Period socks

I have had this tendancy of late to provide persona approprate socks for my friends who are in the SCA. My first venture was making the Medieval Islamic knee highs for Tarik, which were finished for a 12th Night gift. They fit him very well and he loves them.
(I modeled them on my leg for the photo)




I decided to make felted socks for two other friends, one who has a Roman persona and the other a Mongolian. When the Romans were stationed in the frontiers of the "Empire" they needed something to protect their feet, especially since their open toe'd sandles were not cutting it. There are letters in existance that record requests from soldiers at Hadrian's wall to "send more socks", most specifically wool socks. I would argue that these socks could have been knitted. So I'm knitting and then felting wool socks for Niklos. The felted socks for someone in Mongolia are pretty obvious, although I should really make them out of yak wool.

I finished my first pair of gi-normous socks and felted them. The Galway Worsted wool felts very quickly, almost too quickly. Good thing I took them out of the washer when I did because they almost didn't fit me anymore. I did a lot of stretching and pulling, but I got them to go on and off comfortably and they fit me beautifully. Unfortunately they are a bit tight for Manthra so off to purchase more yarn and start again.

Learning my lesson I made the socks for Niklos quite a bit bigger, and naturally ran out of yarn and the shop needs to order more. ::sigh:: They are knit out of the same Galway worsted wool. I think I will slide his socks onto a holder so I can use the needles to start on Manthra's.

Manthra's socks are knit in the Royal #011 and Niklos' is knit in the Plum #117. I'm using a pattern for felted (fulled) slippers by Nancy Lindberg.




Rouge sweater begins Monday!