Laura has designed two wow! Bunny Hop socks. This one is an Op Art design in black-and-white and another is coming in red and black. A wild and cozy sock pattern - Definitely not for beginning sock knitters! We thank Laura for all her sock yarn testing and advice as well.

Skill Level: Advanced Intermediate.
Techniques include color work and twining.

The Bunny Hop yarn is a versatile microfiber with the luxurious addition of Angora. The result is a yarn that knits like a dream – it looks and feels like knitting with velvet. There is a very small initial learning curve due to the multi-strand characteristics, but using well-pointed needles such as the CPY bamboo resolves this issue.
The designs are small motifs that are fun to work; the black/white play and view of design illustrates how “figure and ground” can shift and have an amazing role in what we see.
For an optimal knitting experience with this pattern, PLEASE take time to read the notes before you begin.

Details: size is written as a ladies' Medium (size 8 U.S.) with a 9 in foot, and 8.75 in ankle; changes for other sizes are in (S, L). Any increases or decreases needed for design optimization are worked at the center back to avoid pattern disruption.

Materials:
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Bunny Hop  2 (2, 3) 50 gr balls each of #0204 - "natural" and #0213 - "black"
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo Dpn (double-pointed needles) or circular needles in 3 sizes: US 4, 3, 2 (3.25, 3, 2.75 mm) respectively. The #2 (2.75 mm) is only used for the rare regions where a single color is used, including the final toe.
Note: The needles are a size larger than might normally be used to compensate for the tendency of color-work to pull in. You may want to try working as written before you assume that the needle sizes or stitch count are inaccurate. In fact, don’t be surprised if you may need to work with needles 1 size larger than shown here.

Gauge: 7 spi (stitches per inch) over the leg patterns; 7,5-8 spi over the foot patterns.
Note 1: the foot and heel are deliberately worked to a tighter gauge to enhance wear. I personally do not like the feel of the usefully tight foot gauge on my leg; so the leg is worked with a more “relaxed” gauge.

Directions:
A. Optional Ruffle
1. Cast on 168 (144, 216) stitches using a #4 circular needle and black yarn. Do not join. Purl 1 row and join being careful not to twist.
2. Join white and knit 1 round.
Note 2: when joining the 2nd color, work one stitch with both yarns (which locks in the new yarn). Do not cut the yarn not in use, but twist the two yarns together at the start of each round.
3. *(K1, K2tog), repeat around to yield 112 (96, 144) st.
4. K 1 round black.
5. *(K2, K2tog), repeat around to yield 84 (72, 108)st.
6. K1 round black
7. For S and L sizes, with white *(K1, k2tog), repeat around to yield (48, 72).
For the medium size, also work *(K1, K2tog), except do not decrease in the last 4 st, to yield 60 st.
8. Knit 2 rounds white.

If you do NOT want a ruffle, cast on 60 (48, 72) st. Purl one row; join being careful not to twist.
Work ~1 in {2.5 mm} of k2p2 rib.

B. First Design Band (Night and Day).
Chart is on separate Chart Page here.

Note 3: if you are not familiar with using charts, please read this.
a) a chart is read from right to left and from bottom to top., starting at the bottom right. The next round goes up one row. With socks, the chart may appear “upside down”, but ignore that.
b) You will have your best success if you put a sticky note on the chart so that it is just above the row you are knitting. That means you can see the row you’ve just done, and the row you are going to do.
c) Follow along, and if you notice [example row 2 is 5 black, 1 white, 5 black 1 white], you’ll see a simple repeat. ALWAYS make a note if you are disturbed –answering phone etc., so you know where you are until you learn to “read” your knitting.
Note 4: If you haven’t formerly done colorwork, there is one more important thing to know; twist the two colors together every 2 st. That means (again for row 2): knit 2 black, twist the white, knit 2 black, twist the white, knit 1 more black, knit 1 white. You never want to carry a strand across more than 3
stitches, and I personally feel that two is best. Also, the fact that you have to do this is why the colorwork is done with larger needles.

C. Infinity (multiple of 12).
Infinity hart is on separate Chart Page here.

D. Checks and Arrows.
Checks & Arrows Chart is on separate Chart Page here.

E. The heel.
The heel shown here is a traditional Nordic twined heel, with extra strength and wear. If you prefer to work your own heel, do so.
1. Change to the smaller, #3 needles, which you will use from now on (except in regions of mono-color plain stockinette, where the #2 needles are recommended). Divide the stitches. With black only, K 16 (13, 19) st. Turn, and purl back across 32 (26, 38) st. Place the remaining 28 (22, 34) st on a holder to be knit as instep later.
2. Front: using both white and black, K1B, K1W across. You will NOT slip the first stitch
of every row with a twined heel. Turn.
3. Back: P1B, P1W, across. You should be alternating color from the adjacent st and the one in previous row as shown below.
XOXOXO
OXOXOX
4. Repeat these two rows until the heel is 2.75 in (2.5, 3.25 in) or desired length.
In twining the heel, one twists the yarns at every stitch. This means you have to stop to untwist the yarn, but this adds extra firmness and wear.

