The Crystallography Socks were designed for the Supersock World Championship 2025 and made their debut in Lap 3. The pattern will be available to the general public following the conclusion of the competition in late August 2025.

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DESIGN INSPIRATION

In graduate school and my undergraduate research experience, I spent a decent amount of time growing crystals. Crystallography is a bit of an art form, and from the crystals that we grew, we were able to obtain pure materials and determine the exact chemical structures of new compounds. Crystals are made up of highly ordered, repeating units of molecules arranged in three-dimensional space, and depending on the chemical make-up of your crystals, your crystals could be colorless or have a vibrant hue.

The Crystallography Socks are inspired by my experiences with crystallization and recrystallization. We start from a faux-rib that is reminiscent of seed crystals that can be used to initiate the crystallization process, and they flow seamlessly into repeating cable units. I loved designing these socks and determining the best arrangements for these cables to cascade neatly into a comfortable 3x1 rib on the foot and back into beautiful cables on the toe. The cables are mirrored on the left and right sock.

CONSTRUCTION

The Crystallography Socks are knit cuff-down, beginning with a German Twisted Cast-On and faux 3x1 rib. The leg of the sock features cascading cables that transition neatly to a 3x1 ribbing on the foot of the sock. A traditional heel flap and gusset make for a great overall fit, and the cascading cables peek back in on the rounded toe for a fun, elegant look. Kitchener stitch is used to finish off the sock.

PATTERN INFORMATION

Difficulty Rating
INTERMEDIATE: Project is worked in the round from the cuff down and includes cables, slipped stitches, increases, and decreases. Kitchener stitch is used to finish off the toe. The pattern is primarily charted.

Recommended Yarn
Sock by Teal Torch Knits, 75% superwash merino wool/25% nylon, 463 yds (423 m) per 3.5 oz (100 g): 1 skein (shown in Grape Soda) OR approximately 400 yds (366 m) light fingering to fingering weight yarn.

This pattern will play nicely with any fingering weight merino/merino nylon blend yarn in solid, tonal, lightly speckled, or low contrast colorways.

Needles/Notions

• US #1 (2.25 mm) 32-40” (80-100 cm) circular, or five double-pointed needles; OR size needed to obtain gauge.
• Tapestry needle for Kitchener stitch and weaving in ends.
• 3 stitch markers.
• Cable needle.

Gauge
36 sts and 48 rnds to 4” (10 cm) in stockinette stitch on US #1 (2.25 mm) needles.
Pattern gauge was measured after washing and blocking.

Sizes Available
48 {56, 64, 72, 80} sts

Finished Measurements
5.25 {6.25, 7, 8, 9}” (13.5 {15.8, 18, 20.3, 22.6} cm) leg and foot circumference, unstretched.
Recommended fit is 0.5-1.5” (1-3.8 cm) negative ease.

The model has a ball of foot measurement of 8.5” (21.5 cm) and leg measurement of 8.5” (21.5 cm) and is wearing a 64 sts sample. The model typically wears 64-st vanilla socks.

To get the best fit, choose the size with the CO stitch count closest to what you would CO for vanilla socks using your preferred needle size and sock yarn.