The Story
This pattern was developed as part of a challenge during the Sochi Olympics 2014 - Rainbow colours all the way!

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Description
Celebrate colour! The stitch patterns for these brilliant socks manage to interrupt potential pooling of short-run colour yarns creating a wonderful highlight for the individual colours in the yarn. Dig out those special sock yarns and jump right in. Brighten your day with happy socks!

Notes
Two PDFs are provided for this pattern; one contains directions for Chart Users (Charted Version) while the second contains directions for knitters who prefer all directions written out (Non-Charted Version).

The Leg directions for each size are given their own pages in both versions to facilitate printing only the directions required.

Skills
These socks are knit toe up and use the following techniques (internet links provided):
• Judy’s Magic Cast On
• Fleegle Heel construction (modified)
• Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

To work the bind off it is necessary for the knitter to be able to identify knit and purl stitches as they present themselves in the knitting.

Sizes
Note: The stitch pattern pulls together when the sock is relaxed making the finished circumference seem small; the pattern stitch is very stretchy, however.

Adult S (M, L)
Finished circumference: 6.5 (7, 7.5)“ / 16.5 (18, 19)cm
To fit foot circumference: 8 (8.5, 9)” / 20.5 (21.5, 23)cm and foot length 8.75 (9.5, 10)“ / 22 (24, 25.5)cm

Yarn
285 (315, 345)yds / 261 (288, 315)m fingering weight yarn

Sample in Indigodragonfly Merino Sock (100% superwash merino; 390yds / 356m per 100g) in Beige

Needles
2.5mm / US1.5 set of 5 DPN or one circular 36” or longer for Magic Loop or two circulars 16” or longer for two circular method (see Needle Notes page 3) or size required to obtain gauge

Notions
2 Stitch markers, cable needle, tapestry needle

Hint: Using a piece of waste wool in a contrasting colour is a good end of round marker, especially when first beginning small circumference knitting; simply lay the piece of yarn between the needles at the beginning of the first round, moving the non-captured end alternately from inside to outside of the work every few rounds.

A huge thank you to my test knitters, Ravellers:crossroadsdemon, woollykim, FannyKaplan, dragonxser, faeriepaw, earthmom23 and contemax.

Impeccable Knits has a Ravelry group: Impeccable Knitters Gathering Place