Once upon a time, 3 friends gathered at the house of one of them in northern Illinois, an area with lots of grasslands and lakes, and wetland areas. While we were talking and sharing ideas about knitting, especially about ganseys, I began to design and knit these socks.

Worked from the cuff down with a heel flap/gusset and a wedge toe, this sock was inspired by the traditional motifs found on the Ganseys worn by fishermen.

Cast on choices of 68 or 72 stitches, to fit a women’s size medium or large foot. Larger or smaller sizes can be made by changing needle size and choosing thicker or finer sock weight yarn. Note: There are 3 pdf files: one has the directions, and the other two are the charts for the M and L versions.

I strongly recommend using a solid yarn or one with only very slight shading. Tightly plied, round yarns are better for good stitch definition. I used Alte Künste sock yarn for the pink pair and Hazel Knits Piquant Lite for the wine-colored pair (which I believe has now been discontinued).

The stitch patterns are charted and there are options for substituting charts or even using your own. (A blank grid is provided.) A decorative cable can be worked down the heel flap.

Many thanks are due to Ellen Brisch and Jane K Brown for their wonderful ideas, experience, and camaraderie!