Nisemono no Meisai no Tabi (偽物 の 迷彩 の 足袋) (Faux Camo socks) (aka Tabi Monogatari v26)

The Year for Mid-calf socks has finally slowed down (it helps that his sock drawer is getting really full!). However, there was a pair of socks that I had knit for him previously (v9) that was never quite comfortable for him (no matter how hard he tried to make it work). So, it has been "retired" and as such it was time to replace it with another pair.  Using my Sockenwolle Color Comfort and my 4" & 3" Chiaogoo interchangeables US 0 needles, here's what I did: Follow the instructions used for v23.

1. I started with a Provisional cast on with a total of 50 sts.
2. K 1 straight row on each side, then connected in the round.
3. K 15 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
4. Started the toes: with 25 sts on each side, splitting it up for 8 sts for big toe, 17 

    sts for remaining toes.

5. Big toe:

• Row 1:
• Front: k to the 2nd to the last st, pick up 1 st below, for a total of 9 sts
• Back: k, pick up a st below, k to the end for a total of 9 sts
• Row 2: 
• Front: k, pick up a st, k to the end, for a total of 10 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, pick up a st below, k for a total of 10 sts
• Row 3: k
• Row 4-5 (2 rows): Follow Row 2 until there are 12 sts
• Row 6-11 (6 rows): k
• Row 12:
• Front: k to last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 11 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the end for a total of 11 sts
• Row 13:
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 10 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 10 sts
• Row 14:
• Front: k to last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 9 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the end for a total of 9 sts
• Row 15: k
• Row 16:
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 8 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 8 sts
• Row 17: k
• Row 18:
• Front: k to last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 7 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the end for a total of 7 sts
• Row 19:
• Front: SSK, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 5 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 5 sts
• Row 20: same as row 19 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 3 sts on each side
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.

    The big toe came out to 5.5 cm (2 in).

6. The rest of the toes:

• Row 1: k, picking up 4 sts on each side, for a total of 21 sts
• Row 2: k
• Row 3:
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 20 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 20 sts
• Row 4: k
• Row 5:
• Front: SSK, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 18 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 18 sts
• Row 6: 
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 17 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 17 sts
• Row 7:
• Front: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 16 sts
• Back: SSK, k to the end for a total of 16 sts
• Row 8: 
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 15 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 15 sts
• Row 9: 
• Front: SSK, k to the end, for a total of 14 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 14 sts
• Row 10: 
• Front: SSK, k to the end for a total of 13 sts
• Back: k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 13 sts
• Row 11: k
• Row 12-17: same as Row 10 for 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 & 7 sts
• Row 18:
• Front: SSK, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 5 sts
• Back: ssk, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 5 sts
• Row 19: k
• Row 20: same as Row 18 for 3 sts
• Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.

    The rest of the toe came out to 4.8 cm (1⅝ in)

7. Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the 

    stitches to start the foot.

• Row 16: pick up a st from the “front” side and put it on the “back” side; pick up a st from the “back” side, bringing it behind the st picked up from the “front” and put it on the “front” side. K these 2 sts together. Then k in the round. There should be 25 start on each side.
• Row 17-50 (49 rows): k, maintaining 25 sts on each side
• Row 51-59 (9 rows): pick up a sts below on each side, maintaining 26 sts on each side
• Row 60: pick up the first st, 9th st, 18th at & last st on each side for a total of 30 sts
  
• Row 61-65 (5 rows): k, maintaining 30 sts on each side
• Including the initial 15 rows, this came out for a total of 17 cm (6 3/4 in)

8. With the foot done, I started on the heel portion using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method. 

• Row 108-119 (12 rows): Follow the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method until you have 10 twin stitches (sts) knits and purls sts on each side and 10 regular sts
• This came out to 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in).
• Row 120: as you "boomerang" back to the regular sts, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, ktog then continue using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method for a total of 27 sts
  
• Row 121-135 (15 rows): Continue using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method to turn the heel until you have a total of 27 sts again. 
• Row 136: 
• Left side: Since the left side ends on a purl side, k to bring you back to the correct side.
• Right side: k
• This came out perfect! :) *yay* :)

9. With the heel done, I finished off the leg:

• Row 137: k2tog, k in the round for a total of 29 sts for top side & 28 sts for the back side
• Row 138-141 (4 rows): k in the round, maintaining a total of 28 &29 sts on each side
• Row 142: decrease 1 st on the top side for a total of 28 sts on each side
• Row 143-146 (4 rows): k, maintaining a total of 28 sts on each side
• Row 147: decrease 1 st on each side for a total of 27 sts on each side 
• Row 148-181 (39 rows): k, maintaining a total of 27 sts on each side
• Total length of the leg was 11.5 cm (4.5 in)

10. With the leg done, it was time to cuff; Hubby said he wanted shorter ribbing this 

      time (*yay* homestretch!):

• Row 182: add 1 st to each side for a total of 28 sts and continue 1x1 ribbing
• Row 183-217 (39 rows): complete cuff using 1x1 ribbing (28 sts on each side) for a total of 11.5 cm (4.5 in) of ribbing
• Bound off using a variation of the Estonian bind off, in which I picked up a stitch from the row below then used the Estonian bind off technique. :) 

The total length of the leg and cuff was 22 cm (9 in).

Yay! Another finished pair in record time - a little over a week! 🎉  Amazing! 😲 🙌 🎉 

Sidebar: I was a tad disappointed that this pair of socks was not quite as camouflage-y as I had hoped it would be. It's more stripy with camouflaged colours rather than actually camouflaged. It looks like I maybe on the hunt for actual camouflaged sock yarn now! 🤔😁👍