Synesthesia Socks

Sarah

Ever wish you had a rare irregularity of the brain? I have. Synesthesia is a condition which causes the synesthetic person to "translate" one sense into another (for example, a sound-to-taste synesthetic might "taste" strawberries when they hear the trumpet) and it's also a poetry craft term for using one sense to represent another. I named this sock pattern "Synesthesia" because the simple curved shape of the pattern stitch brought to mind so many things which weren't visual or textural -- instead, I look at it and I see the sound of lapping water, or soft echoes. (For another photo, see yesterday's post.) Synesthesia is just one of those odd quirks nature throws into people now and then, and to me it seems that synesthetics are incredibly lucky -- their experience of the world is just that much richer.

Below: Synesthesia chart. This would also look good in a toe-up sock. And don't you think a picot cuff would be cute? And what about that star toe -- that might be cool. Go to town -- you don't have to stick with the pattern I wrote! Speaking of which, I checked through it and didn't see any glaring errors (I wrote it as I knit the first sock, then test-knit from it for the second) but there may be some lurking (like the lack of a key to the chart symbols -- thanks Ruth!). Please let me know if you find any!

Synesthesia Socks
by Sarah Fama

You will need: about 400 yards fingering-weight sock yarn (I used Cherry Tree Hill in the blues/greens colorway, but these would also look great in a solid yarn such as Louet Gems.)
1 set of 5 size 2 US DPNs, or size needed to get gauge

Gauge: 7st/1"

Size: This sock is designed to fit a women’s US shoe size of approximately 7/8. Slightly larger shoe sizes have the option of adding one more repeat of chart pattern on foot for a longer sock; the pattern is stretchy enough to accommodate a slightly wider or smaller foot.

Notes: If you are worried about gaps where the first and last stitches are picked up along the gusset, pick up one extra at the beginning of the picked-up stitches and knit it together with the previous stitch, then pick up one extra at the end and knit it together with the following stitch – this way you can start the gusset decreases with the correct number of stitches.
When you knit across the gusset stitches you picked up in the previous round, I recommend you knit through the back of the loops to tighten them, as picked up stitches tend to be loose. On all subsequent rounds knit these stitches normally.

Twisted rib: p1, k1tbl, repeat to end of round.

Cuff
CO 68 stitches, distributing evenly among 4 needles so that each needle has 17 stitches. Join to work in the round, taking care not to twist stitches, and work in twisted rib for 12 rounds. Piece should measure approximately 1".
Begin working Synesthesia pattern from chart. Repeat rows 1-8 four times, ending on round 8 of pattern.

Heel
K 17 stitches, turn work, purl across 34 stitches. Begin working heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): sl1, k to end.
Row 2: sl1, p to end.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 17 times for a total of 34 rows. There should be 17 selvedge stitches on each side.
Turn heel as follows:
Row 1 (RS): k 19, ssk, k1, turn work.
Row 2: Sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3: Sl 1, k to 1 st before gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 4: Sl 1, p to 1 st before gap, p2tog, p1.
Repeat these last 2 rows until all heel stitches have been worked, ending p2tog. 20 stitches remain.

Gusset
Knit back (RS) across all heel stitches, then pick up 17 stitches evenly along heel selvedge. Work across held instep stitches in charted pattern (you should be beginning with row 1 again), then pick up 17 stitches down other side of heel, and knit across 10 heel stitches.
The round now begins at the center back of the heel.
    Round 1: Knit from center back of heel (with needle 1 [N1]) to last 2 picked-up gusset stitches, k2tog.  Work with needle 2 across first half of instep stitches (worked in patt) and with needle 3 across second half of instep stitches. At beginning of needle 4, ssk, knit to end of round.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 68 stitches remain (17 on each needle) continuing always to work instep stitches in charted pattern. Continue to work as established (instep stitches in pattern, sole stitches in st st) until chart has been worked a total of 13 times.

