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knittingpatterns

Better Mousetrap Socks

Debbie New
Chris Hartlove

Originally published in
Interweave Knits, Fall 2001

Copyright Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

Better Mousetrap Socks originally published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2001. ©Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
publishers of Interweave Knits magazine…join the online knitting community at KnittingDaily.com
Visit InterweaveStore.com/knittingpatterns for more great patterns!
page 1
 The Better Mousetrap Socks —— D E B B I E N E W ——
Finished Size 71⁄2" (19 cm) around and 81⁄4" (21 cm) long. To fit
an average woman’s foot.
Yarn Heirloom Easy Care 8-ply (100% machine-washable
Merino; 107 yd [98 m]/50 g): Lavender socks: #771 lilac, 3
balls. Striped socks: #772 pink, #799 lime, #791 olive, and #779
purple, 1 ball each.
Needles Size 5 (3.75 mm): 24" (60-cm) circular (cir). Adjust
needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions Markers (m); tapestry needle; long stitch holders; 24"
(60-cm) cir needle in a smaller size than used for knitting (op-
tional).
Gauge 22 sts and 22 ridges = 4" (10 cm) in garter stitch.
LAVENDER SOCKS
Using the Continental method (see Glossary), CO 45 sts for leg
back, place marker (pm), CO 45 more sts for bottom of foot, pm,
CO 80 sts for instep—170 sts total. Slip markers every row.
First Half of Lavender Sock
Designating the first row as a RS row, work garter st (knit every
row) until there are 5 garter ridges on the RS (counting the ridge
formed by the CO row) and 4 ridges on WS. Shape heel and toe:
Cont in garter st, dec 1 st (k2tog) before and after each marker
every RS row 5 times—150 sts rem; there will be 9 garter ridges
on both RS and WS. Place sts on a holder.
Better Mousetrap Socks originally published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2001. ©Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
publishers of Interweave Knits magazine…join the online knitting community at KnittingDaily.com
Visit InterweaveStore.com/knittingpatterns for more great patterns!
page 2
T
his sock pattern is radically different and very simple to
knit. Each sock is knitted in a single strip that runs from
the back of the leg, around the heel, across the bottom of
the foot, around the toes, and up the instep and front of the
leg. The strip is worked in two halves, each from the center of
the leg/foot outward. Stitches are cast on for the entire length
of the strip, garter stitch is worked for an eighth of the foot cir-
cumference, then garter stitch is worked for another eighth of
the foot circumference while the heel and toe are shaped, then
these stitches are placed on a holder. Stitches are picked up from
the cast-on row and the second half is worked to match the first.
The halves are then joined along each side with an easy on-the-
needle grafting method. The ever-inventive designer, Debbie
New, chose to call these socks “the better mousetrap” because
while she had fun experimenting with this new concept, she
does not expect it to replace the tried and true.
Second Half of Lavender Sock
With RS facing, pick up and knit 1 st from the loop at the base of
each cast-on st (see illustration next page), picking up the half-
loops at each end of the row to give a total of 170 sts, and at the same
time, place markers to mark placement of heel and toe as for the first
half (markers should line up with the heel and toe decs of the first
half). Work garter stitch without decs as for the first half until there
are a total of 14 garter ridges on both RS and WS (including garter
ridges worked on the first half). Shape heel and toe: Cont in garter
st, dec 1 st (k2tog) before and after each marker every RS row 5
times—150 sts rem; there will be 18 garter ridges on the RS and
19 garter ridges on the WS.
Finishing
Place instep sts on one smaller needle and leg and foot sts on
another smaller needle (or place each on the shank of circular
needle), fold piece in half with WS facing each other. Using Deb-
bie’s super simple grafting technique (see box) and working from
leg cuff to toe, graft the two groups of sts tog (to form a side seam).
Repeat for the other sock half. Weave in loose ends.
STRIPED SOCKS
With pink, CO and place markers as for lavender socks—170
sts.
First Half of Striped Sock
With pink, work garter st until there are 4 garter ridges on RS
and 3 garter ridges on WS. Cut off pink. With olive, work 2
 rows even. Shape heel and toe: Dec 1 st
before and after each marker every RS row
5 times, and at the same time, change to
lime after a total of 6 ridges have been
worked on RS, and change to purple after
10 ridges have been worked on RS (i.e.,
work the last row only in purple), being
sure to make color changes on RS rows—
150 sts rem. Place sts on holder.
Second Half of Striped Sock
Before grafting, this sock has an unlikely With pink and RS facing, pick up and knit
shape. (Note that Debbie changed the stripe 1 st from loop at the base of each cast-on
sequence on this sock. Instructions are given st (see illustration below), picking up half-
for stripe sequence of sock on page 98.) loops at each end of row to give a total of
Picking Up Stitches From the Cast-On Edge
Insert the needle into the back loop of the cast-on row and
draw up a loop of working yarn, making sure that the purl
bumps of the cast-on row remain visible just below the needle.
170 sts, and at the same time, place mark-
ers to mark placement of heel and toe as
for first half (markers should line up with
the heel and toe decs of first half). Work
garter stitch without decs as for first half
until there are a total of 14 garter ridges
(including garter ridges worked on first
half). Change to olive and work 2 rows
even—15 garter ridges. Shape heel and
toe: Dec 1 st before and after each marker
every RS row 5 times, and at the same time,
change to lime after a total of 16 ridges
have been worked on RS, and change to
purple after 20 ridges have been worked
on RS (i.e., work last row only in purple),
being sure to make color changes on RS
rows—150 sts rem. Place sts on holder.
Finishing
With purple, graft live sts as for lavender
socks. Y

