Text: The Periwinkle Dragon Purple dragon eye with yarn ball and text: Original knitting patterns by Carolyn Lisle Text: The Periwinkle Dragon Purple dragon eye with yarn ball and text: Original knitting patterns by Carolyn Lisle
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Zöllner Socks

Who doesn't love a weird optical illusion? A vase or two faces? What colour is that dress? These socks are inspired by the Zöllner Illusion, specifically; if you stare at it, its parallel diagonal lines look like they are converging because of strategically-placed cross-lines that fool your brain. Unusual and impactful to look at, this effect is lots of fun for your feet!

View of soles of stranded colourwork socks with black and white mirrored optical-illusion lines and red heels, toes, and cuffs. Side view of stranded colourwork socks with black and white mirrored and negative-image optical-illusion lines and red heels, toes, and cuffs. Feet wearing stranded colourwork socks with black and white mirrored optical-illusion lines and red heels, toes, and cuffs.

These socks feature the Zöllner Illusion on each side of the foot and the leg with reversed dominant colours. The left and right socks are mirror images. Worked either toe-up or cuff-down (instructions are provided for both directions of knitting), they have a rounded Chinstrap short-row heel that provides plenty of room to fit the colourwork fabric, and a contrast toe, heel, and cuff.

This pattern requires the knitter to be able to knit with two colours at once on a small circumference in the round (the pattern is method-neutral to suit your preferred technique for socks — double-pointed needles, magic loop/one circular needle, two circular needles, short circular needle, etc. — and it is possible to work the socks two-at-a-time). It clearly explains all techniques for increases, decreases, and short rows. With assistance from the resources linked in the pattern, it is accessible to an intermediate sock knitter who is still relatively new to stranded knitting; all stranded sections can be worked without catching floats. Corresponding written instructions are provided for the charts.

For the effect to work, these socks require two Main Colours that contrast very clearly throughout their respective colour ranges, and a third different colour for the heels, toes, and cuffs.

This pattern was featured in the 2022 Sock Madness 16 competition. Find more sock competition patterns here!

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