Hot Rod Socks AKA Olympic Flame Socks

HOT ROD SOCKS or OLYMPIC FLAME SOCKS designed by Melanie Gibbons

This pattern is available as a pdf download at the Pink Lemon Knits Yahoo Group. It's in the group's "File" section, but is only accessable by group members.

Just a note: This sock pattern is not exactly the way I knit these socks. This sock pattern is the way I would have knit these socks if I had known what I know now.

Materials:

1 50 g ball each of Dale Baby Ull Black (color 90), Yellow (color 2015), Orange (color 2908), and Red (color 4227) - If you are knitting these socks for a man or a larger woman's foot size (I have a size 8), you might need more black and red. I did have some left over but I'm not sure how much farther it could have gone.

1 set of 5 size 1 US (2.25mm) DPN's or size needed to get the sock the correct size.

Gauge: 8 stitches per inch. If your feet are bigger than 8 inches around at the ball of the foot, go up a needle size. See the end of the pattern for suggestions for size variations. Check your gauge!

Using Black yarn, Cast on 64 Stitches. With 16 stitches on each of 4 needles, (plus one working needle), join, being careful not to twist and work in K2, P2 rib for 1-1/4 inches or desired depth of ribbing.

Switch to stockinette stitch (knit every round) and work even for 2-1/2 inches.

Beginning at top of flame chart (the yellow end) begin working chart. Note that the white squares are the background color and should be knitted in black (for ease of reading the chart, I left them in white).

After the final row of the chart is worked (the red end), work in stockinette stitch in the red yarn for 1 inch.

Heel Flap: Knit 32 stitches, turn and work back and forth in rows as follows:

Row 1 (WS): sl 1, P to end.

Row 2: sl 1, *K1, sl 1, rep from *, end K1.

Row 3: sl 1, P to end.

Row 4: sl 1, *sl 1, K1, rep from *, end K2.

Work Rows 1-4 a total of 8 times - 32 rows- ending with a RS row.

Turn work, sl 1, P 16, P2tog, P1, turn. Next Row: sl 1, K3, ssk, K1, turn.

Continue turning heel as follows: WS ROW: sl 1, P to one stitch before gap, P2tog, P1, turn. RS ROW: sl 1, K to one stitch before gap, ssk, K1, turn. Repeat these two rows until all stitches in heel flap have been worked (18 stitches in heel flap).

Divide these stitches onto two needles again (9 stitches each). The working yarn is at the left end of needle two (for the purposes of these directions, rounds will begin on Needle One which is the first part of the heel.

With needle 2 and working yarn, pick up and knit 18 stitches along side of heel flap for gusset(27 stitches on needle.) Work needles 3 and 4 as established (16 stitches each). Pick up and knit 18 stitches along other side of heel flap for gusset, work 9 stitches on needle 1 (27 stitches)

Work needles 2,3, and 4 as established so you are ready to start a new round.

Gusset decreases: Rnd 1-K1, ssk, knit to end of needle 1, knit to last 3 stitches of needle 2, K2tog, K1, work even on needles 3 and 4. Rnd 2- Work even.

Repeat these two rounds until all gusset stitches have been decreased and you have 16 stitches on each needle again - 64 stitches.

Work even for 1 inch in the red yarn.

Start flame chart again, this time working from the red end to the yellow end (you will be reversing the chart from the direction worked on the leg).

Work even in black yarn until sock is approximately 2 inches shorter than desired total length, then begin toe decreases as follows:

Rnd 1-Needle 1:K1, ssk, knit to end of needle. Needle 2:Knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. Needle 3: K1, ssk, knit to end of needle. Needle 4: Knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1.

Rnd 2 - work even.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 above until 32 stitches remain, then work Round 1 only until 16 stitches remain.

Graft toe closed. Repeat for second sock!

Options: This chart can be plugged into any sock pattern that is divisible by 16 so if you have a favorite sock pattern, feel free to use it. If you are knitting for a man or a child, you can vary the number of repeats to make the socks larger or smaller. There's no reason the socks have to have red flames - why not try blue flames or another color? You could also only put the flames on either the leg or the foot, not both. If you only do one set of flames, you will definitely need more than one ball of your main background color.

If you have trouble printing this pattern directly from the blog, try copying and pasting the whole thing into a blank word processor document.

Copyright 2006. All rights are reserved.