Interweave SKU: EP12524

Finished Sizes: 13 inches (33.0 cm) circumference at the knee; 7¾ inches (19.7 cm) foot circumference; 9 inches (22.9 cm) foot length; 16 inches (40.6 cm) long from top of folded cuff to bottom of heel.

Yarn: North Ronaldsay Wool, 100% wool yarn, 2 ply, 440 yards (402.3 m)/ 120 gram (4.2 oz) hank; 2 hanks of Light Gray (A) and 1 hank each of White (B), Dark Gray (C), Light Brown (D), and Dark Brown (E);

Needles: Set of 4 double pointed, sizes 0 (2 mm), 00 (1.5 mm), and 000 (1.25 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notions: Stitch holder; Tapestry needle.

Gauge: 32 sts and 36 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in charted patt on size 0 needles; 36 sts and 44 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in St st on size 00 needles.

Originally Published: Knitting Traditions, Spring 2015.

Colorwork charts available as a PDF here

Ed note: Yardage is based on using a full skein of each color, including contrast colors.

The Orkney socks include motifs from the Neolithic sites found all over Orkney, including standing stones and runes, plus more contemporary motifs in stranded knitting: the bold stripes of the lighthouse on North Ronaldsay, the triangular shape of the modern wind-generating mills on all of the islands, and rock walls that divide the agricultural fields and keep the sheep on the beaches. The socks are mostly gray, gray being the predominant color of the sky in any season on Orkney!