Suzi's Super-Stretchy Baby Sock

This sock is designed to be a little big on a newborn but still be wearable, and ideally fit a 3-6 month old infant (4 inch long foot from heel to toe). The K2P2 rib should snug in on a smaller foot, and stretch out as baby grows to continue to fit the foot. It is maintained as far as possible down the toe for extra self-sizing.

Gauge: 10.5 st. to the inch in stockinette with US size 0 (2 mm) DPN's (5 needles preferred)

14 rows to the inch.

Yarn – any fine fingering weight sock yarn. I used aprx 25 grams/100 meters of Trekking XXL color #106

Cast on 48 stitches through your favorite super stretchy cast on method. I used long tail cast on.

Put 12 stitches on each needle. K2, P2 for 3 inches or leg, or desired ankle length. When laying flat folded in half, the sock should be about 1.5 inches wide. It will look too small – the rib collapses in on itself for a snug fit.

Heel Shaping: (using slight variation of short row instructions at http://avocations.blogs.com/ShortRowHeels/pages/a-yo_purl1.htm)

• Continue in the k2p2 rib pattern across the first needle, stopping with 1 purl stitch left on the left needle.

• TURN. Transfer yarn to the front of work

• Put right needle into stitch as if to knit, with yarn in front. Pass yarn over the needles, and make a knit stitch. This should create both a YO and a knit stitch (a double stitch), leaving the working yarn at the back.

• Transfer yarn to front of work, and purl remaining stitches on needle. Purl the first stitch from the next needle onto this needle as well.

• Purl ALL the stitches on the second heel needle. Knit the first stitch from the next needle onto this needle as well. Slip the next stitch (which should be the second of a purl part of the rib) onto your working needle and TURN. You should have on your right (working) needle 1 slipped stitch and nothing else.

• Transfer yarn to the back of work. Put needle into first stitch as if to purl, with yarn in back. Pass yarn over needles and make a purl stitch. This should create a YO and a purl stitch (double stitch), leaving the working yarn at the front.

• Transfer yarn to back of work, and knit all remaining stitches on needle. Knit the stitches on the next needle until you reach your double stitch. The left needle should have your double stitch, and one stitch after it.

• ***TURN. Transfer yarn to the back of work. (@) Put needle into first stitch as if to purl, with yarn in back. Pass yarn over needles and make a purl stitch. This should create a YO and a purl stitch (double stitch), leaving the working yarn at the front. (@) Purl all remaining stitches on this needle, and purl stitches on next needle until you reach your double stitch.

• TURN. Transfer yarn to the front of work. (+) Put right needle into stitch as if to knit, with yarn in front. Pass yarn over the needles, and make a knit stitch. This should create both a YO and a knit stitch (a double stitch), leaving the working yarn at the back. (+) Knit all remaining stitches on this needle, and knit stitches on the next needle until you reach your double stitch. ***

• Repeat steps between *** until you have 8 double stitches on each side and 8 normal stitches in the middle (4 on each needle). You should be on the knit side of the heel, having knit across to the double stitch.

• Knit into the first half of the double stitch.

• You may notice that the YO half of the double stitch remaining on the left needle is twisted the wrong way. Put your right needle into the back of this stitch, twist it half way to the front, and set it back on the needle. If this totally confuses you, ignore this step and it will turn out okay for anyone but a perfectionist like me.

• Knit the YO of the double stitch together with the first half of the next double stitch.

• TURN. Make a purl double stitch (see @ above) Purl remaining stitches on needle, and purl stitches on next needle until you reach your double stitch.

• Purl into first half of double stitch. Do a SSP with the YO and the purl half of next double stitch (Slip the YO half of the double stitch knitwise. Slip the purl half of the next double stitch knitwise. Transfer these stitches back to your left needle, and purl them together thru the back loops (stick your needle in the back of the second/furthest away stitch AND the close stitch so your needle comes to the front of the work. Purl it! This is a very awkward stitch! Please visit the site above for photos if it confuses you) TURN.

• ***Make a knit double stitch (see + above) Knit the remaining stitches on needle, and knit stitches on the next needle until you reach your double stitch. Knit into the first half of the double stitch. Your left needle should now have 2 YO's from double stitches on it, followed by all your remaining double stitches.

• You may notice that the 2 YO's from the double stitches remaining on the left needle are twisted the wrong way. Put your right needle into the back of each stitch, twist then half way to the front. Set them both back on the left needle.

• Knit the 2 YO's from the double stitches together with the first half of the next double stitch (K3tog)

• TURN. Make a purl double stitch (see @ above) Purl remaining stitches on needle, and purl stitches on next needle until you reach your double stitch. Purl into the first half of double stitch. Your left needle should now have 2 YO's from double stitches on it, followed by all your remaining double stitches.

