Coupling by Deb Barnhill

Coupling

Knitting
May 2007
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
30 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches
in charted pattern, unstretched
US 2½ - 3.0 mm
385 yards (352 m)
English
This pattern is available for free.

Description from Knitty, Summer 2007:
A 2006 poll commissioned by McGregor Socks revealed an interesting tidbit: East Coast Canadians are more likely than anyone else in the country to leave our socks on while, um, coupling. How fitting that this pattern should be born in Nova Scotia and written for a Nova Scotia yarn! If warm summer nights find you still needing a little something to keep your feet cozy, curl up for a weekend with your iced tea and your needles. The end result will give new meaning to slipping into something a little more comfortable.

The stitch pattern is a modified version of the Fancy Trellis Stitch from Mon Tricots 1300 Pattern Stitches, printed in France in the third quarter of 1979. This book, in tatters and marked up by its previous owner, was a terrific yard sale find that I find invaluable for design purposes. The stitch sequence is almost too simple to be called lace. Repeated over just 7 stitches and 8 rows, it will find its way into your memory in no time.


Sea Wool is an exciting new blend of wool and Seacell, a soft, highly breathable fiber derived from seaweed. Seacell has anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown to protect the skin and possesses a decadent sheen.


Coupling is worked from a short-row toe with lacy gusset increases and a no-gap reverse heel flap. The stitch pattern has a fair bit of stretch, particularly in the vertical direction. Leave the foot length just a bit on the short side to really wake up the stitch detail.