Pom Pom Socklets
Remember Tretorn tennis sneakers? The canvas ones with the bright colored little arch on the side? And remember how you had to wear them with the little socklets with pom poms on the cuff?
In the mid-70’s Chris Evert rocked the classic combo. The pom pom was probably meant to keep the sock from slipping down into the the sneaker. Such a whimsical solution to such a practical problem!
A decade later The Official Preppy Handbook ordained Tretorns with these kinds of socks a “must-have.” In Connecticut, the hypocenter of preppy behavior where the Handbook was barely satirical, we all competed to have the newest Tretorns, the most pom pom socks, the best color combinations. Sick stuff, but, man, I loved wearing those socks!
Now, two decades later, I’m loving making these socks! They reduce sock making to the most fun parts, to the action of the sock: the heel, the gusset, the toe. And so many color possibilities, I could fill a drawer… -Whitney
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
UPDATE: NOW IN POSY
APRIL 2022
Now in our hand-dyed Posy, a supersoft machine washable blend of 75% superwash merino, 15% cashmere, and 10% nylon, our Pom Pom Socklets are happy to walk a mile in your shoes! Posy comes in over two dozen colors, so mix and match to your heart’s content!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands and #PurlSohoPomPomSocklets. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 skeins of Hand Jive’s Nature’s Palette 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein is approximately 185 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 185 yards required per pair of socks. These colors are Coral and Walnut. (NOTE: These two skeins will make 2 pairs of socks!)
- A set of US 2 (3 mm) double pointed needles
- 1 Susan Bates Pom Pom Maker (Optional – you can also make pom poms with a handmade cardboard template.)
Shop our wonderful collection of fingering-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
Gauge
8 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch (See our Circular Gauge Tutorial for tips on knitting an accurate gauge for in-the-round projects.)
Finished Size
Fit most women: 7½ inches in circumference and adjustable length
Pattern
The Cuff
With the Contrast Color, cast on 60 stitches to three double pointed needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Round 1: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 five more times.
Change to the Main Color and knit 3 rounds.
The Heel Flap
Knit 15 stitches and turn the work so the purl side of the fabric is facing you.
Purl 30 stitches. (The 30 stitches that you just purled are the beginning of the heel flap. For this section, you will be working back and forth on just these 30 stitches.)
Arrange the stitches so that the 30 heel flap stitches are on one needle. Put the remaining stitches on hold on two needles (15 stitches each).
(Again, work the following rows back and forth, turning the work between each row.)
Row 1 (right side): *Slip 1 purlwise, k1, repeat from * to end of 30 stitches.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 purlwise, purl to end of 30 stitches.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 fifteen more times.
Turning the Heel
Still just working the heel flap stitches:
Row 1 (right side): K17, ssk, k1, turn the work so the wrong side is facing you and there are 19 stitches on the left needle and 10 stitches on the right needle.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 purlwise, p5, p2tog, p1, turn the work. (18 stitches on the left needle and 10 stitches on the right needle)
Row 3: Slip 1 purlwise, knit to 1 stitch before the gap, ssk (with the stitch before the gap and the stitch after the gap), k1, turn.
Here’s the so-called “gap”:
Row 4: Slip 1 purlwise, purl to 1 stitch before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until all the heel stitches have been worked and 18 stitches remain on the needle.
Magic!:
The Gusset
Knit across the 18 heel stitches.
With the same needle (now called “needle #1”), pick up 17 stitches along the heel flap. (35 stitches)
With a new needle (needle #2), knit across the 30 stitches that have been on hold.
With a new needle (needle #3), pick up 17 stitches along the other side of the heel flap.
Still with needle #3, knit 9 stitches from needle #1.
Now there are 26 stitches on needle #1, 30 stitches on needle #2, and 26 stitches on needle #3. Needle #1 is the beginning of the round (at the middle of the heel).
Round 1: Needle #1 – knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1. Needle #2 – knit all the stitches. Needle #3 – k1, ssk, knit to end.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until 60 total stitches remain (15 stitches on Needle #1, 30 stitches on Needle #2, and 15 stitches on Needle #3).
