May 2026

by Candice English

Sock Squad 2026

May · Green

New Leaf

A Guide to Hue, History, and Handmade Socks

This Month’s Shade

May's color has a name that feels like an exhale of relief on the first warm day of spring: New Leaf.

Think of that specific green that only exists for about two weeks each spring, when the trees and flowers are finally coming back and every branch is tipped with the most luminous green you've seen after months of darkness. It's not dark, not bright, not quite yellow. It's that hopeful green, full of possibility for warmth and light.

That's what we were reaching for with New Leaf. A color that feels like the world waking back up. Grounded with the earth but still fresh, it's the green that you'll want to cast one with again because it feels right and it just goes with everything.

In your subscription this month, you’ll find:

Full Skein: New Leaf, a fresh, leafy green with tonal depth that keeps it from being flat

Mini Skein: A monochromatic coordinating 20g mini thoughtfully chosen to complement and highlight the full skein


About the Base

Base: Bighorn Sock

Fiber Content: 75% 19.5 Micron Superwash Merino / 25% Nylon 

Yardage:
463 yards / 100g
Mini: 92 yards / 20g

Why This Base

Green is a color that has so much depth and tone, and Bighorn Sock is the kind of base that lets it happen.

The 19.5 micron superwash merino is fine, giving the yarn a smooth surface that allows color to really shine. With a softer base, New Leaf doesn't fall flat or feel muddy, it stays alive and vibrant, with the kind of tonal variation that makes it interesting from cast on to bind off. The three-ply construction adds stitch definition, so the color reads clearly in every pattern, whether you're working simple stockinette or something more intricate.

The 25% nylon keeps everything grounded. It adds durability without dulling the hand, so your socks hold up to real life while still feeling like something worth savoring. For a color as fresh and intentional as New Leaf, you want a base that carries it well!


The Story Behind Green

Green is everywhere in the natural world, it has a pretty complicated history.

When we look at green we think of the outdoors, peace and being one with nature. Ancient Egyptians depicted it through plants to represent fertility and growth. In Islamic tradition, it carries sacred meaning, symbolizing paradise. And yet green has also been the color of envy.

Green was a very difficult color to make and keep. Verdigris, the blue-green patina that forms on copper, was one of the most prized pigments of the Renaissance, beautiful but very unstable, often turning black. And Scheele's Green, invented in 1775 and celebrated for its vivid hue, was used in wallpapers, fabrics, and toys before anyone realized it contained arsenic.

Background: French, Wallpaper, ca. 1820, Woodblock-printed on paper, 31 x 41.6 cm. (12 3⁄16 x 16 3/8 in.), Mary B. Jackson Fund 34.1136

New Leaf sits far from all of that, just the color that artists and dyers spent centuries trying to make permanent, finally here to stay on your needles.

A few things worth knowing about green:

  • The Romans pulverized emeralds into eye balms, believing the color's restfulness soothed and restored vision.

  • Absinthe, a mix of plants and aromatics, was created to be given as a tonic to patients and was given to French soldiers in Africa as a way to prevent Malaria. Absinthe then became popular as an aperitif in Europe, it was them consumed more since it was cheaper than wine and was the cause of "madness" and even led to murder.

  • Although the color celadon originated in China, the soft green became widely known in the West after Honoré d'Urfé's novel L'Astrée was adapted for the stage, where the main character Céladon wore the color we now know as Celadon.

Info and facts from by The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair


This Month’s Creative Direction

How Green Lives on the Needles

Our Inspiration For This Months Green:

Our inspiration for May's color: the woods right at the edge of spring. New Leaf was designed to feel grounded but luminous. It's a green that works with neutrals, pairs naturally with browns and creams, and holds its own against bolder colorways.

It shines in:

  • Simple stockinette that lets the green shine
  • Cables that create shadow and depth against the fresh green
  • Mosaic knitting that plays with the tonal variation in the skein

The coordinating mini adds monochromatic contrast for cuffs, heels, and toes, or colorwork that feels timeless.

Together, the pairing feels light and hopeful...perfect for April, when everything begins to bloom.

Project Ideas for Your Sock Squad Yarn

Simple Socks
You Better Work Socks by Max The Knitter (Perfect for the high contrast minis!)

Cabled Socks
Sunday Stroll Socks by Sari Nordlund


Mosaic Socks
Daphnis by Audrey Borrego 


May Pre-Order

High Contrast Mini Skein Pack Pre-Order

Thank you for being part of Sock Squad and for bringing each month’s color to life through your stitches. We can’t wait to see what you create with New Leaf.

Share your finished socks with #FDFSockSquad on Instagram or in Discord 🤍

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