The Dala horse (or Dalahäst in Swedish) is a traditional carved and painted wooden horse that has become a symbol of Sweden and of Swedish handcrafts. The man credited with introducing the painting technique still used today also emigrated to the American Midwest around the same time as my Scandinavian ancestor. I designed these socks during the first Covid lockdown with the hope that knitting them would remind people of the wide world that was still out there for us to explore in the future.