Animals in harmony

Forest folk socks: Knit enchanting autumn socks with foxes, owls, and squirrels!

Finnish knitwear designer Sisko Malinen got the idea for her autumn-themed Forest folk socks on a nature walk. These socks have plenty going on! They’re worked in multiple colors, so check your yarn basket for fox red, squirrel brown, and other forest shades you might have.

Author Sisko Malinen

Images Johanna Myllymäki

September 19, 2025Lue suomeksi

Size: EU 39

Metsänväki (“Forest folk”) socks: supplies

Socks Yeah DK (75% merino wool, 25% polyamide, 112 m/50 g) in these colors: greens (forest) 211 Tyburn 50 g, 221 Wandle 50 g, 209 Demeter 50 g; orange (foxes) 208 Hecate 50 g; reddish brown (squirrels and cones) 207 Chiron 50 g; gray (bunnies and owls) 202 Minos 50 g
Sandnes Garn Spot (40% alpaca, 40% merino wool, 20% polyamide, 135 m/50 g) in these colors: red (berries) 4219, a small amount, white (for the fox) 1013, a small amount
3 mm (US 2.5) double-pointed needles

Gauge: 25 sts and 30 rows = 10 cm in stockinette stitch

Chart 1. You can also download the charts as a PDF at the end of the article.

How to knit the Forest folk socks

With color 209 Demeter, cast on 76 sts and divide them onto four needles. Work k2, p2 ribbing for 6 cm.

Continue with Chart 1 until you reach the ankle. There should now be 60 sts at the ankle.

With color 221 Wandle, work the heel on needles 1 and 4 (30 sts). Knit the sts on needle 1, turn, slip the first st purlwise, then purl across needles 1 and 4. Turn again and begin the reinforced heel: *slip 1, k1.* Repeat *–* to the end of the row, turn, then work the WS row. Repeat these two rows 14 times (28 rows total).

Work the heel turn: Continue in reinforced stitch. Knit from the right side until 11 stitches remain on the needle. Work an skp decrease (= slip 1 knitwise, k1, and pass slipped st over knit st). Turn work. Slip 1 purlwise, p8, and then purl the next 2 sts together. Turn work. Slip 1 and knit until 10 sts remain, then work an skp decrease. Continue in this way so that the side sts decrease each time and the center stitches remain the same (= 10 sts). When the side sts are used up, divide the heel flap sts between two needles.

Work the gusset decrease: Pick up 14 sts along each side of the heel flap + 1 st between the needles. Knit one round in color 221 Wandle. Follow Chart 2 and begin decreasing at the end of needle 1 (k2tog) and the beginning of needle 4 (skp) on every row until you have a total of 56 sts. Even out the sts so you have 14 sts on each needle.

Work the toe decreases: At the end of needles 1 and 3, k2tog and k1. At the beginning of needles 2 and 4, skp. Decrease according to the chart. Cut the yarn and pull it through the remaining sts. Weave in all ends neatly.