“Far beneath the surface of the earth, hidden from the sun and the moon, upon the shores of the Starless sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. Stories written in books and sealed in jars and painted on walls. Odes inscribed onto skin and pressed into rose petals. Tales laid in tiles upon the floors, bits of plot worn away by passing feet.”

The Starless Sea is a 2019 novel by Erin Morgenstern about stories, folk tales and libraries. As a librarian, I found it deeply joyful, magical and inspiring. This sock pattern is influenced by a book about stories within stories, repeating throughout time.

PATTERN INFO
Sizes: 1 (60 stitches), 2 (64 stitches), 3 (72 stitches)
Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1.5)
Gauge: 36 stitches for 10 cm
Yarn: Fingering/sock weight yarn.

• Grey speckled sample: Direful Yarns Ominous (397 meters per 115 grams), 75% corriedale, 25% nylon, colourway: Winchester
• Orange sample: Lantium ex Machina Basic Sock (420 meters per 100 grams), 75% wool, 25% nylon, colourway: Ironwood

Skills required:
Knitting in the round using double pointed needles or the magic loop method.
Basic cable-knitting.
Basic decreases (knitting 2 together, purling 2 together).