LOVE striping yarn. I simply can’t resist buying it. Then I take it home, grab a pattern and… whoops, can’t see the pattern for the stripes. This pattern is part of my ongoing quest to find stitch patterns that work well with colorful striping yarns. The muscari lace increases and decreases in stitch count, causing the flowers to pop out with excellent stitch definition, so you can see them even with a high-contrast yarn. The lace in the ribs gives it that extra bit of stretch, allowing it to fit exactly like a k5p2 rib, even when the stitch count is lower. I have tested the stitch motif in hand-painted, traditional self-striping, and in the ombre Trekking shown here, all with excellent results. This pattern handles color with ease and pizazz!

This sock is knit from the cuff down, with a short-row heel on 60% of stitches and standard grafted toe. This heel and toe were chosen mostly because they fit my foot well. The pattern would work just as well with a traditional flap heel or another shape of toe.