Lunenburg County Socks

Sandnesgarn Perfect is one of those great "work horse" yarns - hard working and wearing yet not at all showy. That makes it the "perfect" yarn for for the style of socks so many working people wear in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.
Materials:
1 ball each of off-white (#1002) and red (#4219) in Sandnesgarn Perfect (50g/100m)
2 balls of grey (#1053) in Sandnesgarn Perfect (50g/100m) (if making a size larger than a women's 10, you will need a 3rd ball of grey)
3.25mm double pointed needles
darning needle
Fits approximately an 8.5" ankle
Leg:
With off-white, cast on 48 sts. Work K3, P1 ribbing for 4 rounds. Do not cut off-white yarn.
Maintaining ribbing, work 3 rounds of red. Cut red yarn.
Loosely carrying off-white yarn up, work 7 more rounds of ribbing in off-white. Cut off-white yarn.
Join grey yarn. Work ribbing in grey until leg is desired length. Sample measures 7.5" from cast on edge to start of heel. Cut grey yarn.
Heel Flap: Start off-white here
Leaving 24 instep stitches on two needles (12 on each), put remaining 24 stitches on one needle and work the following rows for the heel flap back and forth over this needle.
RS row: *sl 1, K1* work from * to * across row
WS row: sl 1, P across row
Work these two rows, ending with a WS row, until heel flap is as long as it is wide.
Heel Turn:
Working in short rows over heel flap sts:
Row 1: sl 1, K13, ssk, K1, turn work
Row 2: sl 1, P5, p2tog, P1, turn work
Row 3: sl 1, K to one st before the gap (created by turning on previous row), ssk, K1, turn work
Row 4: sl 1, P to one st before the gap (created by turning on previous row), p2tog, K1, turn work
Repeat rows 3 & 4 until all sts have been used (end with a WS row) and there are 14sts on the needle. Cut off-white yarn.
Gusset:
With grey yarn, K 7 sts of heel flap. Rounds now start in the middle of heel flap.
K remaining 7 sts of heel flap with new needle, continuing with same needle, pick up and knit one st in each of the slipped edge sts along the heel flap and 1 additional stitch where the heel flap and instep join. Work K3, P1 ribbing across instep sts (12 sts per needle).
Pick up and knit one st where instep and heel flap join and one stitch in each slipped st along the other edge of the heel flap. With same needle, work remaining 7 sts.
Knit one round.
**Decrease Round: Knit to last 3 sts on first needle, k2tog, P1; K3, P1 over instep sts on 2nd and 3rd needles; K1 on 4th needle, ssk, K to end.
K two rounds (Maintaining rib pattern over instep sts)
Decrease Round
K one round (Maintaining rib pattern over instep sts)**
Repeat from ** to ** until 48 sts total remain.
Foot:
Continue on these 48 sts until foot is approx 1.5" shorter than total desired length. Cut grey yarn.
Toe:
Join off-white. Work one round (maintain instep ribbing if desired, otherwise knit all sts.)
Decrease round: Work to last 3 sts on first needle, k2tog, K1; K1, ssk, work to end of 2nd needle; work to last 3 sts on 3rd needle, k2tog, K1; K1, ssk, work to end of round.
Work 2 rounds even.
Work decrease round.
Work 2 rounds even.
Work decrease round.
Work 1 round even.
Work decrease round.
Work 1 round even.
Work decrease round until 12 sts total remain (3 sts per needle)
With darning needle, graft sts together to close toe.
Weave in all ends. Block if desired.
~Angela Churchill