Tutorial: Twisted Prime Socks

Twisted Prime Socks were created in response to a challenge in a Ravelry group to knit something using prime numbers.  Such numbers cans be found in abundance in this pattern.  I recommend it for more experienced sock knitters because this is my first written pattern.  You will notice as you follow it that I'm not found of abbreviations, and simply write out what you are to do. This pattern uses about 5 ounces of fingering weight sock wool (they weighed 4.35 ounces finished but it's good to have a bit extra). I used a two ply, handspun wool and silk blend and size 0 double pointed needle. You will want to go up one if you are a tight knitter as I am not. Cast on 65 stitches (13 repeats of 5). Knit 3, purl 2 for 11 rounds. Round 12: Put a purl stitch on cable needle hold it behind, knit one, purl 1, knit one behind, put a knit stitch on a cable needle bring it in front, purl one then knit the one on the needle, keep doing this all the way around. (you will actually be crossing your first stitch behind your round marker. don't let this bother you.) Round 13: purl 1, knit one behind, purl 1, knit 2 Round 14: same as last Round 15: purl 1, knit one behind, purl 1, baby cable stitch with two stiches (see page 40 of Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitted Patterns for directions). Essentially, you knit two stiches together but don't totally slip those two stiches off until you've gone back and pulled a second new stich through the rightmost original stitch.  Then you let the two old stiches go and keep the two new ones. This gives you the same effect as using a cable needle without all the fumbling. Do this the entire round The next two rounds are purl 1 knit one behind, purl 1, knit two. On the third row, you do the baby cable stitch at the knit two. Continue in this way--twisting one round and knitting the other two-- until you've created five rounds with baby cable twists, with the twist every third round. On the third round after completing your last twist get out your cable needle and undo what you did in Row twelve to bring your pattern back to the original knit 3 purl 2.  This should line up with the knit 3 purl 2 you started with. Knit 3 and purl 2 for 7 rounds. Triad stitch: on the seventh round you do a cable maneuver I will call Triad Stitch which I "unvented" just for this pattern.  My deep apologies to anyone else who may have also come up with this stitch. Triad Stitch is the combination of the baby cable stitch and a slipped stitch as follows:  Hold first stitch in front on cable needle, knit last two stitches as a baby cable, knit the stitch on the cable needle.  This should make a nice single cross in the front. Then purl two and do the next triad cable.  Keep going until you are done the round. Knit 4 rounds of knit three purl two.  On fifth row do the Triad stitch. Repeat again (you will have three sets of Triad crosses)  Then knit three, purl two for seven rounds. Repeat Row 12--that is cross everything back so you can do what you did: purl 1, knit one behind, purl 1, baby cable stitch.  Once again, cross the baby cables on the third row and do 5 full sets of baby cable crosses. When you are done, get out the cable needles and bring the stitches back to the knit 3 purl 2, do this for two rows and then divide the stitches for the heel. HEEL In this case it works perfectly to put 32 stitches for the heel flap and then save aside 33 for the instep. To keep the instep pattern in good order, I took one extra stitch from one side of the center and one less from the other.  I think you will see what I mean when you get there as this removes an awkward purl stitch from each side of the flap. I do heel flaps with the purl side as slip one, purl one and the other side as slip one knit, knit, knit, knit etc. I keep going until I have enough flap to pick up half the stitches on each side, in this case about 16.  This is about 2 inches of knitting.  If you are a row counter, I suspect you need to two 32 rows in all.  Make sure you end on the knit side.  This should allow you to pick up 16 stiches on each side of the flap.   I then turn the heel, using similar math: slip one, purl 15, purl 2 together, purl 1 turn slip one, knit 2, knit 2 together, knit one turn slip one, purl 3, purl 2 together, purl one turn slip one, knit 4, knit 2 together, knit one turn slip one, purl 5, purl 2 together, purl one turn and so on and so forth until you have 16 stitches--half of the beginning of the heel flap. pick up sixteen stitches on each side of the flap,  This leaves you with 16+16+16+33 stirches on the needle (81 stitches) knit all the way around once and place your markers for the decrease, one before the 33 instep stiches and one after.  After this full round, start decreasing by doing a knit two together  before the marker and a knit one slip one after the marker. Do these two decreases each row and you'll hace a nice angle.  Keep decreasing until you have 55 stitches left on your needles or 11 repeats of 5.  Remember to maintain the knit 3 purl 2 pattern on the instep but keep the bottom plain. You should have the same number of stiches on the instep as you started with--take your decreases before and after the instep stiches! Knit for as long as you would like the sock to be.  When you get to the toe, start making a toe by putting markers before and after the last two purl stitches.  This is an uneven 27/28 split but it will work out nicely.  go ahead and do one round in plain stitch and then start your decreases, four per round, one before and after each marker.  Remember to choose your decrease method so they go in  a pleasing angle relative to your sock.  Keep decreasing until you have 26 stitches total and divide them evenly (13 stitches) onto two needles.  Break off a long length, thread a darning needle and use Kitchener Stitch to sew up . I use the directions in Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears when I forget.  I highly recommend this book and she coined the term "unvented." Below, is a detail of the tops: