Gardiner Yarn Works Wavering Cable Socks Knitting Pattern

Gardiner Yarn Works Wavering Cable Socks

What Is Being Made

The Wavering Cable Socks are a pair of women's medium fingering-weight socks featuring a distinctive cable pattern that waves lazily down the leg. Designed by Chrissy Gardiner, these socks offer an intermediate-level knitting project that combines classic sock construction with a creative twist on traditional cable work. The finished socks are sized to fit a foot circumference of 7.5 inches.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several essential sock-knitting techniques to create a well-constructed, fitted garment:

• Top-down construction: The socks are worked from the cuff down toward the foot, allowing for easy customization of leg length before committing to the heel.
• Seamless, worked-in-the-round: The entire sock is knitted in continuous rounds, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, comfortable fit.
• Cable work: Wavering cables form the primary stitch pattern, creating visual interest as they travel down the leg in a gentle, undulating design.
• Heel flap construction: The pattern includes a traditional heel flap worked back and forth in rows, providing structure and durability in a high-wear area.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Wavering Cable Socks utilize fundamental knitting stitches combined into a charted cable pattern:

• Knit and purl stitches: Form the base of the fabric and create the ribbed cuff.
• Cable stitches: Worked using a cable needle to create the signature wavering cable motif that descends the leg.
• Decreases: Knit two together (k2tog) and purl two together (p2tog) are used for shaping and heel construction.
• Make one increase: The m1p (make one purl) stitch is employed to add stitches where needed during construction.
• Ribbing: An 8-round ribbing section at the cuff (Rnds 1-8) provides stretch and helps the socks stay in place.

Materials and Tools

The pattern requires specific materials to achieve the correct gauge and fit:

• Yarn: Approximately 400 yards of fingering-weight yarn. The pictured sample uses Abstract Fiber MightySock in the colorway Circus Tent.
• Needles: Either a set of 5 size 1 (2.25mm) double-pointed needles or 1 pair of 24-inch size 1 (2.25mm) circular needles, depending on preferred knitting method.
• Additional tools: A cable needle for working the cable stitches and a yarn needle for weaving in ends.
• Gauge: 32 stitches and 40 rounds measured over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished size.

Pattern Structure and Difficulty

Rated as an intermediate project, the Wavering Cable Socks require familiarity with cable techniques and sock construction fundamentals. The pattern begins with a 72-stitch cast-on divided across needles, followed by 8 rounds of ribbing to establish the cuff. The main leg section features the Wavering Cables pattern repeated over 32 rounds, which knitters work until the leg reaches approximately 6 inches or the desired length before transitioning to the heel. The pattern provides both charted and written instructions for the cable pattern, accommodating different learning preferences. Heel construction follows traditional sock-making methods, with the heel flap worked back and forth on a single needle before picking up stitches to continue the foot.