These socks are inspired by my nanny I used to call Tantan. Years later she told me that her real name was Antje, like every Dutch woman (Her words not mine!). She asked me to call her Tante Ant, so my little toddler tongue made Tantan out of it. To make a long story short. Tantan taught me how to embroider and to crochet, how to eat stroopwafels and „beschuit met hagelslag“ and finally she was like a grandma to me. We stayed in touch for my whole life, till she had to go…

The socks are worked cuff-down, after some rows of ribbing, you start with a stranded color work pattern with “delfter tegel” (delfter tiles) on it. There are special patterns for the right and the left sock. The heel is knitted with ribbing and slipped stitches, and the gusset is on the sole. The toe is worked with two strands of the same color to make it extra strong. Most parts of the socks are charted, with special charts for left handed knitters.

Suppliers

Two Colors of sock yarn (fingering weight).
100 g (420 m)/ 460 yards main color,
50 g (210 m)/ 230 yards contrast color
I used Schoppel Zauberball in the colorway Stone washed for main color and Jawoll from Lang Yarns in Ecru for contrast color.
US 0 (2.00 mm) needles for the cuffs
US 1 (2.25 mm) needles, or size needed to obtain the right gauge.
Yarn needle

Gauge and Sizing
For size S (7,5” /19 cm circumference): 38 stitches and 42 rows = 4 x 4” / 10 x 10 cm in stranded colorwork pattern.

For size M (8,5” /21,5 cm circumference): 34 stitches and 40 rows = 4 x 4” / 10 x 10 cm in stranded colorwork pattern.

For larger feet: 34 stitches and 40 rows = 4 x 4” / 10 x 10 cm in stranded colorwork pattern. And add two (or an even number of) extra stitches