Over 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. It was a harsh punishment for anyone. The voyage of many months was perilous, and once they arrived, many were sent to rudimentary settlements, where they provided the labour that built the colony.

This pattern reflects the lives of those convicts. The cables at the front twist, and weave, and cross, and at times are bound together, while the back has regimented columns of embossed rib.

One convict was my husband’s ancestor, Susannah Brelsford, who was charged with theft of clothing at 15, and sent to Australia in 1807, aged just 17. She was sent to the infant settlement of Port Dalrymple in Van Diemen’s Land (now Georgetown, Tasmania). As a convict at that time, she would likely have been assigned to menial tasks such as laundry washing, domestic service or working on government farms. The punishment for failure to abide by the rules was both public and humiliating. She was obviously a strong woman, as she survived, married fellow convict, Robert Beams, and brought up 10 children.

Sizing - S (M, L, XL) with a 20 (23, 26, 29)cm or 8 (9, 10, 11)” foot circumference, measured around the ball of the foot. The fit is similar to a plain sock of 56 (64, 72, 80) sts.

This sock pattern is worked top-down, with a flap & gusset heel and a round toe. The pattern is both written and charted. For clarity and ease of reading, each size has a separate page for charts and written instructions.

Print only what you need
pg 1: introduction & materials required.
pg 2-4: pattern.
pg 5: Small charts.
pg 6: Small written instructions.
pg 7: Medium charts.
pg 8: Medium written instructions.
pg 9: Large charts.
pg 10: Large written instructions.
pg 11: Extra large charts.
pg 12: Extra large written instructions.

Thank you to my testers aliiceinahearse, binemayabine, dooudi, hearthspirit, nevolik, ravenalex and yarnymama.

Technical editing by Emily Qoroya (adoredknits).