• Do a SSSP with the 2 YO's and the purl half of the next double stitch. (Slip each YO stitch knitwise. Slip the purl half of the next double stitch knitwise. Transfer all 3 stitches back to your left needle, and purl them together thru the back loops (stick your needle in the back of the third/furthest away stitch AND the 2 YO stitches so your needle comes to the front of the work. Purl it! This is a very awkward stitch! Please visit the site above for photos if it confuses you). TURN.***

• Repeat instructions between *** until you have only 1 double stitch remaining on each needle.

• Knit across to the double stitch. Pass yarn to front of work and PURL into the first half of the double stitch. Purl the 2 YO's and the final stitch on the needle together. TURN.

• Make a knit double stitch. Knit the next stitch, then transfer yarn to front of work and purl remaining stitches on this needle, and purl stitches on next needle until you reach your double stitch. Pass yarn to back and KNIT into the first half of the double stitch.

• Do a SSSK with the 2 YO stitches and the final stitch on the needle (slip each stitch knitwise. Put left needle back thru stitches, so both needles are thru all 3 stitches and working needle is to the back of work. Knit all 3 together thru back loops by wrapping working needle and pulling thru). TURN one last time!

• Make a purl double stitch. Purl the next stitch., then transfer yarn to the back of work and knit all stitches on this needle. Knit all but last 2 stitches (a purl stitch and a double stitch). Transfer these stitches to the next (instep) needle, leaving 11 stitches on your heel needle.

• On a new needle, purl the purl stitch. Purl into the first half of the double stitch. Pass yarn to the back. Knit the YO half of the double stitch together with the next stitch. Continue in K2P2 rib until one stitch remains on needle (should be a purl stitch). Transfer this stitch to the next needle.

• Purl transfered stitch onto a new needle, and continue across needle in K2P2 rib until one stitch (a knit stitch) remains on needle.

• With this needle (the one with 1 stitch on it) pick up the double stitch and the next purl stitch from the heel needle. Put that needle back in your left hand, and the second instep needle in your right hand (working needle). SSK. (slip the knit stitch, and slip the YO half of the double stitch knitwise, then knit them together thru the back loops). Purl the last 2 stitches.

FOOT:

Your needles should now be like this:

• 11 stitches each on the old heel needles, all knit stitches.

• 13 stitches each on the instep needles, with 2 purl stitches at each end near the heel needles, and 1 purl stitch on the other end of each instep needle at the center of the instep.

Continue around the sock, knitting into all knit stitches and purling into all purl stitches until sock measures 3 inches from back of heel to needles.

Stretchy toe:

The goal of this toe is to keep the top part of the toe ribbed as long as possible, to keep the stretchy fit of the sock and make it more likely to grow with the baby. The bottom of the toe is done as a standard round toe.

Begin toe shaping at your first heel/bottom of foot needle. (Parenthases) show stitches on same needle

Row 1: (K1, SSK, K8), (K8, K2tog, K1), (P 2 tog, KK, PP, KK, PP, KK, P), (P, KK, PP, KK, PP, KK, P2tog)

Row 2 and 3: Knit all Knit stitches, Purl all Purls

Row 4: (K1, SSK, K7), (K7, K2tog, K1), (P, KK, P2tog, KK, PP, KK, P), (P, KK, PP, KK, P2tog, KK, P)

Row 5: Knit all Knit stitches, Purl all Purls

Row 6: (K1, SSK, K6), (K6, K2tog, K1), (P, KK, P, KK, P2tog, KK, P), (P, KK, P2tog, KK, P, KK, P)

Row 7: Knit all Knit stitches, Purl all Purls

Row 8: (K1, SSK, K5), (K5, K2tog, K1), (P, SSK, P, KK, P, KK, move last purl stitch to next needle), (purl together stitch from other needle with 1^st purl stitch from this needle, KK, P, KK, P, K2tog, P)

Row 9: Knit all Knit stitches, Purl all Purls

Row 10: (K1, SSK, K4), (K4, K2tog, K1), (P, K, P, SSK, P, KK) (P, KK, P, K2tog, P, K, P)

Row 11: (K6), (K6), (P, K, P, K, P, SSK), (P, K2tog, P, K, P, K, P)

Row 12: (K1, SSK, K3), (K3, K2tog, K1), (K2tog, P, K, P, K), ( P, K, P, K, P, SSK)

Row 13: (K1, SSK, K2), (K2, K2tog, K1), (K, K2tog, P, K), (K2tog, P, SSK, K)

Row 14: (K, SSK, K), (K, K2tog, K), (K, K, K2tog), (SSK, K, K)

Row 15: (K, SSK), (K2tog, K), (K, SSK), (K2tog, K)

Cut yarn, thread yarn through all loops on needles, and tuck in ends. Finished!