Many military men of Jane Austen’s day would have owned a pair of well-fitting Hessian boots. Originally a standard military issue for officers, this boot style became widely worn among civilians as well. Styled after the original two-tone design of these boots, these socks have a wide, contrast-colored band at the cuff, and feature a black/brown color combination, which was a highly fashionable choice for men’s riding boots in

the early nineteenth century.

These socks are simple to knit, with the main portion of the leg and foot knit in stockinette, with a subtle “side
seam” decoration and small diamondshaped
clocking at the ankles, which may be knit as the sock leg is worked, or added once the sock is finished using duplicate stitch.

These socks are worked from the cuff down in the round. The pattern includes a small 3-row color chart for the diamond clocking pattern.

All photos courtesy of Christa Tippmann and Jane Austen Knits/Interweave Press.

Copies of the magazine may be ordered via Interweave Press’s site.

A yarn pack for the BFL sock weight yarn in the two colors shown in the sample may be found at Wooly Wonka Fibers in the Kits/Yarn Packs section.