Socks of the Hero by Oakwood Knits

Socks of the Hero

Knitting
May 2023
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
30 stitches and 33 rows = 4 inches
in colorwork
US 1 - 2.25 mm
US 1½ - 2.5 mm
Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
English
This pattern is available for $8.00 USD
buy it now or visit pattern website

A celebration of one of my favorite game series ever, I wanted to design a sock each for Link and Zelda in a way they would fit together in a cohesive pair. Link’s Sock features the iconic Master Sword in the Lost Woods, along with motifs that are associated with his character. Zelda’s Sock starts in the sky, travels to the Great Sea, and similarly includes motifs associated with her character and origin. Each sock ends in the Divine Beast motifs from Breath of the Wild - when you place the two socks side by side all four motifs can be seen. Of course, as with any Legend of Zelda game, there are several secrets as well! Design notes and Easter eggs are included in their own section of the pattern.

Note that the socks are charted all over, and there are a few rounds in each where you have to hold 3 colors at the same time.

A full page of tips are included on general knitting, colorwork, and finishing methods.

Important note on yarn: I used Palette due to its wide color range, but note that it doesn’t contain any nylon so these are intended to be lounge socks to be worn when you are not walking around much. If you plan on heavy usage, you might want to sub a yarn that contains nylon so that your socks are more durable. Palette makes a heftier sock compared to regular sock yarn so if you sub sock yarn I highly recommending going up a size. You could also sub a nylon-containing yarn only for select areas, such as the heel. Yarn alternative ideas are below.


Sizing
Small (Medium, Large, X-Large)
To fit foot circumference: 8 (9, 10, 11)” / 20 (23, 25.5, 28) cm
To fit foot length (adjustable): 8.5 (9, 9.75, 10.5)” / 21.5 (23, 25, 26.5) cm

Finished sock measurements:
Foot circumference: 7.5 (8.5, 9.5, 10.75)” / 19 (21.5, 24, 27.5) cm
Cuff circumference: 8.5 (9.5, 10.5, 11.75)” / 21.5 (24, 26.5, 30) cm
Leg height: approx 8” / 21 cm from the heel up

Due to the all over colorwork, choose a foot circumference size with 0.5 - 0” / 1.25 - 0 cm negative ease. Sample is shown in size Medium on a 8.75” foot circumference. Calf shaping is included.

Construction
Socks are knit top down. There are 2 sets of leg charts for each Link’s Sock and Zelda’s Sock styles, and each style includes 4 sizes. The back and front of the leg are charted separately. These socks use a shadow wrap short row heel, in which you don’t need to wrap the stitches, but you can use another short row heel method if you prefer. After the heel, the colorwork foot is worked the same way as the leg - there are 2 sets of charts for each style, in each of the 4 sizes, and both the top and bottom of the foot are charted. The larger sizes have a slightly longer foot length. The sock is finished with duplicate stitch and an optional embroidery stitch. Some of the finishing is marked as optional, as the design will work just fine without those.


Color List
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette, 1 ball each of the following colors:
Almond
Ash **
Aster
Bison
Blush
Clover
Cotton Candy
Custard
Delta
Edamame
Green Tea Heather
Hyacinth
Larch Heather
Majestic
Pimento
Pool
Semolina
Sky
Toffee
Turmeric (optional) **
Wheat Heather
White

** Only scrap amounts are needed.

If you’ve made the Stardew Valley socks, you may already have most of the colors you need (depending on which season you’ve made)! The colors used in the Stardew socks are: Almond, Bison, Clover, Cotton Candy, Custard, Edamame, Majestic, Pimento, Pool, Semolina, Sky, Turmeric, Wheat Heather, White. The new colors used in these socks are: Ash, Aster, Blush, Delta, Green Tea Heather, Hyacinth, Larch Heather, Toffee


Alternative yarns
If KnitPicks isn’t available where you live or you otherwise want to sub yarn, here are some ideas based on what other knitters have used.

  • Lang Yarns Jawoll
  • Wollmeise Twin
  • Uni Merino Minis
  • Hobbii Sock Yarn
  • Drops Fable
  • Cascade Heritage Solids
  • KnitPicks Stroll - their sock yarn that has a lot of the same colorways as Palette
  • GreatBritishYarns.co.uk - a retailer in Scotland that stocks Palette

Pattern has been tech edited.

Share your creations with me on Instagram! #socksofthehero @oakwood.knits