Spinner's Socks

I dearly love spinning, but sometimes in the winter, it's a challenge - I can't wear socks or my feet slip on the treadles, but it's too cold to go without. These socks are short, but very warm, and have leather attached to the bottoms to prevent slipping. They would be too thick (and probably too warm) to wear with shoes, and the leather on the bottom rules that out anyway. They're also a good way of using up smallish amounts of handspun yarns - especially luxury yarns, because the socks won't be getting a whole lot of abrasion. The yarn I used for mine was a 75% wool/ 25% mohair blend in blues and greens. It was roving, and came in two separate balls - one entirely green and one blue and green mix. I spun them separately and plied them together to produce a green yarn with flashes of blue. I used about 70g of the yarn - at 12 or 13 wpi.


Final Size
8.5" around the ball of the foot
8.75" long (ladies size 8, but easy to lengthen)

Materials
~70g heavy fingering weight handspun
3.0mm 32" Circular Needle (I knit my socks using magic loop, but feel free to use dpns or two circulars if you prefer)

Gauge: 25 stitches/4 inches in Stocking Stitch

Pattern Stitches:
Broken Rib
Row 1 - *K1, p1; repeat from *
Rows 2 & 3 - Knit.

Twisted Rib
Row 1 - *K1tbl, p1; repeat from *

Using your toe-up cast on of choice (I like Judy's Magic Cast On), cast on a total of 20 stitches over two needles. Knit one round.

Round 1 - Knit 1, m1, knit to 1 before end of first needle, m1, k2, m1, knit to one before end of second needle, m1, k1.
Round 2 - Knit

Work these two rounds until you have a total of 48 stitches total, or 24 on each of the two needles. Begin working in Broken Rib stitch and work 18 repeats (54 rows) or until your sock is your foot length - two inches.

Work short row heel as follows:
Knit 23, w&t
Purl 22, w&t
Knit 21, w&t
Purl 20, w&t
continue to
Purl 10, w&t
Knit 10, pick up next wrap and knit together with stitch, w&t
Purl 11, pick up next wrap and purl together with stitch, w&t
Knit 12, pick up two wraps around next stitch and knit together with stitch, w&t
Purl 13, pick up two wraps around next stitch and purl together with stitch, w&t
continue to
Knit 22, Knit 12, pick up two wraps around next stitch and knit together with stitch, knit 24.

Ribbing - work 24 rows of twisted ribbing (on the first stitch of the first row hide the two wraps from the heel, then continue working around the stitches normally). Or, work the twisted ribbing until you run out of yarn.