Hi!
I just love this sock pattern here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/no-heel-holes—basic-short-row-heel-sock
The beauty of the pattern is that you can adjust it to ANY size you want without being complicated about it. It costs 1.25 British Pounds, but it was SO worth that for me (and I have knitted I don’t know how many socks in my life)
All you need to do is make a swatch (best in the round) to find out how many stitches you need in the round to get around your leg / ankle. (If you would go high up on the leg, you would have to worry about leg-shaping, but you can just ignore that part, since you don’t want them that high)
now you start knitting your sock (top down) for as long as you want to. Then start the heel. If you make them for yourself: just try them on (with all 4 needles in the piece for an easier fit). The heel starts where your ankle bone sticks out, so it is easy to fit them right.
Now you work the heel (this pattern has a diagonal heel or bummerang heel or short row heel). The magic of the pattern is the easy heel, but any short row heel will do, so you don’t even have to buy the pattern, if you do not care for that specific heel.
The heel in short rows is worked over half the stitches of the sock (a standart that some adjust slightly, but for me 50% is golden). Then you knit the foot of the sock by just continuing down.
When getting to the desired length you make the toe section.
If you do not know a lot about socks: buy that pattern and follow it, just adjust the amount of stitches needed (calculating with your swatch as a base). For the second sock you will hardly look at the pattern anymore…
you just need 2 things for the sock:
[B]1. the amount of stitches to fit around your leg [/B](and foot! the same!)
this one you use for:
a) for the upper tube and the foot section
b) 50% of those stitches (give or take one, no big deal)
c) 1/3 of those 50 %, doesn’t matter, though if you give or take one or 2 stitches here, either
[B]2. the length of the sock from heel to toe[/B]
My advice on sock knitting: Keep notes somewhere of how many rounds you made before doing this or that… it makes it a lot faster and safer for the second sock.