Valley Yarns Waterlily Socks Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Waterlily Socks

What is Being Made

The Waterlily Socks are a pair of knitted socks designed by Cheryl Burke, featuring an elegant lace pattern integrated into the instep. These socks are worked seamlessly from the top down in the round, creating a finished garment with an 8-inch foot circumference when unstretched. The socks are designed to stretch and accommodate a range of sizes, making them versatile for different wearers.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several advanced knitting techniques that make it suitable for advanced beginner knitters:

• Seamless, top-down construction: The socks are cast on at the leg and worked downward toward the toe, eliminating the need for seaming.
• Worked in the round: Using a set of five double-pointed needles, the entire sock is knitted circularly, creating a tubular fabric without seams.
• Lace knitting: A decorative lace pattern is worked across the instep (needles 2 and 3), adding visual interest and texture to the finished sock.
• Heel turn and gusset shaping: The pattern includes a traditional heel flap with a turned heel, followed by gusset decreases to shape the sock around the foot.
• Toe shaping: Strategic decreases at the toe create a tapered finish that closes the sock neatly.

Stitches Used

The Waterlily Socks pattern incorporates fundamental and intermediate stitches:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): Used for the leg, heel, and foot sections on needles 1 and 4, creating a smooth, classic fabric.
• Lace pattern: A decorative pattern worked across needles 2 and 3 on the instep, repeated over 12 rounds.
• Slip stitch (Sl1): Used at the beginning of rows in the heel flap for a neat, finished edge.
• Knit (k) and purl (p): Basic stitches forming the foundation of the pattern.
• Decreases: Knit two together (k2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) are used throughout for shaping the gusset, foot, and toe sections.

Materials and Gauge

The Waterlily Socks are worked using Valley Yarns Franklin yarn, a durable blend of 75% wool and 25% nylon. One skein of 450 yards and 4 ounces in the color Jade is required to complete the pair. The pattern calls for Size 1 (2.25mm) double-pointed needles or the size needed to obtain the specified gauge. The recommended gauge is 9 stitches equals 1 inch in stockinette stitch, which is typical for fingering-weight sock yarn. This gauge ensures the socks will have the proper elasticity and fit. The nylon content in the Franklin yarn adds durability and resilience, making these socks long-lasting and suitable for regular wear.

Pattern Structure

The sock is constructed in distinct sections. The leg begins with 72 stitches cast on and divided evenly over four needles (18 stitches per needle), then worked in rounds. The cuff features a ribbed pattern combining knit and purl stitches for elasticity. The heel flap is worked flat over 20 stitches with slip-stitch edges, followed by a heel turn that decreases stitches progressively. The gusset section picks up stitches along the heel flap edges and includes decreases on alternating rounds to shape the sock around the foot. The foot continues with stockinette stitch on the sole and sides while maintaining the lace pattern on the instep, worked until the foot reaches 1½ inches shorter than the desired finished length. Finally, the toe is shaped with decreases on every other round until 24 stitches remain, which are then grafted together to close the sock.