Part of a collection inspired by Shakespeare’s plays!

Enter a Porter
“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’the name of Beelzebub?”

This might just be the oldest knock-knock joke in the world. I love the Porter. He goes on in his imagination to porter the gate of hell, letting in various sinners who tried, in their own ways, to avoid hell. Eventually, he gets too cold to continue “devil-portering” and lets MacDuff and Lennox into Macbeth’s castle to give them his views on overindulging in alcohol. He’s a bit of comic relief, yes, but he’s also used to draw a comparison between Macbeth’s castle and hell, and therefore between Macbeth himself and Satan. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the socks— which are my own version of hell’s gate.

Skill Level: Intermediate, due to heavy cabling
Materials: approximately 360-400 yds or 330-365m of sock yarn. The socks pictured are a size M and used 370yds of Lorna’s Laces Solemate in the color “Chagrin.”
Needles: US1(2.25mm) sock needles (either DPNs or Magic Loop)
Tools: Cable needle, if necessary, tape measure, scissors, and tapestry needle
Sizing: Small (Medium, Large) socks measure 8(9,10) inches or 20.5(23,25.5)cm in circumference. Leg height, ankle depth, and foot length are all adjustable to fit and preference.
Gauge: 8 stitches and 12 rounds per inch or 2.5cm in stockinette.

Abbreviations
K=Knit
P=Purl
S=Slip
K2tog= knit two together
SSK= slip,slip, knit
P2tog=purl two together
C4R= slip two to a cable needle and hold to the back. K2, then K2 from the cable needle
C4L= slip two to a cable needle and hold to the front. K2, then K2 from the cable needle
Please note that chart reading is necessary for this pattern!