Oh Claire

The boy has a little niece named Claire, who is currently about eight months old and the cutest thing ever. She's a cute, happy little baby, always babbling and smiling.

Of course I had to knit her something.

And what's better than baby socks? I picked up some Cascade Fixation on a small field trip out to Ewe and Me in Sandwich, IL. It's a small shop, but it's all good quality, and they have a sock club (which reminds me, I really need to get out there and pick that up).

I was dying to try to the Fixation on some socks, and they had some adorable little baby examples lying around. I couldn't resist. The owner said she got two pairs of baby socks out of one skein, but we must knit at vastly different gauges. Still, I got one pair, and for $5.50, I'm pretty happy with that.

I love baby socks. Can I just say that? Love them. They are so little, which means they go so fast. I did these little guys with a heel flap, which meant that by the time I was done with the gusset decreases, I was almost ready to work the toe. This is wonderful, because the foot is usually the most interminable part.

The girls in the knitting group (especially Lorna) wanted to see them on Worfy, but he wasn't pleased with that idea.

Instead, please see them on Einstein.

Or there's this modern art variety, where I attempt to wear the bootie, and Worfy looks on. Either way.

In case you're wondering how to do baby socks, I'll do the pattern at the end. For the record, it's a lot like big people socks.

In summary:

Yarn: Cascade Fixation (98.3% cotton, 1.7% elastic, 100 yards), one skein, $5.50

Needles: Size US 3 (3.25 mm) dpns

Pattern: See end of post

Time: Less than a day each sock. I love baby socks.

Cost: $5.50 Did I mention I love baby socks?

Oh Claire

Simple baby socks

Gauge: About 7 sts/ in (2.5 cm).

Since babies grow so fast, gauge is not really crucial here, and your swatch would likely be about the size of the sock. However, Cascade Fixation is a very thick and stretchy yarn, so substitute at your own risk, and probably go down a needle size if you do. This should fit a little one in the 6 - 12 month old range.

I've tried to tell you not just how many stitches to knit in each region, but why. That way if you need to size up or down, you have a guideline.

Yarn: Cascade Fixation (98.3% cotton, 1.7% elastic, 100 yards) One skein will easily make one pair, two if you're lucky (I'm not).

Needles: Size 3 (3.25 mm) dpns, or whatever size needles give you an appropriately dense fabric

Cuff:

Cast on 32 sts and divide evenly over dpns. Join for working in the round.

Work in 1x1 ribbing for about 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Heel flap:

You will now be working back and forth over half the stitches (that's 16, in case you're bad at math). It is important to slip the first stich of each row, as it will make life much easier for you later on.

Row 1: (Slip 1, k1) across

Row 2: Slip 1, purl across

Work until heel flap is square.

Turn heel:

Knit until two stitches past center (10 stitches), ssk, knit one, turn work

Slip one, purl until two stitches past center (6 stitches remain on right needle), p2tog, purl 1, turn work

You will have created a center section of the heel with gaps on either side of it.

Slip one, work until one stich before the gap, SSK on right side (p2tog on wrong side) across the gap, work one more stitch.

Repeat in this manner until all stitches are used up

Gusset:

Pick up one stitch for each slipped stitch on the heel flap (plus one or two more to avoid a gap), work across instep in stockinette (or ribbing, if you prefer), pick up an equal number of stitches on the opposite side. Rearrange stitches on the needle so you have an equal number on either side of the gusset, with the beginning of the round starting at the middle of the heel.

Round 1: Work until three stitches before instep, k2tog, k1. Work even across instep. K1, ssk, knit even to end of round.

Round 2: Work even

Repeat these rounds until you have the same total number of stitches that you cast on (32).

Foot:

Work even in stockinette until foot measure about 3 inches (7.5 cm) from the heel.

Toe:

Round 1: Work until three stitches before instep, k2tog, k1. K1, ssk, work even until last three stitches of instep, k2tog, k1. K1, ssk, knit even to end of round.

Round 2: Work even.

Continue in this manner until 12 total stiches remain. Place the six top stitches on one needle and the six bottom stitches on another. Graft toe.

If you've never knit socks before, this tutorial is a good place to start. She has really good illustrations.