I knit these socks for my father whose feet are exactly 12 inches long. Now THAT’s a foot! :-) --And if you are not into knitting Fair Isle, you can use this easy to follow pattern with one color yarn if you are just looking to knit a large to extra large men’s sock. They are knit in the round and from the cuff down, with a slip stitch gusset heel and wedge toe. The length of the foot can be increased as necessary by knitting additional rows before and/or after the foot chart. If you prefer the socks to be smaller, you can begin your decreases before ending the foot chart. Adjusting your needle size and/or yarn weight to obtain your desired gauge is also an option if you wish the socks to be a bit smaller.

For this sock, I used US Size 3 needles for the cuff and US Size 4 for the remainder of the pattern. The yarn I used for these socks is Cascade 220 100% Superwash Merino wool yarn. (Worsted weight, Category 4, 100% soft wool yarn that you can wash and dry.) I have tried to simplify the pattern a bit by knitting the ankle and toe area with only one color. The stitches required in this pattern are stockinette stitch (knit every stitch), K2tog (knit two together), SSK (slip, slip, knit) and the ribbing pattern of K3, P3 (knit 3, purl 3). Picking up and knitting stitches along the heel flap is also required.

Materials Needed, etc.:

Yarn: 5 partial skeins of worsted weight yarn or yarn of your choice (depending on your own personal knitting tension/gauge and size desired) in Charcoal, Maroon, Navy, Baby Denim, and White

Gauge: 22 sts/22 rows = 4” in Stockinette Stitch/Colorwork Pattern

Needles: 1 set (4 or 5 small double-pointed needles) of Size 3 (US)/3.25 mm) DPNs and 1 set of Size 4 (US)/3.5 mm DPNs – or circulars if you are using the Magic Loop method. (Or size needed to obtain gauge. Be sure to knit your test swatch in the charted pattern to ensure correct gauge or to change the gauge if you wish to make the socks smaller or larger.)

Tools: 1 large-eye blunt needle or tapestry needle, stitch markers.

Finished Size:

Circumference 10 inches

Total Foot Length 12 inches

Sock Height 11.5 inches - (If you wish the sock to be
shorter, you can leave off the top two motifs
and knit extra rounds of the grey before and
after the lower motifs in the Leg Chart.