The Foot
Maintaining 15 stitches on Needles #1 and #3 and 30 stitches on Needle #2, knit evenly until the piece measures 2 inches less than the desired final length, measuring from the back edge of the heel.
Here’s a guideline for final sock lengths:
US size 6 shoe (European 37) = 9 inches
US size 7 shoe (38) = 9 1/4 inches
US size 8 shoe (39) = 9 5/8 inches
US size 9 shoe (40) = 10 inches
I’m making socks to fit a size 7 shoe, so I knit the foot until it measures 7 1/4 inches (9 1/4 inches – 2 inches).
The Toe
Round 1: Needle #1 – knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1. Needle #2 – K1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1. Needle #3 – k1, ssk, knit to end.
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until 32 total stitches remain.
Then, repeat Round 1 until 12 total stitches remain.
With Needle #3, knit the 3 stitches from Needle #1 so that there are 6 stitches on each of two needles.
Use the Kitchener Stitch to close the toe.
The Pom Poms
I used the Susan Bates Pom Pom Maker to make the smallest size pom poms. (Please visit our Pom Pom Tutorial if you need help with your pom pom maker.)
When you tie the pom pom in half leave generous tails so that you can use them to sew the pom pom to the top back of the socklet. Bring the tails to the inside, tie a knot (yes, a knot!), and very thoroughly weave the ends in to the cuff.
Now switch the colors and make another pair!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Изумительные носочки! Да и все, что вы делаете, очень красиво!
I love this pattern. I’ll try to make it and send you pictures. Thank you very much. Regards.
I absolutely love these and can not find instructions anywhere for a Magic Loop version… Do you have these written up for magic loop, or could you break it down for me? I get confused when it says needle numbers?
Thank you,
Donna
Hi Donna,
I would recommend using a marker at the points where this pattern indicates the end of a double pointed needle. So, for example, once you've picked up for the gusset and you have 26 stitches on needle #1, 30 stitches on needle #2, and 26 stitches on needle #3, I would place a marker after the 26th and 56th stitches (the final marker, after the 82nd stitch, would be the beginning of the round).
I hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Whitney
I love the look of these and am looking for my first sock project. Is there any hope of a pattern for these for toddler/child? I'd love to make them for my niece!
Hi Michelle-
This pattern is not available in a child/ toddler size but we do have another great sock pattern that might fit the bill here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/the-purl-bee/2013/3/28/whits-knits-toddler-socks.html
Thank you for your question!
Molly
Do you wear these in hot summer weather? Wool seems so hot, but I've been wanting to try knitting some socks.
Hi Sue-
We don't necessarily wear these on the hottest days but socks are a great summer knitting project because they are so portable and small. And they would be great to wear on a cooler summer night around the house.
Thank you for your question!
Molly
I still wear tretorns and have been looking for a pattern just like this. I don't like wearing socks, so it's ped's or nothing. Thank you so much
Hi,
I've spotted this pattern months ago and now I'm ready to knit my first pair of socks.
Is this pattern recommanded for a person who's going to knit socks for the first time ?
Reading the instructions, it seems easy… Thank you
Hi Marie-Claude-
Yes, this is a great first sock pattern.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
This is my first attempt at socks and so far the pattern is great, but I am getting hung up on the toe section…I have 20 sts on each needle (60 total) but as I follow the decreases needle #2 ends up with a lot fewer sts. So for example, when I get to having 32 sts left, I have 13 on needle #1, 6 on needle #2, and 13 on needle #3. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I think I followed the decreases as written (1 decrease at the end of the first needle, 1 decrease at the beginning and end of the 2nd needle and one decrease at the beginning of the 3rd needle). Help! I really want to finish my sock!
Hi Melyssa,
The problem is that you should have finished the Gusset section with 15 stitches on Needles #1 and #3 and 30 stitches on Needle #2, and you should have left them that way.
I just edited the pattern a bit to make that more obvious! I'm so sorry for your likely frustration and I hope this sets you on the right path!
Whitney
What a great pattern and I love the detailed instructions. I have a question. What would I need to do to increase the size? Thanks for any help you can provide.
