These charming socks feature easy-to-knit stranded colorwork on the upper leg, with another sweet “bracelet” of color just before the toe shaping. They’re worked top-down, but if you’re a fan of toe-up socks, you can easily adapt them — the colorwork patterns are identical in both directions.

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To make them, you’ll need about 300 yards/275 m of sock yarn for the main color and 75 yards/70 m for the contrast color.

The pattern’s named after the Mill River Conservation Area in Amherst, Massachusetts. The trails in the woods along the Mill River offer refreshing places to walk, sit and reflect, and knit or spin. It’s a calming, restorative place, lovely in all seasons, and I’m grateful it’s just a few minutes from home.

Measurements: About 7.5 inches/19 cm foot circumference will stretch to fit up to 9 inches/23 cm and about 8.5 inches/22 cm foot length

Yarn:
—MC: 300 yds/275 m sock yarn
—CC: 75 yds/70 m sock yarn

Sample shown was knit with Olann Gra Tommy 4-Ply Sock 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon; 462 yds/423 m per 100g skein, colorway: November Skies (MC), and Olann Gra Tommy 4-Ply Sock 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon; 93 yds/85 m per 20g mini skein, colorway: Pigeon Gray (CC).

Notions:
—US #1/2.25 mm set of 5 double-pointed needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE
—US #1-1/2/2.50 mm set of 5 double-pointed needles
—Stitch marker, tapestry needle

Gauge: 16 sts/22 rnds = 2”/5 cm in stockinette st

The colorwork is provided in chart form only.