F. Turning the heel.
1. With black ONLY, and the #2 needles, knit across ½ of your stitches, then k2, k2tog, k1,
Turn.
2. Now p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
3. Knit across to one st before the gap and k2tog, k1, turn.
4. Purl across to one st before the gap and p2tog, p1 turn.
5. Repeat the rows, knitting or purling more each time until all the st have been worked. End on the wrong side, ready to knit the front side.

G. The Gusset pickups.
With black only,
2. Knit across ½ of the st; these will be added to needle 3.
3. Change needles and 1-at a time, pick up and knit a stitch going down the side.
Because you twined the heel you will note that you have alternating white and black on the side. I start
my pickups with the color right there below my active row and pick up ONLY that color all the way down. When you are 1 st away from the st on the instep needle, you will want to reach into that yarn between your Rt and left needles and pick up a loop from a row below. Twist this loop and put it onto
the left needle, and now knit the new loop with the first instep st. This helps to avoid the gusset hole.
4. Knit across the instep st.
5. Now pick up and knit the st. along the side going up the heel. You will again want to M1 between the right needle and your first pick up st, to pull up and prevent a gusset hole. When you have picked up all your st., knit the last ½ of the st you reserved earlier.
6. Now, stop and take stock. You should have the same # st on the #1 and #3 needles,
or sometimes there is a 1 stitch difference, which you can work in with the gusset decreases.

H. Gusset decreases. For most people, you can ensure a better fit if you knit around for at least
one row before beginning your gusset decreases back to your starting 60 (48, 72) st.
Decrease Pattern, Round 1:
Needle 1: Knit to the last 3 st, k2tog, k1.
Needle 2: Knit across
Needle 3: K1, Sl-1, K1, pass slip stitch over [psso]; knit across the remaining st.
Decrease Pattern, Round 2:
Knit all needles plain, with no changes in stitch count. Repeat these two rows until you return to your desired st. number.

I. Foot patterns. Now it will get slightly tricky. We want to rejoin the white yarn.
Needles 1 and 3: We will be working one pattern for needles 1 and 3, and a different pattern on needle 2 [top of foot]. The model sock shown has needles 1 and 3 in a 2-st checkerboard.
K1B, K1W , alternating with K1W, K1B. Keep alternating these. It gets tricky where you have to do your increases and decreases at the side of the foot, but basically, if you don’t worry about
it, all will work well.

Instep/Foot Top patterns.
Chart is on separate Chart Page here.

The patterns in the graph above are:
a) a 4 stitch repeat, the checkers;
b) an 8 st repeat, the maze;
c) a 14 st repeat the stairs.
d) A 4 st repeat, the bars.
This means that the design fits perfectly on the M size, with 28 st for the instep.
However, we have to adjust for the S and L sizes.
For the S size, which has an instep of 22 st, that is 8 st more than are needed for the 14 st.
I suggest you frame the foot designs by having the first and last 4 st in black, and that will
center your designs.
For the L size, which has an instep of 34 st, that is 6 st more than are needed for 2 repeats of 14 st.
I suggest you frame the foot designs by working the first and last 3 st in black, and that will center your designs.

J. The above takes the foot down to the toe. In the case of the size M sock, the steps ended at about
7 in from start of heel, so I worked the bars to my desired 7.25 in-long foot.

For the S size, you can make 1 of several changes:
a) omit one of the two maze repeats, and where there are 2 rows solid color, use only 1. These adaptations should enable you to keep the big stair design, that is if you like it.
(Of course you can simple repeat any design you choose, such as doing the foot-top wholly in checkers.)

For the L size, the easiest would be to put in a couple more repeats of the initial checkers, and then work the bars for the desired length before starting the toe.

K. Toe. This is a simple round toe, worked with only 1 strand, the black. Change to the smallest needles for a firm toe.
Needle 2 has ½ st, and each side needle #1 and #3 has 1/4 of the st.
The toe is worked thus, alternating rounds:
Decrease Round 1: on needle 1, work to the last 3 st, k2tog, k1; on needle 2, k1, sl-1, k1, psso. Work
To the last 3 st on the needle, and k2tog, k1. For needle 3: k1, sl-1, k1, psso and work to the end of the needle.
Plain Round 2: knit across all needles with no st changes.
Alternate these two rows until you have 8-12 st remaining and then close with your favorite closure.
I have a long 2nd toe, so I prefer the gathered toe.

Now you can knit your 2nd sock.

Bunny Op Sock Designed and knit by Laura Andersson, Ph.D

Laura is the editor (and author-designer) of Friendly Socks, Vol.1. The 2nd book in the series, Friendly Socks, Vol 2: A-Z and more will be released Dec 21, '06; a 3rd set Friendly Socks, Vol. 3, Fifty States, is in progress and planned for 2007 release. 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).

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