Danish Folk Sock

I knit this pair of socks for my sister's 50th birthday. My mother came from Odense and I was told that our great-grandmother lived in this house, which is now a museum.

The original sock is in the collection of the museum, I have not seen it, the pattern comes from this book - Bondestrik - strømper til mænd og kvinder. S.m. Lisbeth Green og Gitte Nødskov, Landsforeningen Danske Folkedansere, 1983. But I like the idea that a man or a woman has actually worn this star pattern on a dress sock 150 years ago.
The pattern on each side of the small of the leg is called "svikkel". And it was "designed" to disguise and cover the ankle knuckles. They are not particularly pretty, perhaps even ugly but the purl patterns transform your leg into a slim, delicate part of your body.
I cannot publish the pattern, however if you want to knit a pair like this you can follow this recipe:

Old Danish Folk Sock

You will need 100 g of fingering sock yarn in natural, blue, or black.

A set of 5 dpn needles size 2 mm or 2,25 mm

A vanilla sock pattern, there is one here on this site.

An original sock pattern. On this website you will find two different patterns on page two.

Cast on the amount of stitches from the vanilla pattern on four needles, and work the border from the Danish pattern.

Continue with stockinette stitch and seam pattern for a couple of cm. Skip all the increases and decreases.

Begin the "svikkel" pattern using this trick: the center of the first pattern is the first stitch on needle 2 and the last stitch on needle 3 is the center of the second pattern.. Remember to start from the top of the chart or turn it upside down.

When the "svikkel" is finished, enjoy your work, and continue with a couple of cm of stockinette and finish the sock using your vanilla pattern.
There is also a pattern for lovely red cap to go with the outfit.

..modify them so that they can be worn

I accidentially found this book from 1985 browsing the internet for "old knittin´"  85 pair of socks from Danish museums, from all regions in Denmark have been examined and the beautiful purl patterns thoroughly written down.
I was extremely thrilled when I found out that a pattern was located to my village. And I immediately knew that I would work a pair of socks for Gete, who has been dancing and teaching folk dance most of her life. This Spring she celebrates her 25 anniversary as a chairwoman of my local church choir.

 Here she is in the church looking for music.

I wanted to make Gete a pair of snug socks she can wear a chilly summer night on her terrace. The original sock is thigh-high, the wool is 2 ply with no reinforcing, the needles very thin. To modify an old pattern so that the socks can actually be worn causes a lot of questions. I wanted to use reinforced sock yarn, not thinner needles than size 2 mm. For the purl stitches to show the thread must not split. Lorna´s Laces Shepherd Sock yarn has those qualities.

I wanted to use as many of the original details as possible.

The border with decreases.

 This is called [Svikkel], in English [Clock]

I did not like the original heel because it had a seam so I made this in stead.

 The toe is from the original pattern.

 

This photo is taken from Den Gamle By´s Museum through glass in a very dark room, just to give an impression what the old socks looked like.

And yes, Gete was pleased with her socks. And I had a very good time knitting.