Pattern Description from A Gathering of Lace: “The inspiration for these socks was a pair of store-boughts that I positively wore out, and when replacements could not be found, the gauntlet - or should I say, the socklet - had been thrown. The process of inventing a suitable lace pattern taught me about a characteristic of lace vs. St st: if there is very much lace (yo’s and their compensatory dec’s), the fabric will gain a good bit of sideways stretch and won’t fit a narrow foot and leg very well, so I needed fewer sts than usual. I also discovered that the locations and types of decreases affected the fabric. I chose the arrangement for this sock that would cause the fabric to lay the flattest: the feathered dec’s. However, I’ve included a chart that gives a bold, almost 3-dimensional result, as well as expanded charts for those who’d like to knit socks for very wide feet or thick ankles.”

Skill Level: Intermediate

Finished Measurements: Women’s medium (wide)

Yarn: Schoeller-Esslinger Fortissima Cotton (1¾oz/50g; 231yds/210m; 75% cotton/25% nylon) or comparable sock yarn. 2 balls Black #02 Optional: Reinforcing yarn for heel and toe.

Needles: Set of 5 double-pointed needles (dpn) in size 2 (2.75mm), or size to obtain gauge

Extras: Tapestry needle

Blocked Gauge: 14 sts to 2”/5cm in St st using size 2 (2.75mm) dpn. A 13-st rep of the feathered chart pat measures approx 2½“.

Notes:

1. The needle diagram shows the arrangement of sts on the dpn. Red numbers indicate the first dpn of the rnd.
2. Directions are for medium size with wide size in parentheses.
3. Only even chart rnds are shown. Knit all odd rnds.
4. See Techniques, p. 162, for sl2tog-k1-p2sso.