Are there buy buttons on the side of the page? If so, you've caught this pattern on one of the handful of days every year when it's available! If not, read on for details of where it went and what to do if you want to be notified the next time it's available.

A few years ago I got overwhelmed by my back catalog, retired most of my earlier work, and launched Tiny Nonsense. That gave me space to make Cool New Stuff! But some people missed the earlier things, so I make many of the retired patterns available for a few days once or twice a year.

• If you see the buy buttons on this page, you’ve caught it on one of the days it’s available! You can buy it just like usual.

• If you don’t see the buy buttons on this page, then it’s not currently available. It will probably be available the week after Thanksgiving and for a few days in June or July.

• If you want to hear when the retired patterns come back, subscribe to the mailing list or patreon, or keep an eye on my instagram.

Graupel noun soft hail or snow pellets

These socks start out with a lovely crisp ribbing. It’s a ridiculously simple 4 row repeat that you’ll have memorized in no time at all. Once you’re done with the leg, you make a nice neat heel flap with a tiny little decoration down each side to keep things interesting. A basic gusset is next. Then comes my favorite part - the nifty arch shaping. I promise it’s easier than it looks, and it produces a really marvelous effect. After all that excitement you’re due for a quiet spell, so after the shaping you just knit straight until you’re ready for the toes.

Of course there are also instructions for continuing the ribbing plain and skipping the arch shaping, but I think you’ll have more fun if you include it!

The pattern comes in three sizes (55, 65, and 75 stitch cast on) to fit most anyone. And of course you should feel free to adjust your gauge a bit to fine tune the fit of the sock. Just be sure that you’re working at a gauge that gives you a sturdy sock fabric with your chosen yarn.

I recommend working at something around 7, 8, or 9 stitches per inch, and I’ve included a table to help you figure out what gauge you’ll want to use for the size you need. With that range of sizes and gauges, the socks will fit a foot (measured around the ball of the foot) between 6.75 and 11.75 inches (with lots of points in between).

These are perfect for you if:

• You want something both impressive looking and easy
• You love how arch shaping makes your feet look

They’re not for you if:

• You don’t like charts (the pattern uses charts)
• You hate swatching (you need to swatch to check your needle size)