I adore slightly-odd socks. Socks that are a pair
but don’t match exactly – fraternal, rather
than identical, if you will. This design offsets the
cable turns and the position of the cable motif
on the leg and foot. They’re more fun to wear, I
think, but also more fun to knit, helping to stave
off Second Sock Syndrome.

The legs are worked in a combination of ribbing
and a cable motif; the ribbing adds a bit of
stretch for comfort and improved fit. The cable
motif is perfect yet looks a tiny bit wonky, which
for me represents the beauty of handspun in a
nutshell: it might not look as tidy as commercial
yarn, but it’s exactly right.

To ensure these socks last as long as possible,
I’ve used 2 tricks for reinforcement. As is pretty
common, I’ve worked a slipped-stitch pattern
on the heel flap – although not one you might
be used to. The pattern I’ve chosen flows seamlessly from the leg ribbing. And the square/band heel turn I’ve used (my favorite) allows the reinforcement to continue down into the turn, into the portion of the heel that sits under the foot, which is also a high wear area for many.
Knit It!

I’ve also changed to a smaller needle for the heel
and foot, to make the fabric just a bit more dense
and hardwearing. (Warmer, too!)
And the pattern features my favourite no-graft
toe. I find that it fits most feet surprisingly well,
and it does save the trouble of having to look
up your favourite Kitchener stitch tutorial. If
you really do prefer to graft – and some feet do
do better with a flatter-top toe – you can easily
adjust. Once you’ve worked the setup, alternate
decrease and even rounds until about a third of
the stitches remain, making sure you’ve got the
same number on both instep and sole, and graft
closed. But if you’ve never worked a no-graft
toe, this one’s worth trying! Give it a go!