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Introducing the London Memories Socks, another addition to our fabulous Memories Socks series. These socks were born from our adventures on the World Wide Knit in Public day this summer. Picture this: a delightful yarn crawl, exploring three incredible yarn shops in northern London while traversing the charming Transport for London. You might even spot their iconic logo nestled within the foot section of the sock. And the towering cityscape that adorns the leg perfectly captures London’s essence.

But wait, there’s more! The pièce de résistance of this pattern lies in the afterthought heel. One of our fellow yarn crawl participants diligently knitting away on a bus ride, fashioning a long sock tube. She reveals her secret - she’ll add the heel later for unrivalled focus and less socialising. Talk about the perfect excuse for an afterthought heel!

That’s not all! This pattern also offers a gusset for an impeccable fit. And here’s where it gets interesting: instead of the usual trapezoid afterthought heel, you can experiment with a Dutch heel using a reinforced slip stitch pattern. Get ready for an extraordinary knitting experience with the London Memories Socks!

See an Instagram Live Q&A recording to learn more about the pattern.

Difficulty: Intermediate.

Sizes: 1 (2, 3)

Finished foot circumference:

• 17 (20, 23) cm
• 6¾ (8, 9)″

Yarn: fingering weight, allow approximately:

Main colour (MC):

• 165 (210, 250) m
• 180 (230, 275) yds

Contrast colour 1 (CC1):

• 20 (25, 30) m
• 25 (30, 35) yds

Contrast colour 2 (CC2):

• 40 (50, 55) m
• 45 (55, 60) yds

Yarn used in sample (size 2) is The Fibre Company Amble (70% wool, 20% alpaca, 10% nylon): 1 skein (325 m 355 yds / 100 g) in Chalk Cliffs as main colour, one mini skein (81 m 81 yds / 25 g) in Fair Hill as contrast colour 1 and one mini skein (81 m 81 yds / 25 g) in Blackbeck as contrast colour 2. Note: this is a slightly thicker yarn than typical sock yarn.

Gauge: 28 sts & 36 rows = 10 cm / 4″ in Stockinette stitch and colourwork in the round, blocked.

Suggested needles: 2.25-2.75 mm (US 1-2) circulars or DPNs for small circumference knitting.

Notions: Stitch markers, row counter, tape measure, waste yarn.

Techniques used: Judy’s magic cast-on, lifted increases, stranded colourwork, tubular bind-off, and grafting.

Construction notes: The socks are knitted from the toe up, with gusset increases cleverly placed on the bottom of the foot instead of the sides. Waste yarn is used to mark the afterthought heel placement. Some gusset stitches are decreased during the waste yarn placement, but the leg circumference is kept greater than the foot circumference, as colourwork isn’t as stretchy. This ensures the heel can pass through with ease. The leg is worked in the round and finished with a 1x1 twisted rib and tubular bind-off, providing stretchiness. To add the heel, the stitches are picked up around the waste yarn, the waste yarn is removed, and the heel flap is worked flat. Then, the heel is turned, and finally, the remaining sole stitches are grafted together with the heel stitches.