QUANTUM SOCKS (Anzi Abundance Talking Socks)

Anzi Sock knitting pattern, Quantum entanglement talking socks, Anzi, Anzi Talking Socks, Anzi Knitting Rules, Anzi Knitting Mantras, and Anzi teusyls 2006, by Holly Lisle, All Rights Reserved.

This is the knitting pattern only. Quantum Socks should be knit with intent. If you wish to alter the pattern to invoke something other than abundance from the universe, or if you wish to use the Anzi knitting mantras:

Before swapping out colors or changing designs, make sure to read the rules and the prayers.

WARNING: Random changes may invoke unexpected quantum results. Knit at your own risk.

You’ll need:

  • Needles: Size (4 US) (3.5mm) four double-pointed needles
  • Size (2 US) (2.75mm) (12 UK) four double-pointed needles (or sizes to get gauge)
  • Stitch marker
  • Norwegian knitting thimble to simplify two-color yarn work (not required, but I love mine)
  • 5 oz total of various worsted-weight wool or wool-blend yarns (I used Wool-Ease because it was available. To duplicate the Anzi Abundance Talking Socks as shown, you’ll need:
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chestnut Heather 179 (or dark reddish brown)
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Wood 232 (or blended green/brown patterned)
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Grey Heather 151 (or light grey)
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Forest Green Heather 180 (or dark green)
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Mushroom 403 (or beige/ lt. brown)
    • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Red Sprinkles 112 (but only because my yarn store didn’t have a plain red, and I ended up having to pick off the sprinkles.) (or any pure red—PREFERABLY any pure red. Sprinkles are not an Anzi thing.)

Stitches used in this pattern that are not explained in the pattern:

Long-tail Cast-On

K(number)

P(number)

SSK

K2tog/ P2tog

sl(number)–Slip stitch from one needle to the other without either knitting or purling.

Kitchener Stitch

Ideally, of course, you’d do these socks in handspun, hand-dyed wool (or alpaca, or wool/silk) using the natural dyes in the Anzi Magic Tables. But, in fact, we’re dealing with quanta here, so less magnificent yarn will still get the job done. Feel free to alternate the yarns mentioned for any similar-colored worsted-weight (or DK-weight yarns, if you’re a loose knitter). Remember that wool (or any natural fiber) is better for socks than acrylic, because of the sweaty-feet issue. Elasticized cotton could work, too, if you enjoy working with it. I hate the stuff.

Sock Style: Worked top-down, two heel variants, (or your preference), shaped flat toe with Kitchener Stitch close (or your preference).

Gauge: Upper sock through completion of heel 21st to 4″

Foot of sock, not including heel, 26 st to 4″

START WITH (4 US) needles.

With Mushroom 403

TOP RIBBING:

Using the long-tail cast on, loosely cast on sixty stitches (if you’re a tight knitter, cast on around two needles, then pull one out), slide twenty st onto each of three needles.

STAIR-STEP MANEUVER (ssm):

Once you have made sure that you have not twisted your cast-on row, slip your last stitch on your left needle over your first stitch on your right, and pull the first stitch through the last stitch, sliding it onto the left needle. Done correctly, this will leave you with your first and last stitches hooked through each other and with each of them on the opposite needle from where they started. Remember this maneuver. You’ll be using it again when you need to eliminate stair-steps in your braids and teusyl patterns.

Slide a stitch marker between the first and last stitches.

K2, p2 for 11 rows.

At your stitch marker, change yarn to Wood 232 (For this and all color changes, knit the first stitch with both yarns, and then wrap in tails on back side of work for next three or four stitches.)

K2, p2 for 4 rows.

At your stitch marker, change yarn to Forest Green Heather 180

K2, p2 for 11 rows.

ANZI POWER BAND

THE GROUNDING BAR

At your stitch marker, change yarn to Chestnut Heather 179

Knit one row. At the stitch marker, change to purl.

Purl one row. At the end of the row, use the STAIR-STEP MANEUVER (ssm) to keep your grounding bar unbroken all the way around.

