Mock Ribbed Socks

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(Click on photo to enlarge)

I need a couple more pairs of lighter weight socks for summertime wear and I had some nice CoBaSi cotton yarn in my stash.  I really like this yarn.  It’s 55% cotton, 16% bamboo, 8% silk and 31% elastic nylon.  Most of the other cottons I’ve tried are about as heavy or heavier than most of my wool socks so they really aren’t much of a benefit in warmer weather.
  
The label on CoBaSi recommends 6.5 to 8 sts per inch, but I knit the ribbing in T5 and the body at T6 on my standard gauge machine, which gave me a gauge of 9 sts and 12 rows per inch.  I don’t like sloppy socks and these seem to hold their shape well and stay on my feet at this gauge.

I wanted something a bit different than the plain ol’ socks that I normally knit but I really don’t have much patience for hand manipulated lace so this is what I decided on.  After I knit the ribbed cuffs, I converted to circular knitting, then transferred every 6^th stitch to out of work position and knit as I would any other circular sock.  After I worked the shortrowed heel, I continued with the foot in circular but didn’t work the out of work needles on the sole. 

My foot is 10.5” long and 8.5” around; here’s my ‘recipe’:
1.  CO 64 sts, 1x1 ribbing for 56 rows at T5.
2.  For a seam up the back, transfer all stitches to the ribber bed.
3.  Transfer ¼ of the stitches on each side to the main bed to work in circular.
4.  Evenly transfer every 6^th stitch to its neighbor and put the empty needles out of work.
5.  T6, K110 rows circular in ankle.
6.  Work shortrowed heel down to 10 sts.
7.  Keeping the out of work needle pattern on the ribber bed (instep), K124 rows circular for foot.
8.  Work shortrowed toe the same as for the heel.
9.  Scrap off, sew seam up the back of ribbing, graft the toe seam.

Note that I usually run a strand of Woolly Nylon in the heels and toes of my socks.  If I don’t use Woolly Nylon, I lower my tension dial by one full number.