Pedigreed: \ˈpe-də-ˌgrēd\ adjective

• possessing a distinguished ancestry

Lovely samplers were once the way genteel young women learned the countless embroidery stitches they were expected to know. These samplers held row after row of different decorative motifs. I found the idea of a knitted sampler intriguing, and this sock is the result.

It features ribs of varying widths, each sporting a different cable pattern. A plain rib curves around the foot, cutting off the cabled ribs and allowing for an interesting gusset structure.

This is a fairly complicated pattern, so it is very important to read the written instructions and not just skip to the charts. The socks are worked from the top down. The pattern is 13 pages long, including 8 large charts, three pictures of the sock, and a several pictures of the steps needed for one of the uncommon stitches.