On November 17, 2013 a tornado tore through the town of Washington, IL. It leveled or damaged almost 1100 homes in a city with a population of only 15,000 people and in a matter of minutes, the town lost 47% of its residential property value.

This city is near and dear to my heart, and I will be contributing all proceeds from this pattern to the City of Washington fund that has been set up at a local bank. Residents are determined to rebuild and make the community stronger than ever, but they are going to need a lot of help along the way.

Please consider purchasing this pattern or donating a few dollars on your own to one of the funds that has been established to help the city of Washington.

Both sizes offered in this pattern require less than 400 yards of fingering-weight yarn. (Sample pictured was made from Malabrigo Sock Yarn which is a 3-ply “light” fingering-weight yarn.) They’re knit toe-up, so if you are cutting it close on yarn, you can just split it into 2 equal balls before you begin and just knit until you run out.

My two favorite features of this sock are the texturing and the heel. The twisted stitches that run across the instep pull the socks in at the arch, so you end up with a nice, snug fit. And now that I’ve discovered the Fleegle Heel (thanks, Margi!) I don’t know why I’d ever go back to one of the other heel-making methods. It’s VERY easy to do, uses no wraps, and you end up with NO holes. I just can’t say enough good things about Fleegle!

The twisted stitches are not complicated, and a link to a video demonstration for these stitches is included in the pattern. Other pattern supplements are a link to a video for Judy’s Magic Cast-on and and article that illustrates how to work right and left leg increases. The pattern is written for two sizes: US Women’s Shoe Size 6/7 and Women’s 8/9, and is written for magic loop, although knitting on double-pointed needles or with two circulars instead is a simple switch.

Many thanks to Margi and Kim who test-knit the pattern and whose input made it infinitely better!

Thanks in advance to everyone who is contributing to our town’s recovery either by buying this pattern, making a donation on your own, or giving your time and energy to one of the organizations that has helped out in the area. Never doubt the power of knitters to make a difference!

Update: Thanks to pattern customers, we have been able to send in the following donations so far:
December 2013: $160
January 2014: $91
Feb, Mar & April 2014 (combined): $24
May, June & July 2014 (combined): $9
Aug, Sept & Oct (combined):$11

Update: The City of Washington Tornado Fund stopped accepting donations at the end of 2014. Our town will still struggle for a few years due to lost property taxes, but individual families are very well into rebuilding lost homes. At the one year mark, every single one of the families I know personally who lost homes from the tornado were moved back into their rebuilt homes. Driving though the affected neighborhoods, it looks like at least 80% of the properties are either rebuilt or well on their way. Thank you so much for supporting this pattern and helping to send almost $300 to the tornado fund!