Shirburn Socks in Regia 4 Ply Merino Yak - R0413 - Downloadable PDF

Shirburn Socks in REGIA Premium Merino Yak – Free Knitting Pattern (R0413)

The Shirburn Socks are a beautifully structured pair of knitted socks designed by the REGIA Designteam and published by Schachenmayr / MEZ GmbH. This free downloadable PDF pattern (reference R0413) is rated Intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic sock construction and ready to explore textured stitch patterns and a shaped heel technique. The pattern is worked in the round on double-pointed needles and produces a classically fitted sock with a decorative cable-rib panel running along the instep and leg.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a pair of knitted socks worked from the cuff downward. Each sock features a ribbed cuff, a textured cable-rib leg and instep panel, a shaped boomerang heel worked back and forth in rows, and a toe section worked in stockinette stitch. The finished socks are designed to fit a range of adult shoe sizes, with three primary size groupings given in the pattern:

• Small: shoe sizes 32/33 (approximately a child's or small adult size)
• Medium: shoe sizes 36/37
• Large: shoe sizes 40/41

The pattern also references a sock guide and stitch table that allow knitters to adapt the instructions to a much wider range of sizes, including 22/23 through 46/47, making this pattern highly versatile. Total finished foot lengths range from approximately 8¼ inches (21 cm) for the smallest size up to 10½ inches (26.5 cm) for the largest.

Yarn and Materials

The specified yarn is REGIA PREMIUM Merino Yak, a luxury 4-ply sock yarn sold in 100 g balls. The colorway used in the sample is 07513 (mint meliert), a soft variegated mint tone. One ball is sufficient for a pair of socks in this pattern. REGIA Premium Merino Yak is a premium-blend sock yarn celebrated for its exceptional softness, warmth, and durability — qualities contributed by its merino wool and yak fiber content, which together create a yarn that is gentle against the skin while remaining hardwearing enough for everyday footwear.

In addition to yarn, the following tools are required:

• Five US 1–3 (2–3 mm) double-pointed needles (dpn) — the sock is worked across four needles with the fifth used as the working needle
• A cable needle — used to work the cable crossings within the cable-rib pattern

Techniques Used

The Shirburn Socks employ several key sock-knitting techniques that make this pattern well-suited to intermediate-level knitters looking to build their skills:

• Cuff-down construction: The sock begins at the cuff and is worked downward toward the toe, a traditional and widely used method for sock knitting.
• Working in the round on double-pointed needles: Stitches are distributed evenly across four needles (14, 15, or 16 stitches per needle depending on size), and the sock is knitted continuously in rounds for the leg and foot sections.
• Boomerang heel (also known as a short-row heel): Rather than a traditional heel flap and gusset, the Shirburn Socks use a boomerang heel worked back and forth in rows across the stitches held on Needles 1 and 4, while the instep stitches on Needles 2 and 3 are placed on a holder. This heel method creates a smooth, rounded turn without the need for picked-up gusset stitches, and it is particularly well-suited to self-patterning and textured yarns.
• Chart reading: The cable-rib pattern is worked from a stitch chart, with the pattern divided by a broken line to differentiate the leg and foot sections. Knitters work odd rounds following the chart and even rounds working stitches as they appear.
• Cable crossing with a cable needle: The cable-rib pattern incorporates cable crossings that require slipping stitches to a