Recently I agreed to design some lace socks for the monthly MKAL organized by the Sock Knitting Addicts group in Ravelry.

I’ve designed many lacy and textural socks and so was looking forward to packaging the pattern into 4 installments all while keeping the end results under wraps.

But when it came time to actually sit down and design some socks I just was clicking with complex lace patterns with large stitch counts. I swatched several possibilities but they all seemed so similar to each other and to what I had designed in the past. Eventually, I decided to start from scratch and downsize the pattern so that I at least didn’t have a large stitch count to wrestle with. That seemed to do the trick and I rapidly homed in on this design.

After actually casting on and knitting the first sock, I decided the vertical stripes of lace and narrow columns of stockinette definitely reminded me of something…but what? And then it hit me: they looked like the racy stocking worn by the famous Cancan dancers of the Moulin Rouge night club in Paris! So I did a little research, found some historical images, finished both socks and wrote up the pattern.

These socks are knit from the top down. They have a standard heel flap and gusset and a wide toe. The stitch design encircles the entire leg and the top of the foot. The sole and the toe are worked in stockinette. The stitch pattern is charted AND written out. Three sizes are given: S, M and L/XL. Because the lace stitch pattern itself is quite stretchy, these socks are also very stretchy. They would be a good choice for folks that have wide feet, thick ankles, a high arch or a combination of these traits.

This is the July, 2023 SKA MKAL pattern. The theme is a lace design and all clues will be free. At the end of July, I will upload the the complete pattern. 3 sizes will be given: S, M, L/XL.

Four clues will appear and be given on:

1. July 1
2. July 8
3. July 15
4. July 22

You may download the original clues as written for the MKAL OR the complete pattern. Both will guide to knit the same socks.

Yarn recommendations: you will need 1 100 g. skein of a solid color yarn. Variegations/self striping/different colors in splotches or sprinkles absolutely will not work with the pattern or the theme. Darker colors are suggested.

Gauge: worked over unblocked and un-stretched stockinette on US 1 needles (or whatever is needed to get the gauge). 32 ST = 4 inches 50 rows = 4 inches