A classic sock style, but with a passerine theme; pick your favourite West Yorkshire Spinners Country Bird yarn, a matching contrast, and make yourself some beautiful socks in British wool. The stunning self-patterning yarn is delightful to knit, and adding a strong contrast will make your socks pop!

The construction looks a little bit like this:

• Knitting in the round using magic loop in stockinette stitch
• top down from cuff to toe
• slipped rib textured heel flap
• simple wedge toe
• grafted ends

These socks will fly off your needles. Ideal for TV knitting or as a portable project that doesn’t require too much concentration. If you can knit a tube and decrease stitches, you can make a sock!

This pattern was written for those who have always wanted to try socks, but have been put off thinking that they are too complicated or that they don’t yet have the skills. Understanding of very basic techniques is assumed (casting on, knit and purl stitches).

Pattern includes clear step by step guides on the magic loop technique for knitting in the round, 2x2 rib stitch, stockinette stitch, changing yarn colour, decreasing stitches (K2tog, P2tog and SSK), picking up stitches and grafting.

Sizing:
Available in S , M, L and XL, based on foot circumference:

Small (UK 3 to 5) = 19cm/ 7.5”
Medium (UK 6 to 8) = 22cm / 8.5”
Large (UK 9 to 11) = 24.25cm / 9.5”
Extra Large (UK 12+) = 25.5cm / 10”

Suggested leg length:
Cuff = 6cm/ 2.25”
Leg = 14cm/ 5.5”
Total = 20cm / 7.75”

Pattern includes sizing charts to get an accurate foot length based on shoe size (handy when you’re knitting as a gift). Negative ease of 10% incorporated into sizing, so pick your size as close as possible, and round down. For example, I knit for UK women’s size 8/ European 41, and my circumference was 8.75”, so I knit the medium size (average circumference 8.5”).

Materials:

Main Colour: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply, in Country Birds self striping, 1x100g (all sizes)
Contrast colour: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply Solids colour (1x 100g, all sizes)

Sample photographed used “Pheasant” for the main colour, and “Pacific” as the contrast.

2.75mm circular needles, with a 100cm/ 40” cable. If you’ve never used magic loop before, you may find a fixed needle easier to use than an interchangeable.

You will also need some snips or scissors, a measuring tape, a darning needle (and I recommend a good cup of tea or coffee to get you going).

Alternative colour pair suggestions:

Jay/ Cobalt 1005
Green Woodpecker / Rouge 1000
Starling / Amethyst 1003
Swallow/ Rouge 1000
Bullfinch / Rouge 1000
Goldfinch / Sunflower 1001
Kingfisher / Amber 1004
Mallard / Cobalt 1005
Peacock / Spruce 1006
Wood Pigeon / Poppy Seed 1815
Owl / Poppy Seed 1815
Bluetit / Cadoman 1889

Alternatively, any 4ply fingering/ sock weight yarn can be substituted in.

Yardage

Yardage is estimated with a 10% surplus to account for difference in tension, and is here if you’d like to substitute yarns. One 100g ball of suggested colours will be plenty for all sizes.

Small: MC = 150m / 180 yards, CC= 75m/ 82 yards
medium: MC = 196m / 215yards, CC = 90m/ 98 yards
large: MC = 205m / 225 yards, CC = 101m/ 110 yards
extra large: MC = 230m/ 250 yards, CC = 115m/ 125 yards

Gauge

2.75mm needles in stockinette stitch: 32 stitches x 40 rows to make 10x10cm or 4x4”.