Hi, have we met? I like knitting socks. I have stopped remembering a time when I was not knitting socks. In fact, I don’t currently have an active sock project going and it’s making me feel a little weird. Luckily I am about a zillion years behind on starting a pair of socks for my grandfather’s birthday this weekend (he’s turning 95. I have the appropriate-sized self-induced guilt trip for not having started them yet, believe me). I’ve knitted a lot of stockinette socks in my time as a sock knitter and I still do occasionally, but if I’m left to my own devices and I just want the socks and don’t really want to have to actually devote a lot of brain cells to said pair of socks, I knit me those socks in 3×1 ribbing. (Knit 3, purl 1).
I like the ribbing because they are an idge more snug than plain stockinette, and also provide a just-enough level of attention that I don’t get as bored with them. I’ve done a few pairs as gifts as well, and have used a few different kinds of yarn to do so, but it turns out the only ones lingering in my own sock drawer are the ones I’ve made with Socks That Rock lightweight. I appear to hoard all the STR socks for myself.
And they are beautiful and I think maybe I need a week’s worth of them just like I knitted a week’s worth of Lorna’s Laces Jaywalkers.
A little while ago people started asking me about the pattern for these, and I didn’t think it was terribly complex enough to need a pattern, but then I remembered that sometimes people need patterns written down even if they are for things that are not terribly complex, and so I wrote it down.
You can download the pattern for free here as a PDF file (about 2MB):
A Nice Ribbed Sock, or in my Ravelry store as a free download.
I’ve written this up for one size – to comfortably fit foot/ankle circumference of 8-9 inches around, over 64 sts on fingering weight yarn. I use 2.75mm needles to do so – you might need a smaller or larger needle size depending on what you would normally use to get a gauge of 8 sts/inch, so feel free to do what you feel comfortable with. You can easily modify the size by increasing or decreasing the total # of cast on stitches by a multiple of 4. This will also change the # of stitches on the heel flap by the same multiple of 2, and will also change the yardage estimates. For me, a woman with Size 11 feet, I find a skein of Socks That Rock lightweight which has about 360 yards, will give me just enough yardage with a few grams leftover.
Enjoy! Knit away happily. And then maybe you’ll have yourself a week’s worth of ribbed socks if you want.
Happy Tuesday, and keep the knitting close by.
Glenna Knits 
Why yes, I am addicted to knitting socks!! I currently have 5 different ones on the needles. All 5 of these will be for me. My sock drawer is lacking since I have been gifting socks.
Thanks for a great ribbed sock pattern!
Many thanks for spending the time in writing up the pattern for us. I can’t wait to knit a pair!
My favorite socks have the 3/1 ribbing. Yours are lovely!
I just about jumped with joy when I realised that your yarn of choice, stitch count and shoe size match mine. My next crazy colourway of STR lightweight just might become a pair of Good Ribbed Socks 🙂 Thank you!
The 3×1 rib looks very pretty! Thank you for writing the pattern, I’ll definitely be knitting these 🙂
What a gorgeous rainbow of socks! Many thanks for sharing the pattern.
You just inspired me. I love the plain socks! I’ll have to take the numbers down a tad because my feet are – different –
Thanks so much for sharing this pattern. It has nice spacing appears that it will make a difference in the pooling of colors. Now if only this will solve my problem with my socks sliding down into my shoes!
Leslie – if your socks are sliding down into your shoes, this probably means one of two things:
a) They are too short in the foot, and therefore pulling the leg down to compensate, so watch you don’t prematurely start to decrease for the toe; or b) They are too loose overall, and therefore sagging around, in which case switch to a smaller needle size.
Or, somethinng else I haven’t thought of 😉
G
Awesome. Thanks for writing it up.
Did you see I named my last pair of socks after you?
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/longyarn/glenna-inspired-three-by-ones
Glenna:
I, too, covet the STR yarn for socks. I use STR only for myself! I love the colors in your collection of socks and I will be happy to use the k3, p1 stitch pattern to knit myself some socks. Happy Knitting!
as much as i wish i wasn’t, i am definitely a pattern follower….so thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this! i have it queued on ravelry now!
I’ve only made one pair of socks with STR. Pretty quickly, they got a hole in the heel, which I mended. I am going to try adding in a nylon thread for the heel part next time. Do you have this problem? I will definitely be using this pattern, thanks.
Thanks Glenna – you are a real sweetheart for those of us who love the comfort and security of the written word! (Just in time for me to finish the second sock of a pair – can hardly wait to see if there’s difference 🙂 )
I just wanted to comment and say I love the photography on your blog posts, the pictures make me want to reach out and touch my screen.
thank you for writing down such a simple pattern for the sock novices (yes, that includes me).
An Anne Hanson class? Jealous! 🙂
Now I’m second guessing my yo’s!
Such gorgeous socks!!
Thank you so much for writing out the pattern!! I am one of those that have been looking for this sort of pattern for a while 🙂
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[…] got myself on that, and added two new pairs to the drawer. One was this plain ribbed pair, (a 3×1 ribbed sock, as I so often enjoy) adjusted to 60 sts from my usual 64, because this is Socks That Rock Mediumweight and is a bit […]