HI Annie,
The easiest way to make anything bigger is to use bigger yarn and/or to work at a bigger gauge. Other than that, it's a pretty complicated thing to alter the size of a sock pattern, and unfortunately, we just don't have the resources to do that right now.
Thanks so much for asking, though!
Whitney
Ah! I'm in love with these socks. I was just thinking that I was officially finished with sock knitting when I saw this pattern. Purl Bee does it again!
I'd love to make these for my mom for Mother's Day, but she is allergic to wool. Have you made these socks with a cotton or other non-animal fiber yarn? Just wondering if there is anything you would recommend. Thanks!
Did you ever try this with a non-wool yarn? If so which one did you use?
Can anyone from Purlbee make a recommendation?
Hi Monica!
You are more than welcome to use a non-wool yarn for the socks! However, you do need to use a fingering weight yarn for this pattern. The only one we currently have that has no wool at all is the Royal Alpaca, which would make very soft and somewhat delicate socks.
You can browse our selection of fingering weight yarn here!
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
I just finished my first footie and I had to let you know that I love this pattern. It was very well written and worked out wonderfully. Thanks for offering it for free. I'll be making lots of them. Happy Knitting!
I have almost finished mine in self striping flag lookin' yarn, red and white stripes a mixed blue and white field of stars area, and I can't wait to do the Pom poms, maybe one red and one blue and white, and I have to get some Birkenstocks to wear them with when it gets "cold" thanks for the nice pattern. Wish I had done the solid color as in your photo. It's cuter.
This pattern is my first attempt at sock knitting and it has me hooked! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi there 🙂 I love these socks and am trying this pattern as my first attempt at anything other than a scarf… When the pattern says to knit 15 then turn the work and purl 30, I am confused. Can you help me? After turning the work, the yarn is on the left instead of the right and I am not sure how to proceed.
Thanks so much! I love your site and am excited to build my skills with your projects. 🙂
Hi Michelle,
When you go to purl those 30 stitches just try to imagine you’re at the beginning of a row. After all, when you start a row the working yarn is also on the left needle! It’s the same thing!
I hope this helps… Please let us know if you have any other questions and thanks for this one!
Whitney
Hello! I picked up my 17 stitches from the heel flap and am starting to knit the 30 stitches on hold and there is a little gap between the 2 needles that I fear will leave a hole when finished , should the picked up heel stitches butt up against the other needle or is it okay if there is a little space. This is my first sock so I’m a little lost. Thanks for your help and for the great pattern!
Hi Chris,
This is a classic sock-knitting issue! Yes, you should try to pick up the 17th stitch as close to the next needle as possible to reduce this little hole.
Thanks for asking and good luck with the rest of your very first sock!
Whitney
Very thanks for explications which are very clear. I adapt this model with phildar’s coton. Do you permit me to translate this model in french with the adaptation to phildar’s coton ? Sure i indicate your article.
Thank’s in advance for your answer
Hello Vero!
We would love for you to translate our pattern as long as its for personal use only. Please make sure to always list our website as the original source and please include the link to the project as well. WE’re glad you liked the pattern!
Enjoy! -Alyson
Hi, this is such a darling pattern but I have a question about the heel, please. Where it says…
R. 1 (RS): *Slip 1 purlwise, k1, repeat from * to end of 30 stitches.
R. 2 (WS): Slip 1 purlwise, purl to end of 30 stitches.
…should I have the yarn in front when I’m slipping stitches purl wise, or just when purling. It looked like the photo when I didn’t have the yarn in front, but was so tight I dropped some stitches and ripped it out to begin again.
Thanks for the pattern & thanks in advance for any advice!
Hi Elly,
Thanks for writing in and our apologies for the delayed response! When slipping purlwise in this pattern, you should do so with the yarn in the front when you are purling the rest of the stitches in the row and have the yarn in the back when you are knitting the rest of the stitches in the row.
