The thistle is the national symbol of Scotland - but have you ever wondered why? During the 13th century Scottish-Norwegian war, the Norse army planned a night raid to take the Scots by surprise. But one of the barefoot Norsemen stood on a thistle and cried out in pain, alerting the Scots to their presence. Needless to say the Scots then won the day. So now you’ll see the thistle symbol everywhere - in coats-of-arms, on house walls, as company logos and lots of other places. And now on your socks too!

This is a toe-up sock with an afterthought heel. The pattern provides written instructions, with a chart for the colour work.

The size is Women’s Medium, for 20cm / 7⅞” sock circumference. If necessary, size can be somewhat adjusted by changing the tension: More stitches per 10cm / 4” will result in smaller socks, fewer stitches per 10cm/4” in larger ones.

With lots of thanks to my wonderful test knitters!