Carry on Solefully by Betty Salpekar

Carry on Solefully

Knitting
June 2014
yarn held together
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
32 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette MC + reinforcement together
US 1½ - 2.5 mm
US 1 - 2.25 mm
608 - 610 yards (556 - 558 m)
S, M, L
English
This pattern is available for free.

Unusual construction that begins with the sole. Uses Judy’s Magic Cast-On on two circulars or Magic Loop. It is possible to work completely on double-pointed needles, but the pattern is designed for flexible needles.

The Sole is constructed with sock yarn held together with about 8 grams of a mohair yarn for reinforcement.

From the Designer’s notes:

A most happy discovery, as I carried on knitting up all around the full sole, was that the toe-shaping decreases caused even simple horizontal stripes to reinvent themselves in interesting ways. They turned corners around the toe and met in chevrons at the instep. I could make the toe and instep decreases complement stitch patterns in various ways and have the complete sock top as an unbroken design canvas. Endlessly intriguing design possibilities!

This stitch pattern evolved as I experimented with making the stripes a little less stripy. I carried single stitches at intervals on up into the next color stripe by wrapping them three times, then slipping them knitwise on the next three rounds. That way they get twisted three times in the same direction, which makes them stronger and more textural.