This pattern was used as the Round 7 (final) pattern in Sock Madness 18 in 2024. It will be available for purchase when the competition has ended.

I have been a big fan of stranded colorwork for almost as long as I have been knitting. Once I realized how easy it was to design on a graph (either paper or digitally) I rapidly transitioned to creating my own colorwork patterns. It’s so easy to understand: one block or cell represents one stitch, you simply have to color them in as desired and Voila! — you have your own design. Of course there are some limitations to doing this: using too many colors in a row rapidly becomes problematic to actually knit, color choices are often challenging and, of course, diagonal lines or outlines will appear jagged.

It’s this last limitation that has intrigued me for the past two years. While working a thumb gusset for some stranded color work gloves, I noticed that if you decrease with a particular color, you can achieve a nice slanted line. That got me to wondering if I could exploit this slanted appearance and actually use it as a way of creating curving and slanted lines and outlines in a functional knitted object. Lots of swatching and several pairs of socks later, I have worked up these socks that display the curving stems and fruits such as you would find in the winter.

Originally, I had worked this berry pattern over the entire sock but was not happy with the outcome; so I decided to add a base to the plants to include some leaves and stalks. This design also allowed for decreasing the overall circumference of the sock which was fairly generous in the leg area. As I knit up the different versions, I also experimented with different heel treatments. Eventually, I ended up with a single color afterthought heel—or as Elizabeth Zimmerman calls it, a “peasant heel”.

The many increases and decreases used to create this design yields a fabric that is still somewhat stretchy but a little stiff on the leg. I thought that a folded picot hem was a better cuff treatment by contributing a double layer for the Background color yarn that was better suited to the rest of the sock. Because of the nonstandard fabric characteristics in this sock pattern (there is not as much expansion vertically as one would expect), sizing in length is different than for a plain vanilla sock or even a regular stranded color work sock. The best case scenario is to try on as you go (or try on a person with the same shoe size) in order to make sure that the sock foot ends up long enough. The pictured sock is shown on a ladies US size 10 (European 41) foot.

Directions for the leg are given in one size only: L/XL. Because of the complexity of the pattern both visually and structurally (all of those increases and decreases), it was not possible to change it sufficiently to produce a different size. Two sizes are given for the foot, however.

If you would still like to attempt a slightly smaller size, choose two yarns that are lighter fingering rather than on the heavier side of fingering weight, and/or stick with the size 1 needles throughout. Even so, make sure to try on after 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) have been knit and make sure it will fit over your heel.

These socks are knit top down with a folded picots hem and 2 colors. They sport an afterthought heel and a wide toe. Stitch patterns are given as graphs only and include the notations for the colorwork AND the multiple increases and decreases that help to create curved or slanted lines of the motifs. Although the color yarn you need to use for the increases and decreases is indicated on the individual graphs, do still take care to be observant and use the color of yarn for the increases or decreases that will visually continue the lines or outlines without visual interruptions.

Yarn recommendations: two strongly contrasting solid colors (or only lightly variegated colors). Highly variegated yarns for one or both of the colors will obscure the pattern.