The Tulip Festival happens every year in Ottawa in celebration of the tulips gifted to Canada from the Netherlands after WWII as a thank you to Canadian soldiers and as a symbol of friendship. During May, tulips bloom in Commissioner’s Park, Major Hill’s Park, and throughout Ottawa. The Tulips socks mimic the beautiful scenes of this festival with ruffled cuffs and happy spring colours.

The ruffles are knit onto a small ribbed cuff after the sock is finished so the sock won’t slip down. The construction looks more complex than it is, and the pattern has purled guides for where to pick up the stitches later.

Sizes
There are four sizes in the pattern, 1 (18cm foot circumference), 2 (20cm foot circumference), 3 (22.5cm foot circumference), and 4 (25cm foot circumference). Note that the sizes listed are measured around the sock, so find your size by measuring your foot and then subtracting 10%.

Yarn and Yardage
Two colours are needed for these flower-like socks; a green for the toes and whatever colour you want for the cuff and foot. This pattern can be knit in as many colours as you can imagine! Each sock can even be a different colour if you’d like. The brightest and boldest colours in your stash now have their chance to shine. Only about 20-30 yards are needed for the toe, and about 200-310 yards of the main colour(s) are needed for both socks (if using different colours, that works out to about 100-155 yards for a single sock). Approximately 220 - 340 yards in total are needed.

Notions
DPN’s or circulars (pattern can interpreted for both), darning needle, stitch markers, and sock blockers.

Knowledge of basic cuff down, in the round sock knitting with a heel flap and gusset is needed for this pattern, as well as picking up stitches to knit the ruffles.