Maidenhair Pattern

I was born and raised in Hawaii, right outside the National Park. Every once in a while we bike up to Thurston Lava Tube, which is normally extremely crowded with tourists, and yet remains one of the most peaceful places I've ever been. It's green and wet and echoy, and if you venture past the well-lit and well-traveled main section, the lights go out, and the only sounds you hear are the droplets falling from the ground above. You clamber over rockfalls and shine your flashlight on the ceiling to avoid bumping your head on a tiny stalactite. I used to daydream about living in there.

The walls outside the tube are hung with graceful, trembling ferns--delightfully named "maidenhair." They quiver with every breath of breeze and every tiny raindrop, and rustle ever so softly. These silky socks are my ode to that place. The jagged edging at the top represents the stalactites and the rocky terrain. The ferns drape over the foot, and the raindrops plop along the side.

I worked these in magic loop, but have tried to write the pattern so that it is easily transferable to whatever method you prefer. However, it is a mildly tricky pattern, so read all the way through it before casting on.

2 sizes: Women’s 7-9 (9-11)

Materials: 2 skeins KnitPicks Gloss, or 420 yards of the sock yarn of your choice.
US Size 1 needles; either 5 dpns, or a 40-inch circular + 1 dpn.

Gauge:
8 sts X 12 rows = 1 inch.

CO 56 (60) sts

Join to begin working in the round. K 10 rounds.

Next round: *yo, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round

K 10 rounds

Next round: Using your extra dpn, slide it through the cast-on loops until you have as many loops on that needle as on the working needle. Slip the dpn under your work, folded at the yarnovers. Knit one stitch from the working needle together with one stitch from the extra dpn. Repeat across needle, and around sock.

Note: This cuff is really not that hard once you sit down and do it, but if you’re intimidated, just k1, p1 across all sts for 10 rounds.

K 1 round.

R1: *k2, p4(5), k9, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl1, k2tog, psso, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R2 and all even, excepting R6: *k2, p4(5) k16, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R3: *k2, p4(5), k10, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R5: *k2, p4(5), k3tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k3, (yo, k1)2X, sl1, k2tog, psso, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R6: *(yo)2X, k2tog, p4(5), k16, p4(5), k2tog. Repeat from * around.

R7, if using dpns: *k1, p1 into double yarnover, k1, p4(5), k3tog, k3, yo, k2, yo, k9, p4(5), k1, p1, k1. Repeat from * around, then slip stitches back to their original positions on your needles.

R7, if using magic loop: k1 into double yarnover, slide stitch down needle to join the stitches for the bottom of the foot, p1, k1, p4(5), k3tog, k3, yo, k2, yo, k9, p4(5), k1, k the yarnover stitch from the wire. Next sock: k1, p1, into double yarnover, continue in PATT to last st, k1. Bottom of sock: k1, slide stitch down needle to join the sts for the top of the foot, continue in PATT, k1, p1, k1. Next sock: Drop 1^st st that had been knit off the wire, p1, k1, continue in PATT across sts.

R9: *k2, p4(5), k3tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k10, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R11: *k2, p4(5), k3tog, (k1, yo)2X, k3, yo, k1, yo, k4, sl1, k2tog, psso, p4(5), k2. Repeat from * around.

R12: Repeat Row 2.

Repeat these 12 rows four and a half times (or however long, depending on how high up your shins you like your socks to go), ending with R5.

HEEL:

Work heel across first half of stitches as follows:

R1: K to last stitch, yarnover, slip the last stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn work.

R2: Slip the first stitch from the left needle to the right needle, and purl to the last stitch. Yarnover, slip last stitch. Turn.

R3: Slip the first stitch from left needle to the right one, knit to the last stitch before the slipped stitch. Wrap and turn.

R4: Slip the first stitch and purl across to the stitch before the slipped stitch. Wrap and turn.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 12 stitches left unwrapped in the middle of the heel.

R1: K across the unwrapped stitches to the first wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch (it will now have two wraps) and turn.

R2: Slip the first, double-wrapped, stitch and purl to the first wrapped stitch on the other side. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

R3: Slip the first, double-wrapped, stitch, and knit to the double wrapped stitch on the other side. Pick up both the wraps and knit them together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

R4: Slip the first, double-wrapped, stitch, and purl to the double wrapped stitch. Pick up both the wraps and purl them together with the wrapped stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all stitches have been unwrapped and knit to the end of the heel stitches

From now on, treat second half of stitches as the top half of the foot.

Beginning with R6, work only half of the stitches in pattern (so only one pattern repeat). Knit all other stitches in stockinette, excluding the double yarnovers and k2togs associated with R6.

Continue until sock measures 1.5 inches less than desired length/length of foot.

TOE:

Knit all stitches.
K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts of top of foot, k2tog, k1. k1, ssk, k to last 2 sts of bottom of foot, k2tog, k1.

Repeat these two rows until 14 sts remain.

Graft Top Stitches to Bottom Stitches. Weave in ends.