To me, nothing says “happy” better than a cheerful pair of patterned socks.

I love to wear handknit socks in the fall, and I love to knit small pattern repeats; Solidago combines these two loves. I flipped through my own book 200 Fair Isle Motifs: A Knitter’s Directory, to find a perfect 8-stitch pattern repeat. For color, I chose the hues of a fall meadow.

The colorwork looks more complex than it actually is, employing only 4 colors and never more than two in any round, ideal for those new to Fair Isle knitting and interesting enough for more experienced knitters. Half the fun is trying out different colorways and socks are the perfect vehicle for this.

I used beautiful Harrisville American Shetland yarn which comes in a million fabulous colors. Since the skeins are large, you’ll have yarn left over, perfect for working another pair with a different color arrangement, see what you can come up with! Solidago is the Latin term for the goldenrod plant, whose name means, “to strengthen or make whole”. May your new socks make you strong!

Yarn used:
Harrisville American Shetland 100% Pure Virgin Wool; 217/m per 50g skein
spacer MC gold: #61 Goldenrod; 1 2, 2 skein(s)
spacer CC1 maroon: #36 Garnet; 1 1, 1, 1 skein
spacer CC2 red: #63 Scarlet; 1 1, 1, 1 skein
spacer CC3 pale yellow:#6 Cornsilk; 1 1, 1, 1 skein

For pattern color amounts:
Hi - since you asked…I knit, ripped and measured the Fair Isle section of my Solidago socks. Based on these measurements I think we’re safe to allow:

CC1: S 18 yds, M 19 yds, L 20 yds
CC2: S 8 yds, M 9 yds, L 10 yds
CC3: S 8 yds, M 9 yds, L 10 yds

or meters if you like:

CC1: S 16.5m, M 17.5m, L 18.5m
CC2: S 7.5, M 8.5m, L 9.5m
CC2: S 7.5, M 8.5m, L 9.5m

I’ve rounded up, so you may use less…but with the mysteries of individual knitting styles, you may use more, but I don’t think you will. If it did happen, you could substitute a different color and have a very unique and envy worthy pair of socks!