Sidewinders: The Prologue

On Mother's Day -- while the nona-boys made me laugh and cooked me dinner -- I knit my first sideways sock.  I was simultaneously thrilled and distraught by the resulting sock.  What a fabulous idea, but a lousy fit.  This juxtaposition of emotions sent me whirling on a quest, a quest for a well-fit sideways sock.  After much noodling, experimenting, and swatching I fixed upon a design that works for me.  Perhaps you'll enjoy it as well.

If nonaKnits Sidewinders, than you can too!

Starting today I'll be sharing my Sidewinders pattern with you serial style.  We'll start with the Prologue, followed over the next five days by 4 Acts and a Grand Finale.  I encourage you, my adventurous friends, to grab your supplies, measure your foot, and knit along.

Acknowledgments

1. Thank you to all the commenters who left creative naming suggestions for these socks.  I cannot tell you how much fun it was to read your ideas and to visit your blogs.  Special Thank-Yous need to go to Monica for suggesting "Sidewinders" and to Grumperina for suggesting "Perpensockular".  I love both and have named this pattern, "Sidewinders: A PerpenSOCKular Pattern".

2. Thank you to Priscilla Gibson-Roberts for popularizing short-rowed heels and toes for hand knit socks.  The heels and toes for the Sidewinders are proportioned based on her short-rowed couterparts, but are knit in the perpendicular direction using paired increases and decreases instead of short-rows.

3. Thank you to Charlene Schurch for the size chart in her excellent book, Sensational Knitted Socks.  I used this chart as my primary resource when determining the "To Fit" measurements for the Sidewinders.

Without further adieu, I bring you the first installment of Sidewinders: A PerpenSOCKular Pattern.

Sidewinders: A PerpenSOCKular Pattern

Gauge

30 stitches and 40 rows in 4 inches -- worked in stockinette stitch, flat (back and forth)

Materials

Yarn

Super Fine #1 -- you'll need about 320 yards for an average sized pair of socks.  A little more for larger socks and a little less for smaller ones.  Most of the popular sock yarns fall into the Super Fine #1 weight category.  For example, I've used Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Socks that Rock Light Weight, Opal's sock yarn, and Louet's Gems Fingering Weight.

Needles

A circular needle in the size required to get a gauge of 30 sts and 40 rows in 4 inches using the yarn of your choice -- typically something in the neighborhood of a US 2.  Why a circular needle?  Even though the Sidewinders are knit back and forth, you need the flexibility of the circular needle to accommodate the curve of the heel and toe.  A 2nd circular needle close in size is needed for the Grand Finale.

Sizing & Measurements

Both the length and the circumference of your Sidewinders are set by the size you select.  Since I'm shooting for a well-fitting sock, I've written the pattern for 12 sizes -- 4 different lengths each with 3 different widths.  Please select the size based on you shoe size and/or actual foot measurements in inches.  If measuring the circumference of your foot, please measure around the widest point -- typically around the ball of your foot.

Ease: Due to the difference in vertical and horizontal stretch of knit fabric, the finished foot length is intended to be about 1 inch shorter than the To Fit length and the finished circumference is about the same as the To Fit circumference.

	Shoe Size			Foot Length		Circumference
	US	EUR	Width	To Fit	Finished	To Fit	Finished
6-7N	6-7	36-37	Narrow	9 1/4"	8 1/4"	7 1/8"	7 1/4"
6-7M	6-7	36-37	Medium	9 1/4"	8 1/4"	8 1/8"	8"
6-7W	6-7	36-37	Wide	9 1/4"	8 1/4"	9"	9 1/8"
7-8N	7-8	37-38	Narrow	9 1/2"	8 1/2"	7 1/4"	7 1/4"
7-8M	7-8	37-38	Medium	9 1/2"	8 1/2"	8 1/8"	8 1/4"
7-8W	7-8	37-38	Wide	9 1/2"	8 1/2"	9"	9 1/8"
8-9N	8-9	38-39	Narrow	9 3/4"	8 3/4"	7 5/8"	7 5/8"
8-9M	8-9	38-39	Medium	9 3/4"	8 3/4"	8 1/2"	8 3/4"
8-9W	8-9	38-39	Wide	9 3/4"	8 3/4"	9 3/8"	9 1/2"
9-10N	9-10	39-40	Narrow	10 1/4"	9 1/4"	7 7/8"	8"
9-10M	9-10	39-40	Medium	10 1/4"	9 1/4"	8 3/4"	8 3/4"
9-10W	9-10	39-40	Wide	10 1/4"	9 1/4"	9 3/4"	10"

Test Knitting

To date, the 8-9M and 6-7W Sidewinders have been test knit.  I've check my numbers and calculations carefully, but please use your good sense and judgement when following the pattern.  Patterns are, after all, merely suggestions to the intelligent. 

Instructions

Since the pattern has 12 different sizes, there will be 12 different numbers for any instructions that vary by size.  The numbers will be formatted as follows:  (6-7N, 6-7M, 6-7W) [ (7-8N, 7-8M, 7-8W), (8-9N, 8-9M, 8-9W), (9-10N, 9-10M, 9-10W)]

I recommend that you print a copy of the pattern and highlight your size throughout.

Prologue

Gauge is critical for well fitting Sidewinders.  Please take the time to knit a gauge swatch to determine the needle size you need to use with your yarn to achieve the required gauge of 30 stitches and 40 rows in 4 inches. 

Call me mean, but this is were the pattern stops for today -- I really do want you to knit that gauge swatch, because I really do want your Sidewinders to turn out well.  Tomorrow, in Act I, we'll cast on and begin shaping the first half of the heel.