I was watching old episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke
Show” when I ran across this stitch pattern. I loved
it because a) it’s called the VanDyke Check and b) it’s
kind of got a mid-century aesthetic to it. I can totally
imagine Rob Petrie wearing these socks. They’re great
for your mindless knitting project—simple, yet with
enough pattern variation to keep things interesting.

Both toe-up and top-down instructions are provided
in three different sizes. I would recommend choosing
one size smaller than your actual foot circumference as
socks do tend to stretch as you wear them.