Inspired by those delicate and beautiful glass Christmas Baubles from my youth. I remember being so reverent as we unwrapped them from the protective paper, finding the right bough to hold the weight, adding the strands of tinsel and the ‘Angel Hair’. I loved decorating our real trees. The smell of the needles, the twinkle of the lights. Christmas always felt so magical.

These socks are knit cuff down, increasing stitches and changing needle size for the colourwork to accommodate the less stretchy fabric of stranded knitting. I start with a US1 (2.25 mm) needle and increase to a US1½ (2.5 mm) for the colourwork. The heel is a slipped-stitch heel flap and the toe is grafted together.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS:
Approx. circumference in broken rib, not stretched, after blocking: 6¼ (7, 8) inches/ 15.5 (17.5, 20) cm
Approx. circumference in stranded, not stretched, after blocking: 7¼ (8, 9) inches/18 (20, 22.5) cm

YARN USED in photo:
MC- Crafty That Way Crafty Sock fingering yarn, Powdered Rose (light pink)
CC1- Crafty That Way Crafty Sock fingering yarn, natural
CC2- Allison Barnes Yarn, fingering yarn, Moss (gold)

YARDAGE: Please note that yardage is estimated and can vary among knitters.
MC (pink): 189 (215, 260) yds/173 (197, 238) m
CC1 (white): 45 (53, 65) yds/ 41 (49, 59) m
CC2 (gold): 66 (77, 95) yds/ 60 (70, 87) m

GAUGE:
Using US1½ (2.5 mm) after blocking, over stranded pattern, knit in the round: 36 sts x 44 rounds = 4 inches (10cm)
Using US1 (2.25 mm) after blocking, over broken rib stitch, knit in the round: 36 sts x 46 rounds = 4 inches (10cm)

This pattern has been tech edited by Sigrun Jones and tested by volunteers.