What could be sweeter than sending a love letter? Perhaps these Love Letter Socks! A pleasing pattern overall, you’ll see little envelopes upon closer inspection and some are opened with little heart letters peeping out. Knit in sock weight yarn in the stranded colorwork technique each sock is knit top down with an afterthought heel. It uses two high contrast colors and a pop of color for the heart squares, “love” band, heels and toes. What colors will you use to profess your love?
Time: 1 Week Project
Skill Level: Advanced
Size: Adult medium –8” foot circumference
Gauge: 40 sts and 44 rnds = 4” [10 cm] in stranded St st after wet blocking
Materials
Yarn:
Emma’s Practically Perfect Sock (80% superwash Merino, 20% nylon; 400 yards [366 meters]/100 grams): Sweet Magnolia (MC, 1 skein)
Emma’s Practically Perfect Halves (80% superwash Merino, 20% nylon; 200 yards [183 meters]/50 grams): Tealicious (CC, 1 skein)
Emma’s Practically Perfect Smalls (80% superwash Merino, 20% nylon; 81 yards [74 meters]/20 grams): Drops of Jupiter (A [LOVE, heart], 1 skein), Don’t Call Me Peaches (B [heart], 1 skein), Briar Rose (C [heart], 1 skein), Party Time (D [toes], 1 skein), Foxy Lady (E [heels], 1 skein)
Needles: US size 1 (2.25 mm) dpns
Notions: Stitch markers, waste yarn for afterthought heel, tapestry needle
Abbreviations:
kf&b – knit into the front and back of the same st (1 st increased)
Pattern Notes
The sock is worked in the round from the cuff down with an afterthought heel. This pattern is knit in the stranded knitting method from charts. Stranded knitting is not stretchy. Catch floats every 3-4 stitches, being careful not to pull floats too tight. The main color of the sock is the dominant color. The hearts are worked in the intarsia colorwork method.
Pattern
With MC, CO 76 sts using German Twist cast-on or another stretch cast-on.
Divide stitches onto 3 dpns, join to work in the rnd making sure not to twist.
Cuff
Rnds 1-12: [K1, p1] around.
Rnds 13-14: Knit.
LOVE band
Distribute sts onto 3 needles as follows: 19 sts on Needle 1, 19 sts on Needle 2, 38 sts on Needle 3.
Chart A is repeated 4 times around sock.
Rnds 1-7: With MC and A, knit Chart 1.
Break A leaving an 8” tail and cont with MC.
Rnd 8: Knit.
Rnd 9: [K37, kf&b] 2 times. (78 sts)
Rnd 10: With CC, knit.
Rnd 11: With MC, knit.
Love Letter pattern with Intarsia Hearts
Distribute 26 sts onto each of the 3 needles.
Chart B is repeated 6 times around sock. You can place a marker after 13 sts on each needle to indicate pattern repeat.
Chart C (intarsia heart) can be knit in place of Chart B as many times as you like on the sock and in any position.
To knit the Intarsia Heart, cut 2 strands of desired color of yarn each 36” in length. On Row 1 of chart, knit 6 sts with strand 1 and 5 sts with strand 2. On row 2, knit 5 sts with strand 1 and 6 sts with strand 2 interlocking them so there is no gap. AT THE SAME TIME, catch floats of MC and CC every 3-4 sts. Continue in this manner, knitting with strand 1 on the right side of the heart and strand 2 on the left side of the heart.
To duplicate pattern as shown, follow directions for heart placement as follows.
Rnds 1-12: With CC and MC, knit Chart B (no hearts).
Rnd 13: With CC, knit.
Rnd 14: With MC, knit.
Rnds 15-26: With CC and MC, knit Chart B 3 times over 39 sts, with B and CC, knit Chart C 1 time over 13 sts, with CC and MC, knit Chart B 2 times over last 26 sts.
Rnd 27: With CC, knit.
Rnd 28: With MC, knit.
Rnds 29-40: With A and CC, knit Chart C 1 time over 13 sts, with CC and MC, knit Chart B 5 times over 65 sts.
Rnd 41: With CC, knit.
Rnd 42: With MC, knit.
Rnds 43-54: With CC and MC knit Chart 2 (no hearts).
Rnd 55: With CC, knit.
Placement of Afterthought Heel
Distribute sts onto 3 needles as follows: 19 sts on Needle 1, 20 sts on Needle 2, 39 sts on Needle 3.
Rnd 56: With waste yarn and leaving a 6” tail, knit 39 sts. Break waste yarn leaving a 6” tail. Return to the beginning of Needle 1, with MC, knit to end.
Distribute 26 sts onto each of the 3 needles.
Foot
Rnds 57-68: With CC and MC, knit Chart 2 (no hearts).
Rnd 69: With CC, knit.
Rnd 70: With MC, knit.
