My latest finished project was a lot of fun to tote around and knit in public. When people asked what I was making, I told them that I was knitting a sock…sideways! They were usually impressed and thought that I had some special sideways-knitting magical powers. Even my weekly knitting group was impressed 😉

But no, this pattern is actually quite simple. It is all garter stitches with cleverly placed increases and then decreases for the gusset and toe. The sock is worked back and forth, not in the round.

The only time-consuming part was grafting the top to the bottom – since the sock is worked over the top of the foot and under the bottom of the foot, at the same time, the two parts have to meet sometime. The seam is closed by using the kitchener stitch in garter fabric – something I hadn’t done before.

(It was actually very easy! Here’s the link to the instructions I followed – they are at the very bottom of the page.)

The pattern is Longitudinal by N. Susen, available for free from Knitty’s First Fall 2012 issue. I chose to use Knit Picks Stroll Multi in Diving Board. I used 71 grams / 328 yards, making it a great project to use up some sock yarn! (Unfortunately, Knit Picks no longer makes this yarn…)

I followed the pattern as written, which is surprising, as I feel like I always need to change something. …But I did downsize to US 1 (2.25 mm) needles to get better gauge – and make my garter stitches nice and firm. I also used the magic loop technique.

I followed size F, and they ended up fitting my 9.75″ long x 9″ circumference feet perfect, even though the pattern says they will fit a 7″ circumference foot.

I plan on entering these in the Minnesota State Fair in the plain knit sock class – which is just a few weeks away – so wish me luck! 🙂