Mad for Fair Isle Batik Style Socks pattern now available

This pattern includes instructions for knitting the sock top-down and toe-up, and uses a short-row heel. Charts for the ankle and foot motifs also included.

Getting good tension while color-stranding takes practice. Elizabeth Zimmerman says in Knitting Without Tears that you can never strand too loosely. After stranding loosely and blocking, the pictured socks fit a US size 8 foot. If a smaller or larger size is needed, I've included in the pattern where to add stitches or what to cut out. Going up or down in needle size is also an option.

If out of practice or inexperienced at color-stranding, take a look at these links for help:

Knitty article on color-stranding

Knitting in Color blog by Nanette Blanchard

This pattern was used in Sock Madness 2007. The organizers requested a fair isle pattern, but I decided to go to southern isles for inspiration. The motifs are based on batik cloth my mother brought back with her from a trip to Indonesia.


$3.25 for this pattern in pdf format