First cuff-down sock and first gusset heel. Not my favorite colour combination, but I think this yarn will wear well.

I’m still in love with self-striping yarn for socks, but I’m branching out here to do cuff-down, plus a very slight pattern, plus a gusset heel.

Although this is light fingering, I am using the US 1 (2.25 mm) needle (as I dislike my size 0 (2.0 mm) which pokes me). Knit 56 stitches pattern.

Notes:

• used Twisted German/Old Norwegian cast on link text. The purple from the ball was at front, and ended up as the edge, while the gray tail was at the back, took less yarn, and ended up on the needles.
• started the heel on the second half of the round before any purple started.
• knit every second row all the way through the toe decreases, then an extra row, then kitchener.
• do this next time to get rid of “donkey ears” at kitchener link text

Unintentional mods:

1. started the first sock with black turning to purple. Started the second sock with black turning to purple - however, I didn’t realize there were 2 purple stripes, so I have an extra 1/2 inch length for the second sock. I could remove the excess and bind off, but don’t care enough to do it - no one will see the top of these socks!
2. started pattern, which is a rib pattern, then a knit row. After the heel I started just rib. D’oh! You can see the difference in the 3rd picture above and below the black stripe. Second sock, all rib! Do the pattern - it is cute!

Alternative cast-on for top-down - Chinese Waitress

Summary of Sock Yarns I have:
Jitterbug - heaviest 266 yards/100 g - sport!
Miss Babs Cosmic - heavy 350 yards/100 g
Fiber Optics - heavy 368 yards/100 g
Journey Sock (purple) 400 yards/100 g
Biscotte - 435 yards/100 g
Regia (this sock) light 459 yards/100 g
Abi Grasso - light 460 yards/100 g

Betsy notes
32 rows heel flap. Pick up 16 plus 1.

Toe-up Gusset - start about 3.5 inches from end of heel.

Heel notes from hollyisaac’s Groovy Socks here

My heel is kind of a combination of several types of heels. I work this mini gusset with either a standard short row heel or a Fish Lips Kiss heel.

Here’s how I make my mini gusset (can be worked either cuff down or toe up):
About 1” from where I want my heel to be, I begin increasing 1 stitch at each edge of the sole/heel side every other round 5 or 6 times. That ends up being 10 - 12 rounds, so about an inch. I do my increases this way:
Round 1: Pattern on instep (needle 1); M1, PM, knit across sole or heel side stitches, PM, M1.
Round 2 (and all even rounds): Pattern on instep; knit sole or heel stitches
Round 3: k1, M1, slip marker, knit sole/heel stitches, slip marker, M1, k1.
Round 5: k to marker, M1, slip marker, knit sole/heel stitches, slip marker, M1, k to end.
Repeat round 5 every other round until you have the desired number of stitches on either side of your sole/heel stitches (I usually do this till I have 5 or 6 st on each side). The number of stitches between the markers does not change.

On the next round, if using a contrasting color for the heel, I knit the “gusset” stitches to 1 stitch past the first marker, drop the main color, attach the CC and continue doing whatever type of short row heel is preferred. I divide my short row heel into thirds rather than half. So like if I have a 72 st sock, I’m working with 36 st. So I wrap and turn or do twin or double stitches until I have 12 stitches left unworked in the center, and there are 12 stitches wrapped or whatever on each side. This creates a deeper heel than the usual short row heel where you would leave half the stitches left unworked in the center. So you don’t need as big of a gusset, which is perfect for those self-striping yarns. The heel itself ends up being about 2”.

After the heel is complete (ending with a purl row), I cut the CC, pick up the MC and continue across the heel all the way to the end, and begin working in the round again.

On the next round I begin decreasing those gusset stitches out every other round till I’m back to my original stitch count.