Toe
Round 1: On needle 1, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 2, k1, ssk, k to end. On needle 3, k to last 3 st, k2tog, k1. On needle 4, k1, ssk, k to end.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these 2 rounds until 36 stitches remain, then repeat round 1 until 8 stitches are left on needle. Cut yarn leaving a long tail, and Kitchener the remaining stitches together.

Make sock #2.

Finishing
Weave in ends and block lightly to fully bring out lace patt. Or just wear them, because that works too.

Abbreviations
CO: cast on
k: knit
p: purl
tbl: through back loop(s)
k2tog: knit two together
ssk: slip, slip, knit (slip two stitches as if to knit, then knit them together from this new orientation)
yo: yarn over
RS: right side (the "public" side of your knitting)
WS: wrong side

The Legal Stuff
Please feel free to print out a copy of this pattern for your personal use! If you want to share it with a friend, though, please send them a link so they can print it themselves. Work for a yarn shop and you want to share this pattern with your customers? By all means, knit up a sample and write down the URL for anyone who is interested. Printing it out for customers, however, is a no-no, and selling this pattern is a definite no-no. Side effects may include startitis, second sock syndrome, and mild euphoria. If you experience a knitting session lasting longer than four hours, there is no need to see a doctor.

Comments

[Karen B.]

Lovely footwear, Sarah! Thanks so much for giving us the recipe :o)

[Charlie]

Gorgeous pattern. definitely on my to-do list. I found this on ravelry, and was intrigued as I studied synesthesia at university and found it to be a fascinating condition, so i wondered what a synesthetic sock would be like!

[Kim U]

Fun - thanks for sharing the pattern!

[Tikabelle]

Ahhh ha! There it is, the pattern I've been waiting for. Not *too* girly, not super complicated... it's perfect for my Hogwarts SS2 pal. Thanks Sarah! :)

[Kathleen]

What a lovely pattern! Thanks for sharing.

[Suzanne V. (Yarnhog)]

Thanks for the pattern! I'm going to start it as soon as I finish Icarus.

Is it synesthesia when I hear my children bickering but feel a hot knife in my brain?

[CheekyRedHead]

Since I'm a synestetic (I taste textures) I simple must do these socks. I'mn thinking something like a soft handspun merino is in order. Merino tends towards vanillia for me.

[BeadKnitter]

Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful pattern with all of us in Knit Blog land. I appreciate it very much.

[Arianne]

I'm synesthetic too...I relate feelings, tastes, emotions, sounds to colours. It's complex and confusing. I used to really baffle doctors when I went in describing pain in my stomach that began as blue and radiated to pink at the edges. :)

I'm so going to knit these socks.

[~jane]

I love this pattern - it's gorgeous. I'm unable to print it from the blog. Is there any way you could e-mail me a copy or point me to somewhere on the web where it is not part of your blog?

[heatherly]

i have a frind who has this "brain bonus" i am very envious of it of course. she is one of my favourite people to listen to music with, so she can tell me the colours. or what colour someone's name is.
i have yarn that says my name in colours. :-)

[kat]

really pretty socks! I've added them to my queue and can't wait to cast them on.

[Mari]

Awesome!

Here I was browsing Ravelry, came across the picture of the sock , loved it and it's by you!
I think this will be the perfect 2nd sock set for me!

[Michelle]

I love these socks! I want to knit them right away, but I cant print it with the chart. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Genuine_Lye]

What a neat pattern! I'm totally obsessed with blue right now, so, looks like a lovely pattern. I'm thinking of maybe a fluid blue-grey color, very subtle, something like that.

[ru2blessed]

very cute

[tea and cake]

Thank you so much for this pattern - I now have the yarn to knit it in, too!

[FelicityGS]

I just finished knitting up a version of these socks--I did some small changes to suit my preferences--and I have to say, quite a blast. Thanks for sharing! You can see mine at http://domiknitrix.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/socks-altered-synesthesia-pattern/

[Aimee]

Just came across your duplicate stitching tutorial and saw this link in the sidebar. I'm a number-form synesthete, and I can't wait to do these! Thanks for the pattern!