Northbound Ribbed Socks

The Northbound Ribbed Socks is a faithful sock pattern: thoughtful through the heel, comfortable through the foot, and clear enough to follow without hunting through forum threads for clarification. A dependable second-sock-syndrome cure.

A craftsperson's note from one of our editorial partners →

This is an advanced make. Expect to read carefully, swatch honestly, and trust the construction even when the in-progress fabric looks unconvincing on the needles. The reward is finishing that holds up — at the cuff, at the underarm, at the join — in the way that distinguishes a long-loved garment from a one-season project.

Plan the foot length on the longer side of comfort — knitted fabric loses a quarter inch to wear, and snug socks become tight socks fast. If you're knitting two-at-a-time, weigh your yarn ball at the start and split it before casting on.

Designed by Kerstin Bergström and offered as a free pattern, the Northbound Ribbed Socks is a good pick for a project that respects your time and rewards your attention.

Recommended by our yarn-sourcing partners →

A note on yarn substitution: stay close to the fiber content suggested when you can. Wool-forward yarns will block out evenly and develop a soft halo over the first few wears; cotton and linen blends will hold their crispness but won't bloom in quite the same way. If you are substituting, knit a generous swatch in the substitute and live with it for a day before you commit to the project. The fabric will tell you whether it wants to be a sweater.

Blocking matters more than gauge — and gauge matters a great deal. Wash your finished swatch the way you intend to wash the finished garment, lay it flat, and measure once it is fully dry. The numbers you measure off the needles are not the numbers you will wear. Pin out lace and colorwork firmly; let plain stockinette relax into shape on its own.

More from the KnitCraft editorial collective →

Choosing a size: take an honest measurement of the fullest part of your bust or chest, and look at the finished bust measurement of the size you are considering. The difference between those two numbers is your ease. For a relaxed, modern fit choose 2 to 4 inches of positive ease; for a closer, set-in look choose 0 to 2 inches; for a slouchy, oversize feel choose 6 inches or more. The pattern photos give you a sense of what each ease looks like on the model — yours will look different, and that is the point.