THE POWER BRAID

At your stitch marker, change yarn to Grey Heather 151 AND Red Sprinkles 112.

Knit all stitches in row, starting with red and alternating one red stitch and one gray stitch to the end of the row.

At your stitch marker, bring both yarns to front. You will be purling all stitches in this next row. It’s what you do with the yarns you’re switching that makes the braid.

If you’re a Continental knitter, you have this easy. You wrap red yarn around the index finger of your left hand to feed into the next stitch, and grey yarn around your thumb to keep it out of the way. You purl a red stitch into your knit red stitch, then with your thumb, bring the red yarn DOWN OVER the grey yarn. Catch the grey yarn with your left index finger to feed into the next stitch, bringing it UP UNDER, and hold the red out of the way. All you’re doing is twisting each yarn you use down over the yarn from the previous stitch, and catching the yarn you’re going to use in the next stitch, twisting them in the same direction each time.

English knitters have the choice of either knitting one color in each hand and twisting with the left hand, knitting both colors from the right hand but twisting with the left, or trying the Continental method.

As you can guess, continually twisting the yarns in the same direction is going to add some serious twisting to your two yarns. It all works out though, because in the next row you’re going to untwist everything. Just keep pushing the twisted part back out of your way, and work the entire row to the stitch marker.

At the stitch marker, purl your red into the red stitch from your previous purl row. This time, bring the grey yarn UP OVER the red yarn to your index finger, and twist the red yard DOWN UNDER the grey yarn to your thumb. Work the entire row in this fashion to the stitch marker.

If done correctly, your yarn will be completely untangled and you will have a red and gray braid with neat Vs of each color.

At the stitch marker, change yarns and work another GROUNDING BAR.

TEUSYL PATTERN — GIVE THANKS TO SPIRIT

Work Pattern 7, remembering to turn upside-down so you’re knitting the top of the pattern at the top of the sock. Hatchmarked squares will be knit in Grey, empty squares will be knit in Forest Heather Green. knit additional space between each pattern, and on first row of pattern, knit connecting stitch in Grey to next pattern, all the way around the row.

Knit row in Forest Green Heather, except for connecting stitch in Grey marked by black dot.

Knit one row in grey.

ANKLE BAND

At the stitch marker, change yarn to MUSHROOM.

K2, p2 for 13 rows.

The Anzi do not leave any circle unbroken, so you now bring in the heel color so that the heel will have a solid ankle band of the same color to keep the sock grounded. Ungrounded socks are “wild,” and can have unintended effects for the wearer and the maker.

So …

At the stitch marker, change yarn to WOOD.

K2, p2 for four rows.

HEEL FLAP

When you reach the stitch marker, slide five stitches from the right side of your right needle onto the needle beside it. Slide five stitches from your left needle onto the needle beside it.

(If you’ve made socks before and prefer working a heel flap on just one needle instead of two, work your stitch marker to the center of one needle, with fifteen stitches on either side of it. Divide the remaining thirty stitches between the other two needles.

Finish the remaining 15 st after the marker in k2, p2. You’ll end up splitting a rib. This is okay.

Turn your work.

Select one of the two heel flap styles below.

FANCY HEEL FLAP

If you want ribbed and cushy:

You are now working on the inside of the sock. On this and every inside row:

Sl 1 as if to purl. Purl across row. Turn.

Sl 1 as if to knit, *k1, sl 1 as if to purl*. Repeat * to next to last stitch. K1. Turn.

Repeat for a total of 26 rows. (Count rows from the inside. It will look like you have half as many on the outside).

PLAIN HEEL FLAP

If you prefer a plain heel:

Sl 1 as if to purl, then purl all stitches to end of row. Turn.

Sl 1 as if to knit, k all stitches to end. Turn.

Repeat 24 times, for a total of 26 rows.

TURNING THE HEEL

On your next wrong-side row, sl1 as to knit, p15 st (one past the marker), p2tog, sl1. Leave 11 st unworked. Turn.

