Hello everyone! I’m so excited to share my new pattern with you – my Spice Market Socks! They are made toe-up using the Mosaic method which means that you knit with only one colour at at time to create a colour pattern, as opposed to stranded colourwork or fair isle, which requires you to carry your colours along with you. The benefit of Mosaic over stranded colourwork, when working with socks, is that they don’t end up quite as thick and the finished fabric has more give. This is great if you have a wide foot or ankle and you sometimes find yourself having trouble getting fair isle socks up over your heel.

These socks are made with the new Metropolis yarn which has just been released by Scheepjes. It’s a game changer for me as a knitter and I can see this becoming a staple of their lineup. While it’s obviously great for both crochet and knitting, you know where my heart lies and my head is a flurry of ideas for everything from socks to sweaters, hats to mitts, and everything in between. I even have a toy idea for it, but that’s a long way off because that is so not my wheelhouse, that’s going to take a lot of planning and experimentation. Here’s the details:

I was very eager to get my hands on this yarn because it’s something I’ve been after for quite a while. A sock weight yarn that is smooth, has great stitch definition and versatility. With 75% Extra fine Merino and 25% nylon, this is not just a great yarn for socks but could also be used in shawls, hats, sweaters, you name it. With so many colours available, I see endless opportunities for fair isle projects but also single colour, as the stitch definition will allow you to really play with texture without it getting lost.

Metropolis in my Spice Market colours (L-R): Tehran (036), Ajman (049), Seoul (035).

The reason I wanted to do a pattern like this was to test how the colours work up against each other when doing colourwork. To see how defined the stitches are and how the colours hold up against each other.

You can see from this photo that the stitch definition is fantastic, and it has worked amazingly well for the mosaic pattern in these socks. I am so happy with them!

Don’t know how to knit socks?

Don’t worry, our Scheepjes bloggers tribe has your back!

I have written up the pattern for these socks for those of you who would like to make them. The pattern assumes that you know something about knitting socks already, but for those who don’t have previous experience but would still like to give it a go, my fellow blogger, Carmen from New Leaf Designs, has a fantastic toe up sock tutorial over here on her blog. The experienced sock knitters out there, like me, may choose to change to your own preferred toe / heel method and use the stitch pattern alone. That’s entirely up to you!

Did you know that the Spice Markets Sock is also available as a handy printable PDF? For a small fee you get access to a lovely full colour PDF with photos and colour selection graphic as well as a printer friendly version with only the essential info. Buying the pattern makes it easier to take with you on the go and also supports me as a designer! Click here to purchase your PDF’s now!

Spice Market Socks

Materials

Scheepjes Metropolis (75% Merino extra fine / 25% Nylon)
Yarn A: 1x Ajman (049)
Yarn B: 1x Seoul (035)
Yarn C: 1x Tehran (036)

Gauge / Tension

30 sts x 45 rows over 10cm x 10cm in stockinette using 2.75mm

Measurements

Sizing can vary a lot from person to person. I am giving average sizing info with as much additional measurement details as possible to achieve the right fit for you.

Sizes: Women S(M, L, Men S, M, L)
Total Stitches: 56(60, 64, 64, 68, 72)
Cast-on: 20(20, 24, 24, 24, 28)

Adding one stitch pattern repeat of 4 sts increases sock width by 1.5cm.
Adding one pattern repeat of 12 rows increases length of sock by 2cm.

Abbreviations

ds double stitch (see mds explanation)
k knit
mds make double stitch. Slip last worked stitch from left to right needle, pull yarn up and over right needle and get in position to work following row. Creates a ‘double stitch’. This is a single stitch which has the appearance of being two stitches. Double stitches are always worked as one stitch when encountered later in the pattern. After Knit side: After turning, yarn is already in front, pull up and over needle to the back and to the front again to begin to purl. After purl side: After turning, pull yarn to front, then pull up over the needle to the back to prepare to knit.
m1r make one right (1 stitch increased)
m1l make one left (1 stitch increased)
p purl
pm place marker
sl wyib slip with yarn in back
sm slip marker
st(s) stitch(es)

Pattern Notes

This is a very straightforward and easily resizable pattern (see measurement notes). Mosaic knitting, like other colourwork, requires you to pay very close attention to your tension when carrying your yarn. While you don’t have to carry every colour at each row, you do have to slip stitches, being mindful not to pull your yarn too tightly across the back. In order to have the stretch you want in this sock, be sure to carry yarn across without pulling the two stitches tightly together. You want your yarn to span across the back of the slipped stitch.

