Country Girl Socks

HeartStrings knitting pattern #A38

These lace-patterned socks are dainty and dignified; perfect for the country girl at heart.

Shown in Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock yarn, color #072 Lake

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The socks feature shaping below the calf for a trim fit at ankle. The notch-edged bias lace panel ribbing at cuff transitions into an arrow-head lace pattern that narrows toward the ankle and continues into the instep. The arrow-head lace then changes into subtle ribbing along top of foot.

Adult medium. Planned leg height (top of heel to top edge of cuff) is approximately 7½". 375 yards fingering weight. 8 stitches/inch, size US 1 / 2.5 mm needles suggested. Charted and written instructions.

Note: Although this sock pattern specifies double point needles, you can use your favorite method for knitting circularly, whether it be double points, 2 circulars or 1 circular. In fact, all my newer sock patterns that have been published since 2002 don't even specify one style of needles over another. When knitting on 2 circulars, I usually like to have what will become the instep/top of foot stitches on one needle, and the heel/bottom of foot stitches on the other. Just use markers to help you keep your place between pattern stitch multiples or where there might have been a specific reference in the instructions to a particular set of stitches on a double point needle.

Here are back and front views of the Country Girl Socks knitted in Lion Brand Sock-Ease color #206 Sour Ball. I like how Sock-Ease has nice long sections of the main color interspersed with short sections of 2 accent colors. This creates larger solid areas of color when knitted than would usually be the case for most variegated yarns. I think this allows the lace stitches to stand out nicely even amongst the relatively large contrast of the other colors.

Carol Breitner writes ...

Dear Jackie, I am making my second pair of Country Girl socks. I think that is the greatest pattern on earth! There are just so many wonderful things about it ... the decrease/shaping working right into the lace pattern, the way you set the heel up with an odd # of stitches, and turn the heel starting with the purl row (that's how I do it, and teach it), the way the lace feeds into the foot ribbing NOT TO MENTION that they are the most elegant, feminine, jaw-dropping gorgeous, great fitting stay-up socks I have ever made. The first pair was pale olive, these are black. The lace really shows up with the black.

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See more Sock Patterns in the Jackie E-S Design Collections.