These socks are the result of a collaboration between KalokShekEllen of Mrs Lam Yarns and I. She was inspired to create something special for Chinese New Year and asked me to help create the pattern and charts. Ellen has kindly provided the linguistic guidance on the characters and style chosen. (Plus test knitting.) Personally I’m a year of the Ox guy, go figure.

Thanks toNe-le for providing these wonderful pictures of her test knit.

These are:-

• Toe Up
• German Short Row Heel with a vanilla foot and colour work leg where the Chinese characters appear.

Colour work instructions are charted.

There is flexibility to allow a knitter to use the year charts or create a a phrase e.g. Ox Year, Tiger Year etc.

There are also filler panels based on ornamental screens from museum pictures to help with the spacing of the characters and to make the carrying of floats around the socks easier.

It is recommended that the colourwork is worked with the floats on the outside and pattern inside to help ensure that the leg is loose enough to pass easily over a heel.