Fair Prize Socks

Our county fair is one of my favorite fall events, with amazing (yet terrible) food, lots of rides, the craft and agricultural competitions, and of course, the carnie games. The first time I took my husband to the fair, he won for me two goldfish from one of those games. Their names are now lost to time, but they were my very first pets and I loved them for the two weeks that they lived. I designed these socks in their honor. The sportweight yarn stands up well to solid fair walking, the colorway is “Goldfish Bowl,” and the socks feature a fishtail lace insertion along the side of the foot and ankle.

You’ll work these socks from the toe up, with shaping to differentiate between right and left. One panel of the lace is placed on the outer side of the instep, with a second panel starting at the ankle. The heel is worked with a gusseted short row technique. It’s all topped off with a ruffled cuff meant to invoke the crimped top of my first goldfish bowl.

These are fun socks for fans of toe-up socks, because they have a few twists on the standard formula.

SIZES:
Women’s S (M, L); foot circumference: 7 (8, 9)in / 18 (20.5, 23) cm

MATERIALS:

• 1 skein Oink Pigments Sport (100% superwash merino; 345yd / 315m per 3.7oz/100g). Colorway: Goldfish Bowl OR 300-345yd / 274-315m sport weight yarn
• 1 set US2 / 2.75mm double-pointed needles, or type preferred for sock knitting
• 3 stitch markers
• Tapestry needle