These socks have superb stretch and memory plus  cushiony cotton fabric for all day comfort. 
YARN, GAUGE AND MACHINE  Cascade Elite or Elann Esprit yarn. The two are  virtually identical. Each contains mostly cotton  fibers and has a significant and very strong elastic content blended in that gives them fantastic  stretch and memory. After knitting and washing,  gauge is approximately 8 stitches/11 rows per inch  or (5 stitches/7 rows) if doubled on a mid-gauge  or bulky, but is difficult to measure gauge precisely on fabric this stretchy. The preferred machine for knitting these socks is a double bed Pas-  sap but those with Japanese machines and ribbers may also succeed. For Passaps, use  stitch size 8/8 throughout. Japanese machines try stitch size 9 on the main bed and ad-  just the ribber to match stitch size. Bulkies try stitch size 7. Mid-gauges try 9-10. 

SIZES & YARN CONSUMPTION: Four sizes are given. The first is for small ladies feet, the second for larger ladies and small men, the third for average to large men and the fourth for extra large men. As a reference point, the first size fit a lady with a size 6.5 shoe nicely and the third size a man with size 10.5 shoes. Two balls of yarn will make the first 2 sizes. The larger 2 sizes require 3 balls per pair. Double that for bulky socks Double strand sizes run slightly larger than single strand sizes. Tweak the row count in the foot length to achieve your absolutely perfect fit.