For the kid inside

These socks are an homage to my little brother who was born in 1971. He wore 70s style athletic socks with his sneakers and pedaled his Big Wheel as fast as lightning.

They have a simple top-down construction with a heel flap and gusset, which is the style of sock most likely to fit most feet. I’ve written the pattern in three sizes, for narrow, standard, and wide feet. This is a sock that encourages you to find the kid inside and to play with color.

Knit your Jeff's Groovy 70s Socks in retro colors like me, use a fresh new palette of Pantone colors of the year, or maybe use up some of your sock yarn scraps.

My little brother died in a car crash in the early 90s when he was just 21, so these socks are a poignant reminder to me that life is both fragile and joyful, happy and sad all at once. They’re for everyone who wants to remember a loved one, for everyone who wants to reconnect with the kid inside, and for everyone who wants to play with color.

In other words, they’re for you and for me and for little brothers everywhere.

Sizes & dimensions

Size 1 (2, 3) | narrow (standard, wide)

If you knit to the pattern gauge, this pattern will create socks with a finished foot circumference of 7 (8, 9) inches | 18 (20.5, 23) cm

Yarn requirements

I wrote the pattern for my own hand-dyed Cashmere Blend yard, which is a fingering weight yarn with these specs:

• Main color: 180 to 250 yards (197 to 274m), depending on your foot length and width.
• Contrast color 1: 75 to 100 yards (82 to 109m)
• Contrast color 2: 40 to 50 yards (44 to 55m)

Skills needed

Suitable for the adventurous beginner and experienced sock knitter. To knit Jeff's Groovy Socks, you will need to be able to:

• knit and purl
• decrease stitches
• knit in the round in a small circumference
• follow written directions for picking up stitches