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
Hello,
Firstly, the biggest thank you to Purl Soho for your beautiful and creative offerings. Thank you too for your generosity in sharing your skills and expertise in your lovely knitting patterns and tutorials. I am slowly teaching myself to knit thanks to you … you’ve given me an invaluable gift and I appreciate it. In relation to your pom pom socklets, I seem to misunderstand your instruction regarding the commencement of the heal flap. I have knitted the 15 stitches onto one needle (leaving the remaining 5 other stitches on the original needle), and turned the work. I am assuming I commence the “purl 30 stitches” by purling the 15 knit stitches I have just knitted onto the needle and continuing for another 15 knit stitches beyond. Doesn’t this now create a row of 30 stitches with half of the row resting on top of a row of 15 stitches inserted underneath and putting the whole 30 stitch row out of kilter? After knitting several more rows of the heel flap, I have noticed on the RS that half of the heel flap has a ribbed purl (padded) and the other half just has purl (padded). Clearly I have misunderstood something … can you clarify for me please? All the best,
Hi there,
Thank you so much for the kind comment! In terms of setting up the heel to knit across 30 stitches, you’ve followed the pattern correctly. This does not put the stitches off kilter because when knitting in the round you are actually knitting in a spiral. Therefore, the stitches you’ve just knit (in this case, the last 30 stitches) are closer to the same level on the spiral than those that you have not knit. As for the stitch pattern, you’ll want to go back to the pattern and reread the stitch instructions. Your entire heel flap should look uniform and one side should not be different than the other. Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Adam
I have a bunch of squishy and plan on making a bunch for my friend. She wears an 8-1/2 though. Should I make a size 8 or 9? Is there a way to measure her foot to knit to her size? Thanks!
Hi Katrina,
Thanks for writing in! As the size is based on foot length, you could knit to a measurement in the middle; 9 3/4 inches would work well for a 8 1/2 foot. The exact measurement would be 9 13/16 but that could be hard to achieve and 9 3/4 inches will work just fine for you a size 8 1/2 foot!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
How would you recommend adjusting this pattern for the following yarn:
3ply sport/dk
100% merino
Thank You!
Hello Ashley,
Thank you for reaching out! The first thing you will want to do is knit a gauge swatch to find out how many stitches per inch you getting. Once you have this number you can use it to figure out your cast on number. Once you figure out your cast on number you will have to do some math to figure out the heel turn, but I think you can do it as long as you keep the ratio of 15-30-15 on your three dpns. I hope this gives you some guidance and happy knitting!
-Marilla
How would I set up for the heel if I am using Addi flexiflips?
Hello Katie,
Thank you for reaching out! This is a great question. You can set your heel up pretty much the same way. When the pattern says “Arrange the stitches so that the 30 heel flap stitches are on one needle. Put the remaining stitches on hold on two needles (15 stitches each).” You can use your Flexiflips as holders just as you would with your DPNs.
I hope this makes sense and let us know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla
Love how well laid out this pattern is and easy to follow! I’m wondering if there’s any suggestions you have for adjusting it to fit a narrow foot/ heel a bit more snugly.
Hi Jen,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don’t have any patterns or tutorial for customizing the fit of a sock heel, but that is a wonderful idea and I will pass it along to the design team!
Best,
Julianna
I’m wondering what current selections of yarns you would recommend for this project since hand jive is no longer available?
Hi Andrea,
Great question! I would recommend using either Posy or Koigu KPM and KPPPM. Both are wonderful yarns for socks, and while Koigu is the most similar to the original yarn, Posy has the advantage of being machine washable!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello! This is my first time knitting socks. 🙂 For the Gusset, where it says to “pick up 17 stitches along the heel flap” am I supposed to pick up [and knit] those 17 stitches or just pick up? Thank you.
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for writing in! Before you knit the 17 stitches you picked up, still with needle #3, knit 9 stitches from needle #1. Now there should be 26 stitches on needle #1, 30 stitches on needle #2, and 26 stitches on needle #3. Needle #1 is the beginning of the round (at the middle of the heel) then you will continue to round 1 where you will work across all of the stitches!
I hope this clears things up, feel free to reach out with any more questions!
Gianna
And do I pick up the back “leg” or under both “ legs” of the stitch?
Hi Kristin,
Thats for reaching out again! Our Picking Up Stitches tutorial is an excellent resource to use and can clearly show you have to pick up the stitches correctly!
I hope this helps!
Gianna