Battenburg Ankle Socks

My latest knitted socks just make me smile every time I look at them. If you've seen my last two knitted socks, which were first yellow and then pink, I mentioned that the wool reminded me of Battenburg cake. Then I realised that I had enough left over for a pair of Battenburg ankle socks. 

I knitted these without a pattern. They are toe up (again because I was worried about my small supply of wool). The only tricky part was to make sure that the check pattern repeats the whole way around the foot. These socks definitely need blocking, as although they look great on my daughter's feet, the carried wool behind meant that they are very cosy, and they looked very puckered when I had first finished knitting them. This also means there is not much stretch in them, and in fact my first attempt had to be undone, because they wouldn't fit even on her little feet. I used a short row heel, and Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. 

I think they are the sort of socks to relax in with a slice of Battenburg cake.

Is Battenburg cake an English thing? I hadn't really thought about it. In case you have never seen one here is a photo. It is always made in pink and yellow, with a outer case of marzipan. Perhaps I will have a go at baking one from the recipe on this link?