Monica Knits

Lily SocksWhen my sister and I were 3 and 5 years old respectively, we picked wild flowers--lilies of the valley to be precise, for Mother's Day. These were my mother's favorite flowers; she thanked us profusely and asked where we found them. You see, we lived in a highrise complex, devoid of flowers.

When we said we picked them in the neighboring cemetery, she explained that, as much as she appreciated our gift, we should enjoy the flowers in place, because someone had planted them to remember their loved ones. The fragrance of lily-of-the-valley still suffuses the spring air, but the cut-flower bouquet now comes from mom's garden or mine.

When I saw the Lily-of-the-Valley sock pattern in the Knit Picks catalogue (February 2008, 50590), I knew I had to make a pair for my mother. Of course I had to practice and first knit a pair for me. The instructions and illustrations were excellent and I love the socks as did my mother and others who asked where I found them. I used the suggested yarn (Knit Picks Bare, Merino/Silk, natural, fingering weight) for these comfortable, elegant, mid-calf length socks.

Lily braidTips: Susan Lawrence, the sock designer, recommends using a larger needle for the cuff, including the horizontal braid, and I found this necessary. Otherwise the sock was too tight around the calf. I loved the horizontal braid [which uses a lifted increase left] and have since used it again. I used the 5-stitch nupp for the leg portion and the 3-stitch nupp for the foot section of the sock to reduce bulk.

Tools: I used 3.00 mm double point needles (DPNs) for the cast-on and cuff, but 2.5 mm circular needles for the body of the sock and 2.0 mm needles for the French heel and the toe. I find that I knit more loosely with circular needles than with DPNs, so I use smaller circular needles for the French heel than I would if I were using DPNs. I used 4 markers and substituted my usual gusset procedure (see basic sock pattern) so that I don't have to keep track of stitch count. This makes knitting on the go, or while watching TV easier.

Inspiration: I so love these socks, that I had to purchase Nancy Bush's, "Knitted Lace of Estonia," to learn about the history of this lace and to knit my mother a Lily-of-the-Valley shawl this year. I learned such lily buds cannot be machine-made, lending to their exclusivity.

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Knitted Horizontal Braid