Cedar Sparks Socks
The Cedar Sparks Socks are inspired by the beauty of a lakeside bonfire. In the forests around the Great Lakes, Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) trees are a common sight, and if you toss a sprig of cedar into a fire, it crackles loudly and creates sparks, like a tiny natural firework. This phenomenon is due to cedar wood’s high levels of moisture and resin. The moisture trapped in the wood expands rapidly in the heat, causing sudden pops as it escapes, and resin is an oily, highly-flammable substance, so when it is exposed and catches fire, it explodes, creating bright sparks that shoot away from it.
These socks use a combination of gently-clustered stitches and elongated cables to create a small spark patterns all over the fabric. This texture highlights the subtle colour details we all love in handpainted yarns! Worked toe-up or cuff-down (instructions are provided for both directions of knitting), the socks also feature a rounded Chinstrap short row heel and a twisted-rib cuff.
This pattern requires the knitter to be able to work a small circumference in the round (the pattern is method-neutral to suit your preferred technique for socks — double-pointed needles, magic loop/one circular needle, two circular needles, short circular needle, etc. — and the socks can be worked two-at-a-time) and clearly explains all techniques required. Corresponding written instructions are provided for the charts.
The texture used in this pattern stands out on any colourway, but randomly-multicoloured yarns and speckled yarns are most effective.
