These socks arose as my way of coping with all the strangeness that COVID-19 has brought. I enjoy the idea of figuratively stomping on the virus!

The cast-on is a variation of a crochet cast-on to create the spikes that coronaviruses are named for. Beyond the cast-on, these are pretty standard top down socks with a heel flap and gusset and a rounded wedge toe. One stitch gets moved to the instep for the foot to balance the pattern, then back to the sole for the toe.

A crochet hook in the same size as the knitting needles is required for the cast-on, and a point protector or straight needle in that same size is optional but helpful to manage the cast on without losing stitches. After the spikes in the cast-on, a little bit of ribbing for the protein coat of the virus, then the twisted stitches and texture pattern on the leg reminds me of a strand of RNA with its bases jutting out the sides.

As written, these should fit an average adult female foot, but since the stitch repeat is only 4 stitches, they should be pretty easy to adjust. I used 2.75mm needles because my yarn is on the heavy side of fingering, but one should use the appropriately sized needles to obtain a gauge of 8 or more stitches to the inch.

Wash your hands, stay 6 feet apart, and have fun stomping on some coronaviruses!!