Garden Gate Socks

This pattern is available free at knitty.com.

Difficulty: Engrossing (click for info)

From Knitty.com:

With these socks I wanted an antique, almost Victorian patina, something akin to the yellowed corners of lace handkerchiefs, or a weathered bookstrap buckled around a McGuffey's Reader. The subtle variegation of the pink and brown yarn creates a delicately aged quality, and the colorwork pattern suggests both the ironwork of a rusty garden gate, and the old-fashioned trellis roses that might be twining around it, blooming their last in the late summer. The faux seam that begins at the bottom of the foot and continues up the back of the leg is not only an added nostalgic touch, but serves the dual function of reducing the jog at the join between rounds, and providing a useful point away from which to increase for the calf. The final effect is a dusty, feminine memory of a girlish beauty, with just a touch of the femme fatale lurking behind her shy curls.

The stitch pattern is involved, but logical: symmetrical both horizontally and vertically, with sections that grow and shrink predictably. You may find yourself memorizing it surprisingly quickly. One last note: for a petite girl I have fairly serious calves (my father calls the calves that run in our family "awesome"). This got me thinking about all the different foot-to-calf ratios out there, and I wrote the pattern to include an individually customized upper section which will fit a calf anywhere from 9.5 to 24 inches in circumference. Happy romancing!

Pattern Information

Sizes:

• To fit average-sized woman's foot; customizable calf width and height.

Finished Measurements in inches:

• Foot circumference: 8.5 inches
• Calf circumference: Customizable; between 9.5 and 24 inches

Materials:

• Sundara Yarn Sock Yarn [100% superwash merino; 350yd/320m per 100g skein]; 1 skein each color
• MC Brown over Cocoa
• CC Mushroom over Blush

Gauge:

• 36 sts/36 rows = 4 inches in charted colorwork pattern

Necessary Techniques:

• Working in the round
• Stranded colorwork
• Following a color chart
• Increasing in pattern
• Magic toe-up cast-on
• Short-row heel