Sake

Sake Socks by Nancy Whitman

What is Being Made

Sake is a women's medium sock pattern designed by Nancy Whitman for Whitknits.com. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a pair of socks featuring decorative cable and lace elements. The finished sock offers a leg circumference of 6½ inches (not stretched) and a foot length of 6½ inches (not stretched), with options to adjust sizing by changing needle size for the leg portion.

Knitting Techniques

The Sake sock employs several intermediate-level knitting techniques that work together to create visual interest and a refined finished garment. The sock is constructed using a top-down construction method, which allows knitters to try on the sock as they work and easily adjust the foot length to their preference. A slipped stitch heel is used for the heel turn, a classic technique that creates a durable, reinforced heel while maintaining the visual continuity of the sock's leg pattern.

The defining design feature involves cable narrowing combined with hourglass-shaped tracery patterns. These elements work together to create an elegant, tapered silhouette. The pattern includes strategic increases worked into cable crosses on row 3 of the rib chart, which brings each cable to 4 stitches and the overall stitch count to 72 stitches. This structured increase method reduces bulk at the cast-on edge, resulting in a more refined cuff.

Stitches Used

The sock utilizes a combination of fundamental and decorative stitches. Cable stitches form the primary visual element, with these cables narrowing as they descend the leg to create the distinctive hourglass tracery effect. Ribbing is worked at the cuff using a rib chart that guides the cable placement and increases. The heel is constructed using slipped stitches, a technique that strengthens this high-wear area while creating a neat, finished appearance.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Sake is designed for 4-ply yarn weight, a medium-weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition while remaining comfortable for everyday wear. Nancy Whitman notes that the sock is particularly lovely when knit in variegated yarn, but recommends using solid, semi-solid, or light-colored variegated yarns if the knitter wishes to showcase the stitch pattern details. This guidance helps knitters make informed yarn selections based on whether they prioritize visual texture or color variation.

The pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF format, making it immediately accessible for independent designers and knitters working with Whitknits.com. Knitters will need appropriate needles for 4-ply yarn and the specified stitch count, typically US size 1-3 needles depending on individual gauge and preference.

Difficulty Level

Classified as an intermediate pattern, Sake requires knitters to be comfortable with cable techniques, reading stitch charts, working in the round, and understanding basic shaping increases. The combination of cables, lace-like tracery, and fitted construction makes this pattern suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle more complex stitch patterns and garment shaping.