K4, k2tog, sl1. Turn, leaving 11 st unworked.

P5, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 9 st unworked.

K6, k2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 9 st unworked.

P7, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 7 st unworked.

K8, k2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 7 st unworked.

P9, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 5 st unworked.

K10, k2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 5 st unworked.

P11, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 3 st unworked.

K12, k2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 3 st unworked.

P13, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 1 st unworked.

K14, p2tog, sl1, turn, leaving 1 st unworked.

P15, p2tog, turn, all stitches in this direction now worked.

K15, k2tog, sixteen stitches remain, heel is now turned. Your marker should be between stitches 8 and 9 on the needle.

THE GUSSET

CHANGE NEEDLES to (2 US) (2.75mm) (12 UK)

Change yarn to Forest Green Heather.

With the right side of the sock facing you, use a crochet needle or your first size 2 US needle to pick up each slipped stitch along the edge of the heel flap (17 stitches).

With second size 2 US needle, k15 st off next needle, AND WITH SAME NEEDLE k15 st off third needle. (30 st on needle)

With third size 2 US needle (with or without use of crochet needle), pick up 17 st from other side of heel flap, AND k8 st from turned heel, to marker. (15 st on needle)

Marker is now off sock. Needle to left of where marker will be Needle 1. Needle 2 is the front of the sock. Needle 3 is the needle in your right hand.

With 4th size 2 US needle, k8 st remaining off of last size 4 US needle, knit until 3 st remain on Needle 1.

K2 tog, k1.

Knit all stitches on Needle 2.

On Needle 3, k1, SSK*, knit all remaining stitches.

On first stitch of Needle, ADD MUSHROOM yarn to Forest Green Heather.

ROW A Knit complete row without decreasing, alternating 1st Mushroom, 1st Forest Green.

ROW B At Needle 1, knit Forest Green into each Mushroom st, and Mushroom into each Forest Green st. Knit to last 3 st, k2tog, k1, knit all st on Needle 2 alternating green and tan, on Needle 3, k1, SSK, finish row.

Repeat ROW A.

Repeat ROW B.

ROW C End MUSHROOM yarn, and with Forest Green Heather, knit around row without decreasing.

ROW D At Needle 1, knit to last 3 st, k2tog, k1, knit all st on Needle 2, on Needle 3, k1, SSK, knit remaining st.

Repeat, alternating ROW C and ROW D until you have 15 st on Needle 1 and 15 st on Needle 2.

THE FOOT

Continue with Forest Green Heather until you have about about 1″ total, including plain green part of gusset. Be sure to try sock on at this point to see whether you’ll have enough room on the sock for 2.25″ inches of SPIRIT BAND and another 1″ of Forest Green Heather, plus 2″ of toe. If you need to go longer or shorter, increase or decrease equally in the current band of dark green and the one after the SPIRIT BAND.

SPIRIT BAND

GROUNDING BAND

At Needle 1, change to Chestnut Heather. Knit six rows.

SPIRIT FOCUS BAND

At Needle 1, change to Grey Heather. Knit two rows.

At Needle 1, add in Red. Alternate k2 grey, k2 red to end of row. Repeat, knitting grey into grey and red into red.

At Needle 1, remove Red. Knit two rows of Grey Heather.

GROUNDING BAND

At Needle 1, change yarn to Chestnut Heather. Knit six rows.

REMAINDER OF FOOT

At Needle 1, change to Forest Green Heather. Knit same number of rows you knit in previous green band.

TOE SHAPING

At Needle 1, change yarn to WOOD.

ROW E Knit to last 3 st, k2tog, k1.

At Needle 2, k1, SSK, knit to last 3 st, k2tog, k1.

At Needle 3, k1, SSK, knit to end of needle.

ROW F Knit all st on all needles. No decreases.

Repeat ROW E and ROW F until you have 8 st left on needle 2 and 4 st left on each Needle 1 and Needle 3.

Slip stitches from needle three to needle one. Bind off using Kitchener Stitch.

Repeat for second sock.

n_worldbuilding

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x