stretch in the finished fabric is noticeably reduced, which for a sock means that more stitches are required to achieve the desired fit. In the Caesar’s Check mosaic stitch pattern the ratio of slipped stitches to knit stitches is relatively low (less than 10% per row on average, and never more than 25% in any given row) so I did not find it necessary to add stitches or increase my needle size. These socks fit perfectly.

I normally like to work toe-up socks 2-at-a-time by Magic Loop, but when using more than one yarn per sock I spend more time untangling myself from all the working yarns than actually knitting, so I knit these socks one at a time.