Tortoise and the Hare Socks

**Get 10% off with code TORTOISE until 11:59pm PDT on Monday, August 24, 2026.** ----- **These socks use a combination of stranded colorwork and duplicate stitch. There is a significant amount of duplicate stitch, but depending on your color choices you may be able to eliminate some of it.** Three video tutorials are linked in this pattern: two for techniques that will help with your stranding knitting tension, and one for how I do duplicate stitch. Other colorwork tips are included in the pattern as well. ----- I have had this image of the Tortoise and the Hare in my mind since I was little, where the hare is jumping away down the dirt path that leads to a forest in the distance while the tortoise is just starting out, that matches the first sock of this pair. It makes me wonder if I saw a similar illustration in one of my books of fables that I had while I was growing up, but seeing as how those books are long gone, I suppose I will never know the answer for sure. When designing these socks, I embellished and expanded on that picture that has existed in my head all these years, adding the wooden signs and flowers, and completing the race on the second sock. When choosing colors for these socks, I suggest thinking of each section as a coloring book and choosing from there. These are the ultimate scrappy socks. You can use more or fewer colors than I did. For example, you could choose to use a different flower color in each section, or to use entirely different colors for the tortoise, rather than having them share one color with the trees like I did. Or you could have a colorful sign that matches the flowers in that section, which would cut down on the duplicate stitch needed. ----- **Sizes:** S (M, L) to fit foot circumferences 7-7.5 (8-8.5, 9-9.5)” or about 18-19 (20-22, 23-24) cm **Yarn:** All fingering weight with 462 yds (422m) per 100g I used KnitPicks Stroll for all colors, but feel free to get creative and search your stash and leftovers. Want a sign or path or lettering that matches your flowers? Go for it! MC: Melon - 100g CCs: Forest Heather - 10g (trees, darker tortoise color, flower stems) Bamboo Heather - 10g (lighter tortoise color) Burnt Umber Heather - 15g (path) Pucker - 5g (flowers) Jack Rabbit Heather - 10g (hare) Grizzly Heather - 1g (darker hare details) White - 1g (hare tail and belly) Prairie Heather - 10g (sign) Black - 2g (eyes, lettering) **Needles:** US size 1 (2.25mm) **Notions:** Stitch markers, tapestry needle **Gauge:** 36 stitches and 41 rows to 4” (10cm) worked in stranded colorwork in the round