This is the qualifier pattern for Sock Madness 20, and will be available to the general public once the competition ends in June. If you can’t wait, check out Lumberjack, a plaid sock pattern which uses the same surface crochet technique, and whose designer has great taste in colours, if I do say so myself… Coincidences happen sometimes in design work, and Renée was gracious and kind in our correspondence - please give her designs some love!

This is a fairly straightforward stranded sock with a few interesting details. Only two colours are used at a time; the contrasting vertical lines are added afterwards using surface crochet. The mosaic heel flap imitates the appearance of the stranded sole pattern.

Instructions are provided for sizes S (M, L), with stitch counts of 62 (72, 80), to fit a foot with a circumference of 7.75 (9, 10) inches or 19.5 (22.5, 25) cm.

The stranded sections are charted only. The mosaic heel flap is both written and charted. You may use any technique you prefer for knitting a tube in the round.

Wondering why it’s called “Newspaper Socks”? Because my sample is black and white and re(a)d all over, of course.