Once upon a time, there was a girl who really really wanted to visit Japan. Thanks to being involved in Girl Guiding, that girl - not so small daughter - has got her wish and will be going to the Land of the Rising Sun in July 2023 on an international expedition.

These socks were designed with her trip in mind - Koi fish, the colour red (an important colour in Japanese culture) and blue … somewhere for the fish to swim but also the ocean that will be between us when she goes. Who says socks can’t tell a story?!

Based on the Winwick Mum Basic 4ply Socks pattern, Don’t Be Koi is an easy introduction to colourwork and a good way to use up leftover yarn for the fish. If you’re new to sock knitting, you can find my step-by-step Sockalong beginner sock knitting tutorials here, and you can find help with colourwork in my Easy Colourwork Socks tutorial here.

The pattern is 14 pages long: pages 1-8 contain the pattern and charts, pages 9-14 are tutorial and information pages for help with colourwork jog and sewing eyes onto the fish.

Not so small daughter has been encouraged to raise the funds for her trip herself, and I’ll be donating the profits from this pattern to help with her efforts. Thank you, if you choose to help us! xx

You can read more about the trip and the socks here: https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/2023/04/dont-be-koi-socks.html