The Zounds! Socks are inspired by experimentation and surprises. I don’t 100% know why I did this to this yarn, but it turned out so much more beautifully than I expected that I couldn’t help but name the pattern in honour of a quirky, old-fashioned interjection. When the fabric of these socks starts to develop, you’ll feel like adding an exclamation of your own, too!

Keep an eye out for the four other patterns in the Interjection! Socks: Modern Sock Designs That Inspire Old-Fashioned Exclamations eBook, too — a new one is coming every Tuesday in July 2025!

Pattern Description

These socks use cables of long, elongated stitches to create a truly unique surface texture on top of the fabric. I promise it is much more intuitive than it might look! All cables can be easily done without a cable needle. Both toe-up and cuff-down instructions are provided. They feature a Chinstrap three-wedge short row heel and a twisted-rib cuff. The toe and heel are worked in a complementary contrast colour. Optional mini-gusset instructions are included for a customizable fit over the instep.

This pattern requires the knitter to be able to knit a small circumference in the round (the pattern is method-neutral to suit your preferred technique for socks, and can easily be made with either double-pointed needles or circular needles; it is also compatible with two-at-a-time sock-knitting techniques) and clearly explains all techniques required. Graded for three adult foot circumferences, the socks are completely adjustable in length and height. The pattern provides both a full abbreviations list that describes all necessary stitches and links to relevant video tutorials for essential techniques.

Yarn Requirements and Sizing

Sizes available: Adult Small (Medium, Large) to fit foot circumferences of 18 (20.5, 23) cm / 7 (8, 9) inches — 60 (68, 76) st — with fully-adjustable finished foot lengths and leg heights.

These socks are designed for fingering-weight sock yarn. Approximately 250 (275, 300) m / 275 (300, 325) yards is required for the Main Colour and 50 (60, 70) m / 55 (65, 75) yards is required for the Contrast Colour (heels and toes only).

Don’t be afraid to choose something wild for these socks! This pattern can hold its own with any variegated yarn, even one that pools strongly.

These socks are rated 3/5 — Intermediate — on my sock pattern difficulty scale. This is because they require just two mirrored cables to create the patterning, and with practice the motif becomes intuitive to work.