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.

Phaeodaria noun marine ameoboid protists with complex mineral skeletons

You know how sometimes I come along and say ‘oh it’s easier than it looks, you’ll have it memorized in no time’? Well that’s totally not the case for these socks. That leg is one big chart with a lovely, intricate, twirly, swirly extravaganza of tiny twisted cables (inspired by the beautiful illustrations of this tiny little organism found in Ernst Haeckel’s 1904 book, Kunstformen der Natur). I won’t lie to you, you will totally need to pay a bit of attention for that part (it’s worth it though).

But I’m not totally heartless. By the time you get to the foot, I know you probably want a bit of a break. The pattern on the foot is every bit as lovely, but much more relaxing. This part you really will have memorized in no time.

The combination makes for a really lovely sock. Besides, don’t you have enough plain vanilla socks already? You’re up for the challenge!

The pattern comes in three sizes (66, 72, and 76 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.

These are perfect for you if:

• You love twisted stitches and cables
• You’re looking for something a bit more engaging than your basic vanilla sock

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)