Brooch socks

Brooch Socks by Lillcat Design

What is Being Made

Brooch Socks is a downloadable knitting pattern for women's socks designed by Lillcat Design. This intermediate-level project creates a pair of fitted socks featuring a decorative brooch-inspired motif worked throughout the leg and foot. The pattern is available in three sizes to accommodate different foot measurements: 35/36, 37/39, and 40/42.

Knitting Techniques Used

This sock pattern employs several essential knitting techniques suitable for intermediate knitters. The construction begins with a cast-on in the contrast color, followed by corrugated ribbing at the cuff for elasticity and a polished finish. The pattern utilizes stranded colorwork (also known as Fair Isle knitting) to create the brooch design, requiring knitters to manage two colors simultaneously throughout most of the sock.

A key technique featured in this pattern is float catching. Whenever the pattern creates a long float—defined as more than five stitches in a single color—knitters must catch the float on the back of the work using their preferred method to prevent loose, snagging strands on the inside of the finished sock. The heel is constructed using a traditional heel flap method, with written instructions provided to guide this section rather than relying on the chart.

The pattern accommodates different needle preferences, allowing knitters to work in the round using either double-pointed needles or a long circular needle with the magic loop technique, giving flexibility based on individual knitting style and comfort.

Stitches Used

The primary stitches in this pattern include:

• Knit stitch – the foundation stitch for the main fabric
• Purl stitch – used in the corrugated ribbing at the cuff to create texture and elasticity
• Decreases – a 2-stitch decrease occurs on round 18 to shape the leg from 72 stitches to 70 stitches
• Stranded colorwork stitches – knit stitches worked in alternating colors to create the brooch motif pattern shown in the provided chart

Materials Required

The pattern specifies fingering weight sock yarn with a gauge of 28-32 stitches per 10 centimeters. Suitable yarn options include Opal 4fach, Drops Fabel, Regia, and Arwetta Classic, or any comparable fingering-weight yarn meeting the specified gauge.

Yarn quantities are divided between main color (MC) and contrast color (CC), with 50 grams of each color required to complete the socks. Knitters should select two colors that provide strong contrast to ensure the brooch motif is clearly visible in the finished socks.

Needle sizes vary by sock size: 2 mm needles for size 35/36, 2.5 mm needles for size 37/39, and 2.75-3 mm needles for size 40/42. Knitters may choose between double-pointed needles or a long circular needle for working in the round, depending on personal preference and experience level.

Pattern Structure

The sock is worked from the cuff downward. Construction begins with a corrugated ribbing cuff worked from the chart, followed by the leg section which continues the brooch colorwork pattern through round 61. The heel flap is then worked over the first 35 stitches with written instructions, after which knitters complete the foot and toe sections to finish the socks.