Debbie New lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

Debbie’s Super-Simple On-the-Needles Grafting

Transfer each set of stitches to be grafted to a smaller circular needle than was used
for the knitting; work with the stitches on the flexible cable. For St st grafting, work
with right sides held together so that purl bumps formed by grafting will be on the
wrong side. For grafting rev St st, as for these socks, work with wrong sides held to-
gether, i.e., work with right side facing you. The purl bumps formed by the grafting
will be visible as you work, and for these socks, will end up on the right side. Begin-
ning with the side where the working yarn is still attached, thread yarn on a tapestry
needle and graft as follows: Pass the threaded needle straight through the end stitches
on both needles (Figure 1). *Pass the needle through the
next available stitch on the needle where the yarn is, then
back into the stitch already worked on the other needle,
and draw the yarn through both stitches. The needle should
pass through the stitches so they lie naturally, that is, from
front to back on knit stitches and from back to front on purl
stitches (Figure 2). Do not remove sts from the needles, Figure 1
thereby keeping the tension even. Pull the grafting yarn
with about the same tension as used while knitting. Repeat
from * until no stitches remain unworked. Remove needles
and fasten off yarn.

*CORRECTION ON FIGURE 2
*
The sewing needle should be going in through the second
stitch on the back needle as shown, but should come out
through the first stitch on the front needle, not the second Figure 2
as shown.

Better Mousetrap Socks originally published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2001. ©Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
publishers of Interweave Knits magazine…join the online knitting community at KnittingDaily.com
Visit InterweaveStore.com/knittingpatterns for more great patterns!
page 3
 Make Mousetrap Socks in Every Size

D
ebbie’s sock pattern can be adapted to fit any size foot at nearly any gauge. To adapt the pattern placement of the heel and toe as before, making
to your size and gauge follow the numbers provided here. Note that the leg back has the same sure that the markers line up with the heel and
toe decs of the first half. Work even garter st
number of sts as the foot, and the instep has twice as many sts as the foot minus half the number
without decs until there are
of garter ridges in each knitted strip (1⁄8 the sock circumference). The numbers suggested in the tables
are slightly smaller than the actual finished measurements to account for the natural stretch of garter 3 (4 5 6 63⁄4 71⁄2 81⁄4 91⁄4 101⁄4)"
st. You can alter the length of the leg by changing the back and instep sts by the same amount. To
change the width, knit fewer or more ridges in the straight (not decreased) sections, keeping in mind (5) 8 8 8 8 11 11 14 14 17

