Valley Yarns Ogee Arch Socks Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Ogee Arch Socks

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Ogee Arch Socks are a pair of knitted socks designed to fit adult foot circumferences of 8.5 inches (small) or 9 inches (medium). These socks feature a decorative charted pattern on the instep, creating an elegant ogee arch design that wraps around the foot while the sole remains in stockinette stitch for durability and comfort.

Knitting Techniques

This intermediate-level sock pattern employs several fundamental sock construction techniques:

• Top-Down Construction: The socks are knitted from the cuff downward toward the toe, allowing for easy fitting adjustments and the ability to try on the sock as you work.
• Worked in the Round: Using double-pointed needles, the socks are constructed circularly, eliminating the need for seaming and creating seamless, comfortable garments.
• Heel Gusset Method: A traditional heel gusset is created by picking up stitches along the sides of a heel flap, then decreasing these gusset stitches over multiple rounds to shape the heel and create a comfortable fit around the ankle and heel area.
• Cable and Charted Pattern Work: The instep features a charted pattern that creates the ogee arch design, requiring the knitter to follow a stitch chart while maintaining pattern continuity across rounds.
• Toe Decreases: The toe is finished using strategic decreases worked across all needles in alternating decrease and plain rounds, gradually reducing the stitch count until only 16 stitches remain.
• Kitchener Stitch Grafting: The final toe closure is accomplished using the Kitchener stitch (also called grafting), a technique that joins two sets of live stitches invisibly for a seamless finish.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes essential knitting stitches appropriate for sock construction:

• Knit Stitch (K): The foundation stitch used throughout the sole and for plain rounds.
• Knit Two Together (K2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in heel gusset shaping and toe decreases.
• Slip, Slip, Knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease used to balance decreases on either side of the foot during heel gusset and toe shaping.
• Charted Pattern Stitches: The instep features stitches worked from a chart to create the ogee arch design, requiring the knitter to read and follow a stitch-by-stitch pattern.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): Used on the sole of the foot for a smooth, durable surface.

Materials and Tools

The Valley Yarns Ogee Arch Socks are designed to be worked with specific materials:

• Yarn: One skein of Valley Yarns Franklin in the colorway Claypot. This yarn is composed of 75% wool and 25% nylon, providing durability and elasticity ideal for sock wear. Each skein contains 4 ounces and 450 yards of yarn, sufficient yardage for a complete pair of socks.
• Needles: US Size 1 (2.5mm) double-pointed needles, or the size required to achieve the specified gauge. Double-pointed needles are essential for working in the round without seaming.
• Gauge: 9 stitches per inch over a 10-inch swatch, measured in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is critical for proper sock fit.

Pattern Overview

The Ogee Arch Socks pattern, designed exclusively for Valley Yarns by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, guides knitters through a structured sock construction process. After establishing the cuff and leg, knitters work a heel flap and gusset, picking up stitches along the flap sides and decreasing them over multiple rounds to shape the heel. Simultaneously, the instep stitches are worked in the charted ogee arch pattern, creating visual interest on the top of the foot while the sole remains in practical stockinette stitch. The foot is worked to approximately 1.5 inches less than the desired foot length, then the toe is shaped through paired decreases on alternating rounds until 16 stitches remain. These final stitches are grafted together using the Kitchener st