The inspiration for these socks is Queen Gwenhwyfar from the Arthur legends, as re-envisioned by Marion Zimmer Bradley in her Avalon series. They feature an eye of partridge sole, which calls to my mind the embroidery on Medieval footwear. A simple, hourglass lace pattern traces the edge of the instep and heel. The instep and leg feature a lace design of branching lily-style leaves, culminating in large lily blooms. Above the ankles, on each side of the leg, are two crown patterns with optional beading. This complicated pattern also contains variable stitch counts, and a wandering “start of round.”

This toe-up sock pattern comes in four sizes, for US women’s shoe sizes 7, 8, 9, and 10, with stitch counts of 56 (64, 72, 80). Because the foot length can be adjusted for fit while knitting, it is best to choose a size that most closely matches the foot circumference at the widest point.

XS = 8”-8.5”/20.3cm-21.6cm around
S = 9”-9.5”/22.6cm-24.1cm around
M = 10”-10.5”/25cm-26.6cm around
L = 11”-11.5”/27.9cm-29.2cm around

Guage: 8 stitches and 12 rows per inch

Materials:
• 100 grams sock yarn
• US 1 (2.25mm) needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
• US 2 (2.75mm) needles (optional)
• 2 stitch markers (optional)
• 44 (52, 52, 52) size 6/0 or 8/0 seed beads (optional)
• #11 or #12 crochet hook or unflavored dental floss (optional)
• tapestry needle