Rnds 71-82: With CC and MC, knit Chart 2 (no hearts).
Rnd 83: With CC, knit.
Rnd 84: With MC, knit
Rnds 85-96: With CC and MC, knit Chart B 4 times over 56 sts, with C and CC, knit Chart C 1 time over 13 sts, with CC and MC, knit Chart B 1 time over 13 sts.
Rnd 97: With CC, knit.
Rnd 98: With MC, knit
Rnds 99-105: With CC and MC, knit Chart 2 (no hearts).
Rnd 106: With CC, knit.
Break CC leaving an 8” tail.
Rnd 107: With MC, knit.
Break MC leaving an 8” tail.
Toe
Distribute sts onto 3 needles as follows: 19 sts on Needle 1, 20 sts on Needle 2, 39 sts on Needle 3.
Rnd 1: With D, k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before end of Needle 2, k2tog, k1; k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before end of Needle 3, k2tog, k1. (4 sts decreased)
Rnd 2: Knit.
Rep last 2 rnds 9 more times, then rep Rnd 1 four more times. (22 sts rem)
Place 11 sts on each needle. Close opening with Kitchener stitch.
Afterthought Heel
In the row directly below the waste yarn and working right to left, with Needle 1, pick up the right leg of each st across until you have 20 sts. Continuing across with Needle 2, pick up the right leg of each st until you have 19 sts.
In the row directly above the waste yarn and working right to left, with Needle 3, pick up the right leg of each st across until you have 39 sts.
Remove the waste yarn between the needles.
Rnd 1: With E, k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before end of Needle 2, k2tog, k1; k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before end of Needle 3, k2tog, k1. (4 sts decreased)
Rnd 2: Knit.
Rep last 2 rnds 13 more times. (22 sts rem)
Place 11 sts on each needle. Close opening with Kitchener stitch.
Finishing
Using yarn tails, close small holes at corners of heels. Weave in all ends. Wet block to shape.
Chart A – over 19 sts
Row 1: With MC, k2, [with A, k1, with MC, k1] 2 times, with A, k3, with MC, k4, with A, k1, with MC, k4, with A, k1.
Rows 2-3: [With A, k1, with MC, k1] 3 times, with A, k1, with MC, k6, with A, k1, with MC, k3, with A, k1, with MC, k1.
Row 4: [With A, k1, with MC, k1] 3 times, with A, k3, with MC, k4, with A, k1, with MC, k3, with A, k1, with MC, k1.
Rows 5-6: Rep Rows 2-3.
Row 7: With MC, k3, with A, k1, with MC, k2, with A, k3, with MC, k4, with A, k3, with MC, k2, with A, k1.
Chart B – over 13 sts
Row 1: With MC, k1, with CC, k11, with MC, k1.
Row 2: With MC, k1, with CC, k5, with MC, k1, with CC, k5, with MC, k1.
Row 3: With MC, k1, with CC, k4, with MC, k3, with CC, k4, with MC, k1.
Row 4: With MC, k1, with CC, k3, with MC, k5, with CC, k3, with MC, k1.
Row 5: With MC, k1, with CC, k2, with MC, k7, with CC, k2, with MC, k1.
Row 6: With MC, k1, with CC, k1, with MC, k9, with CC, k1, with MC, k1.
Row 7: With CC, k1, with MC, k1, with CC, k9, with MC, k1, with CC, k1.
Row 8: With CC, k1, with MC, k2, with CC, k7, with MC, k2, with CC, k1.
Row 9: With CC, k1, with MC, k3, with CC, k5, with MC, k3, with CC, k1.
Row 10: With CC, k1, with MC, k4, with CC, k3, with MC, k4, with CC, k1.
Row 11: With CC, k1, with MC, k5, with CC, k1, with MC, k5, with CC, k1.
Row 12: With CC, k1, with MC, k11, with CC, k1.
Chart C – over 13 sts
Rows 1-2: With MC, k1, with A, k11, with MC, k1.
Row 3: With MC, k1, with A, k2, with CC, k2, with A, k3, with CC, k2, with A, k2, with MC, k1.
Row 4: With MC, k1, with A, k1, with CC, k4, with A, k1, with CC, k4, with A, k1, with MC, k1.
Rows 5-6: With MC, k1, with A, k1, with CC, k9, with A, k1, with MC, k1.
Row 7: With CC, k1, with A, k2, with CC, k7, with A, k2, with CC, k1.
Row 8: With CC, k1, with A, k3, with CC, k5, with A, k3, with CC, k1.
Row 9: With CC, k1, with A, k4, with CC, k3, with A, k4, with CC, k1.
Row 10: With CC, k1, with A, k5, with CC, k1, with A, k5, with CC, k1.
Rows 11-12: With CC, k1, with A, k11, with CC, k1.