Queen Anne Socks

“I always imagine I’m something very brilliant and triumphant and splendid . . . a great prima donna or a Red Cross nurse or a queen. Last night I was a queen. It’s really splendid to imagine you are a queen. You have all the fun of it without any of the inconveniences and you can stop being a queen whenever you want to, which you couldn’t in real life.” – Anne of Avonlea

Inspired by the auburn, or red (depending on who you ask) hair that is Anne’s most distinctive physical feature, and the red clay soil of Prince Edward Island, this simple sock is something I imagine Anne would have knitted and worn many times throughout her life. This pattern has just enough detail to keep one interested while knitting and the lace patterning brings a little beauty to her everyday knits. 

“I finished my sixth pair of socks today. With the first three I got Susan to set the heel for me. Then I thought that was a bit of shirking, so I learned to do it myself.” – Rilla of Ingleside

Anne’s daughter Rilla absolutely loathed turning a traditional heel flap sock, but that would’ve been the predominant sock heel type in World War I. How Rilla would enjoy trying out the Fleegle Heel, an alternative heel turn that starts bottom up! This one’s for her.

Specs

Sizes

Sizes A (B, C) with finished foot circumferences of 7 (8, 9)” / 18 (20, 23) cm

Adjustable foot and leg lengths. 

Choose a size with slight negative ease.

Gauge

32 stitches and 46 rounds = 4×4” / 10×10 cm, stockinette stitch knit in the round, blocked.

Yarn & Yardage

1 skein of Rowan Lane Fibres, botanically dyed yarn in fingering weight, colorway “Red On Purpose” (20% grey UK alpaca, 40% BFL, 40% Shetland; 100 g / 382 yards / 350 meters)

Or fingering weight yarn in the following amounts:

225 (300, 375) yards / 206 (274, 342) meters 

Needles

Needles suitable for knitting small circumferences in the round such as DPN’s, magic loop, or two circulars in the following sizes: 

Ribbing: US3 / 3.25 mm, or two sizes smaller than size to obtain gauge. 

Body: US5 / 3.75 mm, or size to obtain gauge

If magic loop is used, note that the convertible version will require either two circulars or DPN’s, as the two sides of the mitten are worked on different needles in that section. 

Notions

Waste yarn, 4 stitch markers, one unique marker for the BOR, tapestry needle, one removable stitch marker 

Construction Notes 

Slip all markers as established unless otherwise noted. 

Knit bottom up, with a fleegle heel construction