I find all sorts of treasures washed up on the shore (I firmly maintain that they are treasures, and you won’t convince me otherwise). One of my very favorite things to find is bits of old rope tied in marvelously complicated knots. The edges are frayed, and years of water and wind have rendered them hopelessly stuck, but somehow that just makes them all the more beautiful. These delightfully chunky cables remind me of those glorious knots with all their twists and turns.

Don’t let the charts scare you. This is, at its heart, just two-by-two ribbing. There are only two cable stitches to master, and you only work them a tiny handful of times. All the drama comes from how you arrange them. For the rest of the sock, all you have to do is knit your knits, purl your purls, and relax!