Yarn is carried up between rows, there is no need to cut your yarn. If you’d like you can carry your working yarn up and around the other two to secure them.

Working with three balls can lead to a bit of tangling, but if you are mindful of the direction that you turn your work (turning around and back rather than all the way around in a circle) you’ll find it much easier.

For a neater join, follow this tutorial for preventing colour jog in your stripes. You will do this method on the second row of each colour section (start of rows 2, 6 and 10).

Instructions

Cast-on and Toe

Using Judy’s Magic Cast-on in Yarn A cast on 20(20, 24, 24, 24, 28) stitches with half on each needle.

Round 1 Knit all stitches.
Round 2 K1, m1r, knit to 1 stitch before end of first half, m1l, k1. Turn to second needle and repeat for second half of sock.
Round 3 Knit all stitches.

Repeat rounds 2 and 3 until you have reached 56(60, 64, 64, 68, 72) total stitches.

Knit one more round in Yarn A.

Main Pattern Repeat

Round 1 Using Yarn B, K1, sl wyib to end.
Round 2 K1, sl wyib to end.
Round 3 Sl wyib, k1 to end.
Round 4 Sl wyib, k1 to end.
Rounds 5 – 8 Using Yarn C, repeat rows 1-4.
Rounds 9 – 12 Using Yarn A Repeat rounds 1 – 4.

The above stitches can also be seen in chart form in the photo to the right.

Continue until desired length (see measurement notes), ending after completing row 10 of the final pattern repeat. So you should have just worked the first two rows in Yarn A.

First Half of Heel

The heel is worked on the first needle only, turning to work each side. The stitches for the top of the foot remain on the second needle.

Row 1 Knit to 1 st left, turn and mds.
Row 2 Purl to 1 st left, turn and mds.
Row 3 Knit all sts before ds, turn and mds.
Row 4 Purl all sts before ds, turn and mds.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 10(10, 12, 12, 12, 14) single stitches in between your double stitches. For example, for a women’s small size you should have 10 single stitches in the center, and 8 double stitches plus 1 single stitch on each side.

Turning the Heel

Row 1 Knit to 1st double stitch, pm, k to end knitting each ds as a single stitch. Turn and mds on last st.
Row 2 Purl to marker, sm, purl center sts to before first ds, pm, purl to end, purling each ds as a single stitch. Turn and mds on last st.
Row 3 Knit to 2nd marker (slipping 1st marker), remove second marker, k1, turn and mds.
Row 4 Purl to marker, remove marker, p1, turn and mds.

Second half of Heel

Row 1 Knit to ds, knit ds as single stitch, k1, turn and mds.
Row 2 Purl to ds, purl ds as single stitch, p1, turn and mds.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 2 ds at each end of your needle.

Knit across all heel stitches, knitting each of the two double stitches at the end as single stitches.

Finishing Heel and Leg

Picking up second needle, work row 11 of the main pattern across the stitches for the top of the foot.
When you reach the heel again, knit the two double stitches as single stitches and knit across the heel to the start of the round.

Continuing with Yarn A on row 12, work the main pattern repeat until the leg reaches 2.5cm before your desired length, ending with row 9 of the main pattern repeat.

Cuff

K2, p2 for 10 rows.

Loosely bind off all stitches.

Where To Buy

UK and International buyers will find Metropolis at Woolwarehouse and Black Sheep Wools.
Canadian and International buyers have a great option with Knotty House.
Those of you in the Netherlands can find all you need at Caro’s Atelier.

You can also ask your preferred Scheepjes retailer or find a shop near you!

This post contains affiliate links. This is a way for you to support Canadutch and me as a designer. It is no extra cost to you, but if you shop via one of these links, I get a small percentage of the sale!

Copyright 2019, Tammy Canavan-Soldaat. This pattern and pictures are the property of Tammy Canavan-Soldaat. All rights reserved. Pattern is available for personal use only. No unauthorized reproduction, in whole or in part, or distribution of this pattern or content, including text or pictures is allowed. You may sell items made from this pattern but no commercial mass reproduction from this pattern is allowed without prior permission from the designer. Please give credit by linking back to www.canadutch.nl.