Knitting pattern for KERSTA socks (PDF)

A few years ago, our author Barbara traveled through Latvia and Lithuania. In Riga, she was able to admire the beautiful mittens sold at street stalls.
Latvians wear these gloves not only to keep their fingers warm, but also present them at weddings, baptisms, and even funerals. The patterns on the mittens contain symbols with special meanings. They often represent Latvian deities who are said to have very specific functions.

During her visit to Riga, Barbara decided to design socks in the style of Latvian mittens. Here they are, theKerstaSocksTwo-color or three-color, with the cuff, heel, and toe being knitted in the third color. The jacquard pattern is worked with only two colors at a time. For this pattern, Barbara chose a star in a diamond.

As with many of Barbara’s popular knitted socks, theKerstaSockssome special knitting techniques:

• Jacquard pattern
• the Latvian braid
• a hybrid heel (Shadow Wrap heel with a short heel wall, so that more width is given over the heel spike)
• a ribbon tip with a rounded sock tip

This is included in the knitting instructions

• Step by step instructions
• including pictures and understandable graphics
• for sizes 36/37, 38/39, 40/41
• Quick guide for on the go

Required material

• 2 or 3 balls of Regia Premium Merino Yak 4-ply (400 m/100 g)