Men’s Dress Sock with Small Skull & Crossbones Repeat

Elegant cuff-down men’s dress socks in fingering-weight yarn with a compact skull-and-crossbones stranded motif that reads well at dress-sock scale. Worked in the round with a classic heel-flap-and-gusset and a rounded toe. Fit notes, full instructions for four circumference sizes, and a clear 8-stitch motif chart included.

Designer Notes

These socks use a compact 8-stitch repeat skull motif so the pattern reads on narrow sock needles. Use two high-contrast colors for best definition (dark main color and light accent). Keep floats loose enough not to pucker but snug enough to avoid catching. Use a long-tail or tubular cast-on for a tidy cuff.

Yarn

• Yarn weight: Fingering / Sock (4-ply)
• Main Color (MC): approx. 100g / 400 yards (366 m)
• Contrast Color (CC): approx. 25g / 100 yards (91 m)
• Suggested fibers: Superwash Merino, Merino/nylon 75/25 or 80/20 blends, or any sock-specific fingering

Needles

Use small needles for a dense dress-sock fabric. Use magic-loop or 2 circulars or DPNs as you prefer.

• Suggested: US 1 (UK 13, 2.25 mm) - main working needle
• Alternate (if you knit tight): US 1.5 (UK 12, 2.5 mm) or US 2 (UK 11, 2.75 mm)
• Also: one circular 16"/40 cm or 24"/60 cm for magic-loop, plus DPNs if preferred

Gauge

32 sts and 40 rounds = 4" / 10 cm in stockinette in the round on US 1 (2.25 mm). Adjust needle size to match gauge.

Sizes & Finished Circumference

Stitch counts below are totals in the round. The pattern repeat is 8 sts.

• S (fits men’s shoe approx. 6–8): Finished circumference 8" / 20.5 cm — Cast on 64 sts (8 repeats)
• M (fits men’s shoe approx. 9–10): Finished circumference 9" / 23 cm — Cast on 72 sts (9 repeats)
• L (fits men’s shoe approx. 11–12): Finished circumference 10" / 25.5 cm — Cast on 80 sts (10 repeats)
• XL (fits men’s shoe approx. 13+): Finished circumference 11" / 28 cm — Cast on 88 sts (11 repeats)

Abbreviations

• K = knit
• P = purl
• K1tbl = knit 1 through back loop
• SSK = slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease)
• CO = cast on
• BO = bind off
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rnd = round
• MC = main color
• CC = contrast color

Special Techniques

• Stranded colorwork: carry unused color behind work and trap floats every 3-4 sts if necessary to keep floats tidy.
• German twisted (elastic) cast-on recommended for neat cuff; a long-tail CO also works.
• Heel flap and gusset: worked in slipped-stitch reinforcement (sl1 wyif, k1 pattern) as written.

Pattern Notes

All instructions are given for each size in the order S (M, L, XL). When only one number is given, it applies to all sizes. Where numbers for all sizes are needed they are shown like this: S (M, L, XL).

Cast On & Cuff

1. CO 64 (72, 80, 88) sts using long-tail or German-twisted cast-on. Join to work in the round being careful not to twist. Place marker for beginning of round.
2. Work 1x1 rib (K1, P1) for 1.25" / 3 cm (or 10 rounds), or to desired cuff length for a dress sock (shorter cuff preferred).

Leg: Colorwork with Skull Repeat

Set up: The skull motif is an 8-stitch repeat and a 12-round vertical repeat. Work charted rounds in stranded colorwork across each round. If you prefer only an ankle cuff of skulls, work fewer chart repeats vertically. For a full dress-sock leg, work about 2.5"/6.5 cm of chart (roughly 30 rounds) after rib, then proceed to heel flap. You can also work plain MC for the rest of the leg if you prefer a single band of skulls around the ankle.

Skull & Crossbones Chart (8 sts wide × 12 rnds)

Legend: MC = dot (.), CC = X
Columns 1..8 left to right. Each line = 1 round, read bottom to top (Round 1 is bottom line).
Round12: ..XXXX..
Round11: .X....X.
Round10: X..XX..X
Round9 : X......X
Round8 : .X.XX.X.
Round7 : ..X..X..
Round6 : .X.XXXX.
Round5 : X.XXXX.X
Round4 : X.X..X.X
Round3 : .X....X.
Round2 : ..X..X..
Round1 : ....||....  (round 1 can be all MC to space between repeats)

Notes: Replace '.' with MC stitches and 'X' with CC stitches. The vertical repeat is 12 rounds; carry colors behind and trap floats when longer than 3 sts.

