Inspired by the world-famous spring landscape of the Bollenstreek region of Holland, (Bollenstreek lit. bulb region), these socks celebrate the spectacular, brightly coloured tulip fields enjoyed by so many each year.

Method:
These stranded colourwork socks are knit in the round from the cuff down with a heel flap and a round heel. They can be knitted on dpns, by magic loop, or on a short circular (in which case you will still need dpns for the heel and toe decreases).

Please note the colorwork motifs in this pattern are charted, not written out. You need to be prepared to read and work from charts in order to enjoy knitting this design.

Size:
This pattern is written in 4 sizes. All instructions that differ depending on the size you are knitting are color coded and indicated with parentheses like this: S (M, L, and XL).

Size - Sock Circumference
S - 7” (18 cm)
M - 8” (20.5 cm)
L - 9” (23 cm)
XL - 9¾” (25 cm)

Yarn:
This pattern was written using the beautiful colors of Cygnet Truly wool Rich 4 Ply. You can use any 4 ply (fingering) sock yarn that you like and with which you can get tension/ gauge. You will need at least two contrasting colors (pair shown uses 5 colors).

Please note I do not recommend using yarns with a high cotton content as cotton doesn’t stretch as much as other fibers and this will affect the fit of your socks.

This is a great pattern to experiment with color and use mini skeins or any leftovers lurking in your stash. The amounts of each color required will depend on how many colors you pick, where you choose to use them in the sock, and which size you are knitting. Be creative, have fun, but keep in mind changes will affect yardage and number of ends to weave in. As a guide for the pair pictured (size S) I used the following quantities of Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4 Ply:

MC – 208 White approx. 170 metres (186 yards)
CC1 – 862 Olive approx. 140 metres (153 yards)
CC2 – 2134 Rose Pink approx. 35 metres (38 yards)
CC3 – 2151 Raspberry approx. 45 metres (49 yards)
CC4 – 1952 Regal Purple approx. 40 metres (44 yards)