that adding one ridge in each section will increase the sock circumference by a total of 4 ridges. (51⁄2) 8 8 11 11 11 14 14 17 17
The instructions are presented in table form with the sizes (from 3" to 10¼") in columns and the (6) 11 11 11 11 14 14 17 17 20
gauge (from 5 to 71⁄2 sts/inch) in rows. Find your gauge along the left side of the table, then follow the (61⁄2) 11 11 11 11 14 17 20 20 20
row across to the size you want to make. (7) 11 11 11 14 14 17 20 20 23
(71⁄2) 14 14 14 14 17 17 20 23 23
Finished Length from Heel to Toe formed by the CO, work garter st (knit every
row) until the RS has garter ridges on both RS and WS, counting both
3 4 5 6 63⁄4 71⁄2 81⁄4 91⁄4, 101⁄4"
knitted sections.
3 (4 5 6 63⁄4 71⁄2 81⁄4 91⁄4 101⁄4)"
7.5 10 12.5 15 17 19 21 23.5 26 cm
Shape heel and toe: Cont in garter st, dec 1 st
(k2tog) each side of each marker every RS row
(5) 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 6
Finished Circumference (5) 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 6
(51⁄2) 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6
5 5 5 5 ⁄2
1
6 7 8 8 9" (51⁄2) 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6
(6) 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 7
12.5 12.5 12.5 14 15 18 20.5 20.5 23 cm (6) 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 7
(61⁄2) 4 4 4 4 5 6 7 7 7
(61⁄2) 4 4 4 4 5 6 7 7 7
(7) 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 8
First Half of Sock (7) 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 8
Using the Continental method (see Glossary), (71⁄2) 5 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8
(71⁄2) 5 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8
CO garter ridges, ending having just worked a WS
row. The WS will have 1 less garter ridge. times. Total sts rem:
3 4 5 6 63⁄4 71⁄2 81⁄4 91⁄4 101⁄4"
Shape heel and toe: Cont in garter st, dec 1 st (5) 42 62 82 102 112 128 134 154 168
(5) 15 20 25 30 34 38 41 46 51 (k2tog) each side of each marker every RS row
(51⁄2) 50 70 84 108 124 134 150 168 188
(51⁄2) 17 22 27 33 37 41 45 51 56 (5) 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 6
(6) 48 72 96 120 130 150 164 188 206
(6) 18 24 30 36 40 45 50 56 62 (51⁄2) 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6
(61⁄2) 56 80 104 132 142 160 174 198 226
(61⁄2) 20 26 32 39 43 49 54 60 67 (6) 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 7
(7) 60 88 116 138 158 172 190 218 240
(7) 21 28 35 42 47 52 58 65 72 (61⁄2) 4 4 4 4 5 6 7 7 7
(71⁄2) 62 90 122 150 164 188 210 232 264
(71⁄2) 23 30 38 45 50 56 63 70 78 (7) 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 8
sts for leg back, pm, cont to CO another Total garter ridges on RS:
(71⁄2) 5 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8
(5) 10 10 10 10 14 14 18 18 22
(5) 15 20 25 30 34 38 41 46 51 times, ending with a RS row. Total sts rem:
(51⁄2) 10 10 14 14 14 18 18 22 22
(51⁄2) 17 22 27 33 37 41 45 51 56 (5) 42 62 82 102 112 128 134 154 168
(6) 14 14 14 14 18 18 22 22 26
(6) 18 24 30 36 40 45 50 56 62 (51⁄2) 50 70 86 108 124 134 150 168 188
(61⁄2) 14 14 14 14 18 22 26 26 26
(61⁄2) 20 26 32 39 43 49 54 60 67 (6) 48 72 96 120 130 150 164 188 206
(7) 14 14 14 18 18 22 26 26 30
(7) 21 28 35 42 47 52 58 65 72 (61⁄2) 56 80 104 132 142 160 174 198 226
(71⁄2) 18 18 18 18 22 22 26 30 30
(71⁄2) 23 30 38 45 50 56 63 70 78 (7) 60 88 116 138 158 172 190 218 240
