This pattern is retired and not usually available. However, I make many of my retired patterns available for a few days twice a year, and this is one of those times! It will be available from now through some time on Monday, December 2. Then it will go away again.

In the summer of 2022, I realized that I found maintaining a back catalog of hundreds of patterns overwhelming. I couldn’t do it and still release new things. So I took my old patterns down so I could keep doing new work.

A few favorites have come back, and lots of new things have come out! But the vast majority of the old patterns are retired and are no longer generally available.

However, enough folks have asked about old favorites that I make many of the retired patterns available for a few days twice a year (usually in early summer and around Thanksgiving).

• If you see the buy buttons on this page, you’ve caught it on one of the days it’s available!
• If you don’t see the buy buttons on this page, then it’s not currently available.
• If you want to hear when the retired patterns are available, subscribe to the mailing list or patreon, or keep an eye on my instagram.

Wrack noun seaweed or other vegetation cast on the shore

You’ll want this pattern in your bag of tricks. It’s got just enough going on to be interesting, without ever being too hard. It works great for folks who insist on having fairly sedate socks (you know who you are…just because you like a mellow sock does not mean it needs to be boring). And it comes in a wide range of sizes and works with a huge array of yarns.

Plus the socks are awfully darn cute! Something about the combination of cables and ribbing is undeniably classic, without being boring. I suspect you’ll find yourself knitting this one more than once.

They’re written in six sizes (56, 60, 66, 72, 78, and 84 stitch cast ons), and you should feel free to adjust your gauge a bit to fine tune the fit of the sock. Just be sure that you’re working at a gauge that gives you a sturdy sock fabric with your chosen yarn!

I recommend working at something around 7, 8, or 9 stitches per inch, and I’ve included a table to help you figure out what gauge you’ll want to use for the size you need. With that range of sizes and gauges, the socks will fit a foot (measured around the ball of the foot) between 7.25 and 11.5 inches (with lots of points in between).

These are perfect for you if:

• You want a pattern that works for a huge variety of yarns and sizes
• You love mirrored socks
• You want a sock that’s classic but still holds your interest

They’re not for you if:

• You don’t like charts (the pattern uses charts)
• You hate swatching (you need to swatch to check your needle size)