Finished size
Medium (Large) 8”/20 cm (8 ½”/22 cm) circumference after blocking

Yarn
John Arbon Textiles Exmoor Sock 4 ply
60% Exmoor Blueface Superwash 20% Corriedale Superwash 10% Zwartbles 10% Nylon
50 grams 200 meters per skein (218 yards)
2 (3) skeins or 375 (395) yards or 340 (360) meters of fingering weight
Shown in Whortleberries in size Medium
Yarn usage will vary depending on length of leg and foot.

Gauge
36 stitches over 4” (10 cm) in Stockinette, blocked

Needles
US 1 (2.25 mm) or size to obtain gauge, double pointed, set of 5

Notions
Two unique stitch markers
Cable needle (5” DP US 1/2.25 mm sock needles work great)
Tapestry needle

December
Cold Moon
Winter earnestly arrives in December in New England. As I write we are getting our first significant snowfall of the season. Yesterday I hurriedly took photos of the Cold Moon Socks in the dusting of snow that arrived over the weekend, before the deepening snow made it more challenging to be outside in wool socks without shoes! The reasoning behind the name of December’s moon really needs no explanation. In a couple weeks, the Winter Solstice will signal a turning point in the year, and I like to think of it as the point where the days get longer, as they literally do, but also to focus on the coming year where growth and harvest begin anew.

With these shorter days, December officially heralds “cozy season”, and I designed these socks to fit the bill. The simple, zig zag cable down the front and back reminds me of the halo around the moon, or moon dog, on a frigid night. The tiny honeycomb cables at the sides create a waffle texture that traps air and warmth. But these socks will be cozy any time of year!

Full Moon Sock of the Month Patterns
Full moon folklore is a legacy of many cultures and persists today. These sock of the month patterns celebrate the Celtic themes surrounding the full moon. Many of the Celtic full moon names are shared by the Anglo Saxons and Native Americans. As the monthly patterns unfold, you will see how I was inspired by each moon’s theme and was also inspired by the incredible color range of Exmoor Sock yarn which I used exclusively for each month’s sample pair of socks. So inspired, in fact, that there are three bonus patterns to be released later in the year so I could continue to play with Exmoor’s luminous and nature-inspired palette, and you get more sock patterns!

As a designer who specializes in cabled knitting designs, most of these socks feature cables in some form. Designing an Aran at the miniature scale of socks is no easy task and I found that simpler is better to save myself from frustration and allowing me to offer more than one size of sock each month. Each month’s theme allowed me to really distill my ideas to a spare but emotive design. To offer a bit of respite, there are gansey inspired socks as well that are only knit and purl patterns to offer us a bit of a break throughout the year. I hope you enjoy knitting these socks as much as I have enjoyed designing them.