“morning and evening,
maids heard the goblins cry:
’come buy our orchard fruits,
come buy, come buy’”

— The Goblin Market, by Christina Rossetti

These socks, with their decadent bobble, lace and cable pattern, take their name and inspiration from Victorian poet Christina Rossetti’s famous narrative poem, The Goblin Market. The poem tells the story of two sisters and their encounter with the temptations of the goblin men and their orchard bounties — people much more eloquent than me have commented on the poem’s themes of marriage, desire, addiction, even queerness. I was particularly enthralled by a stunning illustrated edition of The Goblin Market and Other Stories, with an introduction by novelist Kirsty Gunn and absolutely luscious artwork by Georgie McAusland; I designed and knit my sample pair within a few days, in a kind of obsessive state not dissimilar to the one experienced by Laura in the poem.

This is an intermediate to advanced lace sock pattern; some familiarity with cuff-down sock knitting is recommended.

Sizes:
1 (2, 3), to fit a foot circumference of 7.5 (8.5, 9.5)”

Gauge:
32 sts x 50 rounds = 4” x 4”, knit in the round in stockinette stitch

Materials:
Approximately 300 (350, 400) yds* of sock weight yarn
(Note that yardage will vary depending on foot length, heel method, etc.)

Yarn used in sample:
Purl Scout Yarns Starry Fingering (80% eco-processed superwash merino wool, 20% nylon; 420yds/115g) in “Sailor Mars”

US 1 (2.25mm) double-pointed needles:
• Size 1, 2 use 4 DPNs
• Size 3 uses 5 DPNs

Stitch markers, tapestry needle

Techniques used:
• small-circumference knitting in the round
• cables, modified bobbles, twisted stitches
• picking up stitches
• heel flap + gusset