Total garter ridges on WS:
sts for bottom of foot, pm, then CO (71⁄2) 62 90 122 150 164 188 210 232 264
(5) 11 11 11 11 15 15 19 19 23
(5) 24 34 44 54 60 68 72 82 90 Total garter ridges on both RS and WS:
(51⁄2) 11 11 15 15 15 19 19 23 23
(51⁄2) 28 38 48 58 66 72 80 90 100 (5) 5 5 5 5 7 7 9 9 11
(6) 15 15 15 15 19 19 23 23 27
(6) 28 40 52 64 70 80 88 100 110 (51⁄2) 5 5 7 7 7 9 9 11 11
(61⁄2) 15 15 15 15 19 23 27 27 27
1
(6 ⁄2) 32 44 56 70 76 86 94 106 120 (6) 7 7 7 7 9 9 11 11 13
(7) 15 15 15 19 19 23 27 27 31
(7) 34 48 62 74 84 92 102 116 128 (61⁄2) 7 7 7 7 9 11 13 13 13
(71⁄2) 19 19 19 19 23 23 27 31 31
1
(7 ⁄2) 36 50 66 80 88 100 112 124 140 (7) 7 7 7 9 9 11 13 13 15
(71⁄2) 9 9 9 9 11 11 13 15 15 Finishing
sts for instep and front of leg. Total CO sts:
Place sts on smaller cir needle with point protec- Place live sts on smaller cir needle. Cut yarn,
(5) 54 74 94 114 128 144 154 174 192
tors on tips to prevent sts from slipping off. Cut leaving a tail 3 times the length of the seam to
1
(5 ⁄2) 62 82 102 124 140 154 170 192 212 yarn, leaving a 2-yd (2-m) tail for grafting. be grafted. Fold sock in half with wrong sides
(6) 64 88 112 136 150 170 188 212 234 held tog. Draw a loop of the needle shank out
(61⁄2) 72 96 120 148 162 184 202 226 254 Second Half of Sock bet the two groups of sts so they lie beside each
With RS facing, pick up and knit 1 st from each other. Graft sides tog in rev St st from cuff to
(7) 76 104 132 158 178 196 218 246 272 toe as shown in box on previous page. Repeat
loop at base of cast-on sts of the first half, pick-
1
(7 ⁄2) 82 110 142 170 188 212 238 264 296 ing up the half-loops at each end of the row to for the other side of sock. Weave in loose ends.
Do not weave in the tail end of yarn. The first give the same number of sts as originally cast on, For infant bootie, insert elastic or tie cord
row is a RS row. Counting the garter ridge and at the same time, place two markers to mark above ankle. Y

Better Mousetrap Socks originally published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2001. ©Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
publishers of Interweave Knits magazine…join the online knitting community at KnittingDaily.com
Visit InterweaveStore.com/knittingpatterns for more great patterns!
page 4
 Continental (Long-Tail) Cast-On
L e a v i n g a l o n g t a i l ( a b o u t 1⁄ 2” t o 1 ” [ 1 . 3 t o
2.5 cm] for each stitch to be cast on), make a slipknot
and place on right needle. Place thumb and index finger
of left hand between yarn ends so that working yarn is
around index finger and tail end is around thumb. Secure Figure 1 Figure 2
ends with your other fingers and hold palm upwards,
Illustrations by Gayle Ford

making a V of yarn (Figure 1). Bring needle up through

loop on thumb (Figure 2), grab first strand around index
finger with needle, and go back down through loop on
thumb (Figure 3). Drop loop off thumb and, placing
thumb back in V configuration, tighten resulting stitch
on needle (Figure 4). Figure 3 Figure 4

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Better Mousetrap Socks originally published in Interweave Knits, Fall 2001. ©Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
publishers of Interweave Knits magazine…join the online knitting community at KnittingDaily.com
Visit InterweaveStore.com/knittingpatterns for more great patterns!
page 5