this is pair #57. it's a pair of mojos and i used Opal "Der Kleine Prinz und der Brunnen" 7766. i love to knit and wear mojo socks - i've made a few pairs already:
slow gradient yarns work especially well with this pattern...
...but self-patterning yarns also create funky socks.
but beware: this pattern is not for sockettes who don't like to work ribbing or to purl over longer streches!
(to be honest: i didn't really like making the first pair because of that, but i got used to it and now mojos are a breeze.)
the blog where i first found the pattern i use is sadly no longer available and i know there are lots of other instructions for mojo socks on the internet. they all seem to be a little different with regards to the number of ribbing rounds and the number of knit and purl ribs between the ribbing. some don't have knit and purl ribs opposite the heel, some have more knit and purl ribs on the leg than on the foot, etc. it's all about personal preference really. when you look at my mojos you probably notice that they are rather symmetrical and i like that.
most mojo patterns also continue the pattern on the sole of the sock. the pattern i originally used didn't do that and i think i actually chose it because of that. (i've looked at a few others before and i didn't like the look of either of those.) i haven't tried the all-pattern version but i imagine it not being very nice to wear to be honest.
i've made a slight adjustment to the pattern. when you look at the above pictures you can see that there is a rib of purl rounds all around the ankle right above the heel. while this is not a huge bother i always felt like this purl rib wants to flatten itself out and pushes the heel down a little. i want the heels of my socks to stay where they are supposed to - on the heel of my foot.
i've tried this adjustment for the first time on the latest pair of mojos: the last purl rib before the heel gets treated like the foot of the sock: i continue with the pattern only on the top half of the sock.
here you have 10 rounds of plain knitting between the last pattern feature (another rib or purl rounds) and the beginning of the heel. i think this makes the heel sit and stay in place better.
here's the whole pattern:
- cast on the desired number of stitches (as long as it's a multiple of 4 - i used 60)
- 20 rounds *knit 2 - purl 2*
- purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
= 7 striped ribs - 20 rounds *knit 2 - purl 2*
- purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds ONLY ON THE TOP HALF OF THE SOCK - KNIT THE BACK/BOTTOM HALF
work your favourite heel - take care to continue the striped rib-pattern on the top half of the sock:
if you are doing a short row heel use the next 5 knit rounds to fit the heel in there before you move on to the next purl rib (which will be part of the foot already).
if you are doing a flap and heel turn, finish the remaining purl and knit ribs while you work the gusset decreases.
in both cases there should be a total of 7 striped ribs again.
AFTER THE HEEL work the pattern ONLY ON THE TOP HALF OF THE STITCHES - the sole is in stockinette stitch.
knit 5 rounds - place short row heel here!
purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
= 7 striped ribs - 20 rounds *knit 2 - purl 2*
- purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
knit 5 rounds
purl 5 rounds
= 7 striped ribs
try or measure the sock somewhere before the ribs are done - take into account that the purl ribs can strech out quite a bit but don't overstrech them. (for my feet (EU size 39 - UK size 5,5) i start the toe right after the ribs.)
when your sock is ready for the toe, either knit the toe in stockinette stitch or *k2-p2* between the decreases. as you have fewer and fewer stitches between the decreases you need to pay attention to the order of the knit and purl stitches.
if your sock doesn't quite fit yet, continue with *knit 2 - purl 2* until the sock is long enough to start the toe.
mojo socks make great winter socks because the leg is rather long. you can either pull it all the way up or push it down and have a lovely bunch of softness around the ankles.
I also have patterns for a sneaker mojo and a junior mojo (which also includes a sneaker version of the junior mojo) if you want a sorter or smaller size version.
pair #58 is a pair of scrahappy socks for T. he was so fascinated by my first pair and insisted that i never take them off again because he wants my feet to always be this colourful. since that's not quite possible i made him his own pair and he loves them. there are about 24 different yarns in both socks together.
pair #59 is one i love especially. it's made of leftovers from two different gradient yarns - one changing colours faster than the other - and i think the result is absolutely stunning! i just want to stare at these socks all day... i call them Dr. Seuss Socks because when i was about halfway through making the first one - the darker one, on the right - i picked it up to continue working on it and without thinking about it i said to my husband "you know, this looks like Dr. Seuss" and i don't even know that many of his stories...
this is pair #60. i can hardly believe it - #60! it's opal sweet2&spicy2 in "chilli". but i don't think it looks like chilli very much. it looks rather like pink pepper. i made caterpillar socks again - i like how quick they are to make and they add just a touch of interest to an otherwise plain stockinette stitch sock. i modified the pattern a little: i changed every other purl rib from "purl 5 rounds" to "purl 1 rd - knit 1 rd - purl 1 rd - knit 1 rd - purl 1 rd". i don't even know why i did that exactly but it gives it a nice and soft look.
this pair is all ready to be gifted away and there is some yarn left for a little pair for myself as well.
i made an acetate tag and wrote on it on both sides, in different directions and with different colours. i've been wanting to try this in one of my journals for a long time and now that i see it on the tag i have a lot of inspirational images of acetate journal pages popping up in my head...
my current sock is another stripy one made from leftovers of single spun sock yarn. somehow i don't want to knit in the single spun - such as zauberball - with the "normal" 4-ply scraps when i'm making scrahappy socks. and alternating between two different yarns that slowly change colours gives a very unique effect. this one looks like a Punschkrapferl...
happy socking everone!