Caleta Socks

Caleta Socks by Terry Morris

What is Being Made

The Caleta Socks are a women's sock design available in two sizes: Women's Medium and Women's Large/Men's Medium. These are full-length socks knitted from the cuff down using a two-color stranded knitting technique, featuring an innovative afterthought heel construction that is added after the main sock body is complete.

Design and Construction Method

The Caleta Socks utilize the afterthought heel method, also known as the Turkish heel technique. This construction approach offers significant practical advantages: the heel is knitted last, after the toe is finished, allowing for a custom-fitted heel that accommodates individual foot shapes. An additional benefit of this method is that finished socks fold completely flat, making them ideal for compact storage without creasing or distortion.

The pattern incorporates a clever knitting technique for managing color floats when working in the round on small circumferences. The instructions recommend working inside out after completing the cuff. By flipping the work inside out, the floats are positioned on the outside of the circular knitting, where they naturally spread farther across the expanded outer surface and sit on the outside of the corners between needles. This prevents floats from becoming too tight and ensures even tension throughout the colorwork sections.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Stockinette stitch as the primary stitch pattern, worked over a gauge of 7 stitches per 1 inch
• Stranded colorwork knitting using two colors (Color A and Color B) worked simultaneously in the round
• Afterthought heel construction, a specialized heel-shaping technique applied after the sock body is complete
• Double-pointed needle knitting for working small circumferences in the round
• Waste yarn provisional cast-on, using smooth waste yarn to hold stitches for later heel insertion

Materials and Tools

The Caleta Socks are designed for fingering or sock weight yarn in a 4-ply weight. The yardage requirements are 240 yards (60 grams) of Color A and 200 yards (50 grams) of Color B, totaling approximately 440 yards of yarn for a complete pair.

Knitting is worked on US Size 1 (2.25mm) double point needles, or whatever needle size is necessary to achieve the specified gauge. A length of smooth waste yarn is also required for the provisional cast-on technique that establishes the heel opening.