Introducing my latest pattern: Canobie Cable Socks!

Pattern: Canobie Cable Socks

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: $2.99 at Knit Picks / $3.50 on Ravelry

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Springtime

Design/Skills Needed: The sinuous twisted-stitch cables that undulate around the leg and instep of these socks evoke the roller coasters at my favorite family amusement park: Canobie Lake Park. They are top-down socks with a traditional heel-flap and gusset. The cable pattern is unbroken around the leg and continues seamlessly into a ribbed heel and twines over the instep to the toe.

Because of the complex cables, this sock is not easily re-sized by changing the stitch count. Rather, the knitter is advised to go up or down a needle size to achieve a different leg circumference.

The cable pattern is charted, but full written directions are also provided for the knitter who prefers to knit from words. The pattern is technique-neutral — I hold no religious preference regarding DPNs, two circs, Magic Loop, tiny circs, etc. when I write patterns.

Many thanks to my friend’s little girl, Sara, who modeled the socks for me.  I have extra-large, square-toed feet (thank you, Dutch ancestors) — not exactly the prettiest things to be shoving into socks for show. She had the perfect shoes to go with them, and as soon as the sample socks are back from Knit Picks, they will go home with Sara.

Inspiration: An age and an eon ago, I spotted a cool sweater while standing in line at Canobie Lake Park.  I took a surreptitious photo of the woman’s sweater … I hope she didn’t think I was stalking her.  But the cables were neat! 🙂 They reminded me of the roller coasters.   I swatched and swatched and eventually tamed the pattern to the much-smaller canvas of socks.

Here is my first draft:

 

I think the final version is more refined and lively! 🙂