Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Medium foot socks, and how to avoid the dreaded gusset gap

These socks were meant to be big foot socks for my big foot son, but my gauge was off - achieved 7 stitches per inch instead of 6 - so now these are going to my SO. I blame my gauge problems on the switch to lever knitting (a.k.a. Irish cottage knitting). I even upped the needle size from my usual US2 to US3 for this DK yarn. AND I knit a swatch! Sometime it just doesn't matter what you do.

Matchy match!

Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good Plain Sock, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Online Supersocke 6-ply, in 1621 colorway
Needles: US3
Modifications: ribbed top, flap heel, rounded toe, plus details below


I'm a little bit excited about a detail I invented to avoid the dreaded gusset gap. Noticing that the circumference of one's calf just below the calf muscle is about an inch larger than the girth of the ball of one's foot, I cast on extra stitches for the sock top - 60 in this case. Then I worked the heel flap over 28 stitches. While picking up stitches for the gusset, I slipped 2 stitches from each end of the instep needle to each of the gusset needles. Those extra stitches get worked into the gusset and the gussets are decreased to 28 stitches on each side. The foot is then 56 stitches around. This produces a great fitting sock AND no futzing around to fix the gusset gap. Huzzah!

Has anyone read of a similar solution? I can't recall seeing this idea anywhere else, so I am hereby declaring it to be my very own creation. Patent pending.

3 comments:

Wanderingcatstudio said...

the socks look nice and cozy!

Toni said...

Very clever idea! No--I haven't seen that. I've usually done the pick-up-a-stitch-to-take-up-the-slack trick. But I'll have to try yours!

elns said...

Ha! I thought I was beginning to understand sock construction better! waves hand over head. They look fantastic, and honestly the fact that you tried to get gauge makes you my hero.