Inspiration: I needed to make some gift toddler socks and also wanted to enjoy the color changes, so just kept going! The stitch adds a little bit of interest as you work and helps show off the pretty color changes. Of course you can make these as short socks, too.

Materials:
2 - 50 gm balls Mini-Mochi (color shown is intense rainbow)
(only 1 ball for a short pair)
Crystal Palace Bamboo DP in size 1.5 (or size needed to obtain gauge).

Gauge: 8.5 sts per inch (34sts/10 cm) over St st.

Size: Toddler ~1.5-3 yrs {foot length with room to grow is ~4.5 in}

Abbreviations:
CO- cast on; dpn- double pointed needles; K- Knit; K2tog - knit 2 sts together; P- Purl; rep - repeat; St st - stockinette stitch; YO - yarn over; PSSO - pass slip st over; rnd(s) - round(s); st(s)- stitch(es); tog - together.

Instructions:
CO 48 sts. Join, being careful not to twist and place marker. P1 rnd; work 1 in of K2P2 rib. Begin pattern.

“Picket Fence Pattern”
Rnd 1: *[(Sl-1, K2, PSSO), YO], repeat around.
Rnds 2, 3, & 4: K all
Repeat these 4 rnds

A variation on this would be “Picket Fence 2”
Rnd 1: *[(Sl-1, K2, PSSO), YO], repeat around.
Rnds 2, 3, & 4: K all
Rnd 5: *{YO, (Sl-1, K2, PSSO)]
Rnds 6 & 7: K all.
Rnd 8: P all.

Repeat these 8 rnds

Work in desired pattern until sock is ~6 in from cast on. Prepare for heel.
Heel: K12, turn P24. Place remaining 24 sts on holder for later work as instep
Heel front: *(Sl-1, K1, across).
Heel Back: Sl-1, P across.
Repeat these two rows until heel is ~1 in from start.
Heel Turn: Sl-1, K12, k2tog, k1, turn. Sl-1, p3, p2tog, p1, turn.

Front: Sl-1, K across to 1 before “gap”, K2tog, K1, turn.
Back: Sl-1, P across to 1 before gap, P2tog, P1 turn.
Repeat these two rows until all sts are used up. End on back and turn to front.
With new needle [will be N#3] K across ˝ sts. Change to N#1, and K across to end. Pick up slip sts going down side of heel, and 1 extra between side and instep. Change to N#2 and K across; Change to new needle and pick up slip sts going up side of sock, including 1 extra between instep and heel side. K the sts on N#3. Gusset Dec:
Dec rnd: N#1: K across to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. N#2: return to pattern if desired. N#3: K1, Sl-1, K1, PSSO, K to end.
Plain rnd: work N#1 and 3 as K all, N#2 is in pattern or K plain, as desired.
Continue these 2 rnds until you return to 48 sts.
Foot: K across all needles until foot is ~4 in from heel back. Prepare for toe.
Toe: Verify that you have 24 st on N#2, and N#1 and N#3 both have 12.
Dec rnd: N#1- K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1. N#2 - K1, Sl-1, K1, PSSO, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1; N#3 - K1, SL-1, K1, PSSO, K to end.
Plain rnd: K with no dec on all 3 needles.
Repeat these 2 rnds until only ~20 sts remain; now dec every rnd until only ~8-12 sts remain for your desired toe closure.
For gathered toe, cut the yarn, leaving ~8 in end. Using a crochet hook, pull the end through each st, one-at-a-time, and drop them off the needle. Pull tautly and take end to inside.

Finishing: work in all ends. K 2nd sock; wash gently and put them on your favorite toddler!

Toddler Socks Designed and Knit by Laura Andersson, Ph.D

Laura is the editor (and author-designer) of Friendly Socks, Vol.1, Friendly Socks, Vol 2: A-Z; a 3rd set Friendly Socks, Vol. 3, Fifty States, is in progress. Information about these books can be found at http://siriusknitting.blogspot.com or www.siriusknitting.com .
Laura is the owner of Sirius Knitting Publications and can be reached at
drlaura -at- siriusknitting.com (change the -at- to @ to send email, we do this to help drlaura avoid spam).

copyright 2009 Crystal Palace Yarns/Straw Into Gold, Inc. - We are happy to share this free knitting pattern with knitters. The pattern may be used for non-commercial personal or knitting guild use. It is not to be used in any publication in print nor should it be reproduced in electronic/digital format or elsewhere on the Web without permission. Knitting shops carrying CP Yarns Mini Mochi are welcome to print and share this pattern with customers of our yarns.

Retail shops in the USA should contact CPY Wholesale for information on purchasing Crystal Palace Yarns and email cpyinfo -at- straw.com (replace the -at- with @)

or write to:
Crystal Palace Yarns, 160 23rd St., Richmond, CA 94804
phone: 510-237-9988,  fax: 510-237-9809