Fish (n=43), and a new sock starts

I have been fishing, well knitting more fish, to date the fish count is now 43 fish, almost a school. All in sock yarn. As i knit each batch of between 5 and 10, I hand wash, lay out to dry on a plastic basket in a sunny spot, and store them away. That way I won't have to block 120 fish all in one go latter this year. I don't know if I need 120 fish, just a random number. This image shows my stack of 10 fish, all ready to block. I finished one of opal sock yarns i was using, and about to work my way thru a small tangle of left over Regia yarn.

And co-joined fish, a pattern that works, and given this is my first written for others pattern, feel free to notify me of corrections needed so I can amend the original.

Instructions for co-joined fish – nose down next to tail up.
Note : make sure to twist/wind the tow colours together where they meet, or you will have separate fish.

Abbreviations - I think these are pretty standard
S1 = slip one purlwise, produces a chain edge, very pretty and makes the fish easy to sew or crochet together if knitting single fish.
m1 – make one using twisted loop,
K2 tog = knit 2 together (leans to the right)
Ssk = slip next two stitches one at a time knitwise, then knit those two tog (leans to the left)
M1 lifted increase = lift loop of stitch from previous row, and knit, can use either last stitch on right needle, or first stitch on left.

When you finish one pair of fish, or several pairs of fish, then just knit the next row of fish, reversing the bracketed instructions. Yellow is nose up, Blue is tail up.

(Cast on 6 stitches using yellow)(Cast on 23 stitches using blue)
Row 1 (S1, k to end of blue)(S1, k to end of yellow).
Row 2 (Yellow S1, m 1, k to last stitch, m1, k1 (8)) ((Blue S1, k2 tog, knit to last stitch3 stitches k2 tog, k1 (21)).
Row 3 ( S1, k to end of blue)(S1, k to end of yellow)
Repeat rows 2 and 3, continue to increase yellow and decrease on blue every 2nd row until there are 20 yellow stitches, and 9 blue stitches.

Row 5 (S1, k to end of yellow)(S1, K to end of blue) .
Repeat this row 5 2 more times – reverse as appropriate for colours.

Begin fin shaping
Row 6 (S1, k4, p10, k to end of yellow)(Sl, k to end of blue ) .
Row 7 (S1, K4 m1, k to end of blue) (S1, k4, ssk, k6, k2tog, k to end of yellow)].
Row 8 (S1, k4, p8, k to end of yellow) (Sl, k to end of blue ) .
Row 9 (S1, k4, m1, k to end of blue) (Sl, k4, ssk, k4, k2 tog, k to end of yellow).
Row 10 (S1, K4, p6, k to end) (S1, K4, p1, k to end)
Row 11 (S1, k5 m1 lifted increase, k to end of blue) (S1 k4 ssk k2 k2tog k to end)
Row 12 (S1, k4 p4 k to end)(S1 k4 p2 k to end)
Row 13 (S1, k4 k1 lifted increase previous stitch, lifted increase next stitch, k to end of blue) (S1 k4 ssk k2 tog k to end)
Row 14 (S1 k4 p2 k to end yellow) (S1 k4 p4 k to end)
Row 15 (S1 k5 m1, k2 m1 k to end blue) (S1 k 4 k2 tog k to end yellow)
Row 16 S1 k4 p1 k to end yellow) (S1 k4 p6 k to end)
Row 17 (S1 k5 m1, k4 m1 k to end blue) (S1 k4 k2 tog k to end)
Row 18 (S1 k to end yellow) (S1 k4 p8 k to end)
Row 19 (S1 k5 m1, k6 m1 k to end) (S1 k3 k2tog k to end)
Row 20 (S1 k to end) ](S1 k4 p10 k to end blue)
Row 21 (S1 k to end blue) (S1 k to end yellow)
Repeat row 21 2 more times, reversing colours to match as needed.

Row 23 (S1 k2 tog k to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1) (Sl m1 k to last stitch m1 k1)
Row 24 (S1, k to end) (S1 k to end)
Repeat rows 23 and 24 until 23 yellow stitches and 6 blue stitches are on needles,
Cast off (I used a sewn cast off so edges match) – or continue to knit next pair –reverse order of blue and yellow brackets.

Zebra wash cloth, finished but not proud. I really learned the lesson of intense contrasts requiring precision. My kitchener close was messy, the diagonal junctions are messy, I thought the double width and single width stripes would work much better than they do. Just as well it is a wash cloth.


I have also been stash building, or stocking up, albet in a very small way, I added two sock yarns from Webs on line store, close outs which means 'cheap', ordered last month but only just arrived. The first is a rather boring sock yarn from Regia, it knits into stripes in quite male blues, greys and blacks, but they make such soft yarns that knit well and wear well.
Next to it is another Italian yarn, Cedifra fashion trend sportivo. Webbs was great to shop at, but I stuffed up my order big-time, and ordered two 100g balls of the Regia, and only one 50g ball of the Sportivo. Well, with my big feet I won't be getting socks of that! I have split the Sportivo into two equal length balls, and am knitting a smaller toe up gusset sock with heel flap, a nother widdershins variation as the last sock. This will be much smaller, for Poppy, my 4yo. If not then fish! This sock is on 2.5 mm dpns, and has 48 stitches. The image of the yarn in the ball is very accurate colourwise, the one of the knitting is not - yet was photographed in daylight ?

The other yarn purchases, green rowan 4 ply baby soft and orange schoeller stahl baby merino. Both purchased for the fish blanket. I realised that the fish are very multi-coloured, and when layed out together it is hard to see the fish for the school of fish. I decided to add some plain fish, to tie it all together and to have some fish where the fins and shaping were visable. Given the small size of the finished fish - i couldn't escape the goldfish colour. the Rowan, is beautiful but does not go, so may be saved for me, fair ilse mittens latter perhaps. with cream or off white?

Well, the head cold has well gone, and school started today. Parents of primary and secondary school children all over new zealand breathed a collective sigh of relief as small feet plodded away to classrooms with back packs and packed lunches. 5 child free hours, for me that means a whole day at work, 9 - 5, as after school care resumes. Still our students don't start back until the 19th so a wee breathing space before that.