I wanted to make a pair of heavy duty socks for my husband who gives his socks pretty rough wear. The yarn I wanted to use, “Morron Bouton” from The Wool Box, comes in two weights (a light and a chunky) and I chose the thinner. It knits up soft on U.S. 6-8 (4mm-5mm) needles but I purposely chose thinner ones to get a stiff fabric. I could have gone up a size but I didn’t have DPN’s in the right size and consequently I broke one of my bamboo needles halfway through the first sock (my bad)!

The color reminded me of the Kilt Hose pattern I’d seen in Nancy Bush’s “Folk Socks” but there was no way I was going to get that gauge with this yarn; besides, I wanted the fully-reinforced, dutch heel of her Finnish Socks. So, I used the Finnish sock pattern (p.97) for the construction of the heel and foot while I modified the leg pattern from the Kilt Hose (p. 109) and did a simple 1x1 rib at the top.

Okay, finished, washed and laying flat to dry! All in time for my husband’s birthday (yes I know it’s june but the way this spring is going has keep the household wearing wool even now).