Sock-A-Roo's Baby Socks

Here is the free pattern for my quick-to-make baby socks. I call them Sock-A-Roo's....don't ask me why:) These are fun and are a standard cuff-down pattern. I can usually knit a pair in a day. These should fit a newborn to 3 mos, as written. I am working on a large size to fit 6-18 mos. I imagine, if you went up a needle size using this pattern, that would make a larger sock as well. I designed these to be do-able with leftover sock yarn. That's what I did. Also, keep in mind that you can adjust the patterning and length of the cuff as well as the length of the foot to suit your taste or provide a better fit. Here we go....

Note: When knitting socks, I always look at the yarn tail to tell where a new round begins. If you need to use markers to help you, then do. You will need to know where the round begins at the point when you begin the heel of the sock, forward. Needle 1 is the first needle of the round.

Materials
~Fingering weight yarn of your choice/about 75-80 yds. (I used leftovers of Knit Picks Essential Multi in colorway 'Tuscany.')
~Set of 5 size 1 DPN's
~Tapestry Needle

With 3DPN's and fingering wt. yarn, cast on 36 sts.
Divide sts. over 3 needles, 12 sts. each.
Being careful not to twist, join for knitting in the round.
K2, P2 rib for 6 rows.
Change to stockinette stitch and knit until piece measures 2" from cast-on edge.

Heel Setup:
Re-arrange sts. in the following way:
needle 1~9(11) sts, needle 2~18 sts, needle 3~9 sts. I usually start at needle 1 and knit 9sts. onto that, knit 18 sts. onto needle 2 and 9 remaining sts. onto needle 3. I then knit back across needle one in order to get to the heel sts.

Heel Flap:
When you are ready to knit the heel, the next 12+ rounds will be knit on the 18 heel sts. only.
Row 1:*s1, k1, repeat from * across. Turn.
Row 2: s1, purl across, turn.
Rows 3-12: Repeat rows 1 and 2, ending on row 2.

Turn Heel:
Row 1:Slip 1, k9, k2tog, k1, turn. [5 sts. left unworked]
Row 2:Slip 1, p3, p2tog, p1, turn. [5 sts. left unworked]
Row 3:Slip 1, k to 1 stitch before gap, k2tog over the gap, k1, turn.
Row 4: slip 1, p to 1 stitch before gap, p2tog over gap, p1, turn.
Continue rows 3 and 4 until all stitches have been consumed. You should have 10 heel sts.
Knit across these ten stitches and get ready to pick up stitches.

Gusset:
With free needle, pick up a stitch in each stitch along side of the heel flap. These are the instep stitches. You should be picking up 7 sts. Knit across the next needle and then pick up 7 more stitches along the other side of the heel flap. Knit half of the heel stitches onto the needle with the second set of picked up stitches. You should now be knitting in the round again.
On needle 1, there should be half the heel stitches and the 1st set of picked up stitches, 12 sts. On needle 2, there should be all the stitches for the top of the foot 18 sts. On needle 3, there should be the second set of picked up stitches and the other half of the heel stitches, another 12 sts. Needles 1 and 3 should have the same number of stitches. Knit 1 round and get ready to decrease for the gusset.

Decrease for Gusset
Round 1:
Knit across needle 1 to the last 3 sts. K2tog, k1.
Knit across needle 2.
Knit1, ssk, knit across needle 3.
Round 2:
Knit
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until there are only 9 sts. on both needles 1 and 3. You are now back to your original number of sts for this sock, 36 total. Continue knitting the foot until it is 2 1/2 " long. Begin decreasing for toe.
Toe:
Row1:
-Needle 1:Knit to last 3 sts. K2tog, k1.
-Needle 2:Knit 1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
-Needle 3:Knit 1, ssk, knit across.
Row2: Knit

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until there are 12 sts. total. Divide stitches so that there are 6 on each of two needles. Graft together using Kitchner stitch. If you've never done this or need a refresher, here's a good tutorial.

Enjoy!