Ivy and Nettle is part of the Five Swans Series curated by Robin of Birch Hollow Fibers. Robin put together this series in honor of her grandma and her four sisters and to share the stories of everyday Black women.
This sock pattern honors Barbara Swann, the youngest of the five sisters. As a child, Barbara used to skip out on chores so she could talk with her chickens. She loved her garden, with its neat hedges of ivy and nettle. Barbara used to work at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, later going on to serve as the mayor of her town. Now retired, Barbara Swann loves getting together with her sisters, telling silly jokes, and talking about her children and grandchildren.
I was inspired to create these socks by Barbara’s enduring love for gardening, a hobby I share with her. The textured stitch pattern is reminiscent of a hedge of ivy, while the bobbled hem invokes buds of nettle flowers peeking through.

The pattern includes two ways of working the socks: cuff-down and toe-up. The cuff down version uses the square heel shaping, whereas the toe-up version features the short row heel shaping. You can adjust the leg length by working more or less rounds of Ivy and Nettle Stitch Pattern. The foot length is also easily adjustable. Just remember that finished foot length needs to be ½“ 1cm shorter than the actual foot length and the foot circumference needs to be 1” 2.5cm less than the actual foot circumference for a comfortable fit. Instructions for alternative cuff options are included.

Knitting level: Intermediate

Sizes: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5), sample on the cover is Size 1 worked from the cuff down

Finished measurements:

7 (7½, 8¼, 8¾, 9¼)“ 18 (19.5, 20.5, 22, 23)cm foot circumference

8 (8½, 9, 9¾, 10½)“ 20.5 (21.5, 23, 25, 26.5)cm foot length (adjustable)

4” 10cm leg length (adjustable)

Yarn:

Birch Hollow Fibers Sojourner Sock (3-Ply; 60% US Sourced Non-Superwash Merino, 30% NY State Romney, 10% Nylon; 400 yards/100 g)
1 skein in Barbara colorway

Yardage:

220 (240, 265, 290, 320) yards 202 (220, 242, 265, 293) meters of sock yarn

Needles:

32” circulars or or set of 5 dpn’s in the size necessary to obtain gauge (recommended size US 2 2.75mm)

Gauge:
30 sts and 45 rounds = 4” 10cm in stockinette after wet-blocking
33 sts and 45 rounds = 4” 10cm in Ivy and Nettle Stitch Pattern after wet-blocking

Notions: tapestry needle, stitch markers, extra dpn’s (for Kitchener Stitch)

Pattern has been tech edited by Chaitanya Muralidhara.

Low Vision Accessibility: This pattern is written in 22 point sans serif font (Arial) in all black text. It has no italics. All of the directions are fully written out. There is no chart in this pattern.