Top down socks using shell lace pattern which is carried down the instep.
Difficulty: Medium
Size: Ladies Medium (I wear size 6½ shoe). This yarn is stretchy and forgiving, so just make the foot longer to accommodate a larger foot.
Materials:
- 1 Ball Plymouth Bungee (95% Superwash Wool, 5% Elite Spandex, 403 yards per ball), Color 24 Teal
- Size 4 Double Pointed Needles, set of 4 (or 5 if preferred)
- Notions: tapestry needle, scissors
Gauge: 13 stitches = 2” (Row measurement is not vital. Just make the sock leg and foot to your size requirements.)
Pattern Notes: I’m a tight knitter, so if you know that you knit rather loosely, you’ll want to try these socks on smaller needles.
About Knitting Lace: Make sure you have experience with knitting lace back and forth before you attempt to knit these lace socks in the round! Also make sure you have experience knitting socks from the top down. There’s just no way I can help you knit this through the internet. Your best bet would be to make a new friend who is an awesome knitter!
My Sock Philosophy: Please read my blog post entitled “My Sock Philosophy” in which I explain why I knit socks the way I do. Stitch Pattern: Shell Lace Pattern This pattern is from Barbara Breiter but I converted it to be knit in the round.) ALSO, when beginning each even row you need to “borrow” the last stitch of the odd row. That means that the Sl 1 stitch of the even row is really the last stitch of the row you just finished.
Shell Lace Socks
Please feel free to use this pattern for your personal use only.
Nancyknit's Blog 
I really like the look of the socks and I’m trying to make them but I’m thoroughly confused on how to do the gusset decreases. I’ve tried it a couple of different ways but it’s not working out. If I follow the way the pattern is written, the pattern stitches across the instep get decreased only on the left side but none of the gusset stitches are decreased. I must be missing something. Can you explain further? Thank you.
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Here’s how I approached the decreases in this lace pattern. I think of lace as a series of equal yarn-overs and decreases. In the case of the shell lace pattern, there is a double decrease (sl1, k2tog, psso) with a yarn-over on either side of it. Sometimes the yarn-over is 5 stitches away from the decrease, but it’s still there, maintaining an equal number of stitches. For the gusset decreases which happen every other row on the sock, the “sl1, k2tog, psso” can be used as a single decrease as long as you only put the yarn-oversin the instep stitches. I did not make a yarn-over before or after the 27 gusset stitches. I hope that explains it!
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