Written color key example for one 8-st repeat (Rounds 1–12): Round 1: MC x8 Round 2: MC, MC, CC, MC, MC, CC, MC, MC (..X..X.. pattern) Round 3: MC, CC, MC, MC, MC, MC, CC, MC (.X....X.) ...continue following chart from Round 4 up to Round 12 then repeat from Round 1.

Work chart around until leg measures desired length from cuff: 2.5" / 6.5 cm for a shorter dress sock look, or up to 7"/18 cm for a longer sock. End with a multiple of the 12-round repeat so motif lines up.

Heel Flap

1. Set-up: Work heel flap over half the sts: for sizes S (M, L, XL) work over 32 (36, 40, 44) sts. Place remaining sts on a holder for instep.
2. Heel flap (worked back and forth): Row 1 (RS): *sl 1 wyib, K1* across. Row 2 (WS): Sl 1 wyif, P across. Repeat these two rows for 32 (36, 40, 44) rows or until flap measures approx 2" / 5 cm, ending with a WS row. For extra reinforcement, work a slipped-stitch pattern: sl1 wyib, k1 across on RS rows.

Turn Heel

1. Row 1 (RS): K18 (20, 22, 24), ssk, k1, turn. Row 2 (WS): Sl1 wyif, p5 (6, 7, 8), p2tog, p1, turn. Row 3: Sl1 wyib, k to 1 before gap, ssk, k1, turn. Row 4: Sl1 wyif, p to 1 before gap, p2tog, p1, turn.
2. Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until all heel stitches are worked and remaining center stitches of heel form a neat semicircular cup. You will pick up stitches along flap edges next.

Gusset

1. With RS facing and using MC, pick up and knit one stitch in each slipped edge of heel flap along the left side (usually pick up 16 (18, 20, 22) sts), then knit across the held instep sts (32 (36, 40, 44) sts), then pick up and knit the corresponding number of stitches along the other edge of the flap, and knit across the remaining heel stitches that were turned (approx 16 (18, 20, 22) sts). You should now have your original total stitch count: 64 (72, 80, 88) sts.
2. Gusset decreases: Round 1: Knit to 3 sts before instep, k2tog, k1; work instep stitches in pattern (stockinette or colorwork if continuing the chart on instep), k1, ssk, knit to end. Round 2: Knit all stitches. Repeat Rounds 1-2 until you have decreased back to 64 (72, 80, 88) sts total (i.e., the number at cast-on), and the decreases sit under the foot. Place marker for beginning of round at the center of the instep if needed.

Foot

Work even in MC (or continue colorwork chart on the leg/instep if you like) until foot measures approx 2" / 5 cm less than desired total foot length (measure from back of heel to tip of longest toe).

Toe (Rounded)

1. Begin decreases: For all sizes work decreases every other round until about 16–20 sts remain, then every round until 8-12 sts remain, then graft with Kitchener or close with preferred method.
2. Example decrease sequence (for a typical 64-st sock): Round 1: *K to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1; knit to 1 st before next marker, ssk, k1* (repeat around) Round 2: Knit all Repeat Rounds 1-2 until 32 sts remain. Then decrease every round: *K to 2 before marker, k2tog; ssk, k to marker* until about 8-12 sts remain. Cut yarn leaving 8–12" / 20–30 cm tail and graft toe closed with Kitchener stitch.

Finishing

• Weave in ends, paying attention to color changes. Weave ends to the inside of the sock and trim.
• Block lightly if desired to even stitches and open the colorwork slightly.

Modifications & Tips

• To make the skulls subtler, work them in a tone-on-tone contrast (slightly lighter or darker MC instead of high-contrast CC).
• For a single band of skulls at the ankle, work MC stockinette for the leg and only 1-2 vertical repeats of the chart centered on the ankle.
• If floats get long on the inside of the sock, catch the float every 3 stitches by twisting the two yarns together behind the work.

Notes on Scaling the Chart

The chart is 8 sts wide so the stitch counts given maintain whole-number repeats. If you need a different circumference, choose a multiple of 8 sts closest to your measured leg circumference at the ankle while maintaining the gauge.

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