These socks, which are the 8th sock in my eBook, Cat’s Sweet Tomato Heel Socks, exist because of Danny Herbert, who was my fifth-grade student long ago, and is now a professional wildlife-whisperer photographer (and the photographer for this book). I was admiring his bluebird photos, which are astonishing both for the rarity of bluebirds where we live and for the miracle of one hovering before his lens (except that Danny has this sort of thing happen a lot) when he said, “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to Photoshop a bluebird flying off with a sock?”

In that split second the notion of this sweet little sock appeared in my head and took priority over all my other designs-in-progress. In response to requests from readers who’ve let me know they’d love to knit these socks for themselves, I present it in eight sizes. To help you come up with your own original designs, you’ll find tips at the end of the pattern for designing and fitting knee-high socks using the Sweet Tomato Heel method.

Sizes: baby (child’s sm, lg; woman’s sm, med, lg; man’s med, lg)