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Dragain Mara is the second of my four Celtic dragon sock designs, and the name means “dragons of the sea” in Scottish Gaelic. Legend has it that these dragons live together in underwater caverns far below the waves and are deeply devoted to each other. Although they can live on land and even fly when they wish, they don’t come to the surface very often and are happiest swimming and playing in their watery home. This, combined with their more wary nature, is why humans are less acquainted with them than their larger freshwater dwelling cousins such as Nessie and Ogopogo.

Method: These stranded colorwork socks are knit in the round from the cuff down. They feature twisted cable ribbing, a modified Eye of Partridge heel flap, and gusset decreases placed on the sole. The start of the round is placed at the back of the leg and the center of the sole to enable the pattern to flow around your foot with as little visual interruption as possible. There is an accompanying photo tutorial to aid in correct placement of the heel.
These socks can be knitted on dpns, by magic loop, or on a short circular (in which case you will still need dpns for the heel and toe decreases).
The colorwork design in this pattern is both charted and written out. You do not need to be comfortable working from charts in order to enjoy knitting this design! This pattern contains two pdfs. The written instructions for the colorwork are in a separate pdf named “Dragain Mara Socks Chart Alternative”, you will need this pdf and the main pdf if you do not want to work from the charts.

Size: This pattern is written in 2 sizes referred to throughout the pattern as M, and L. All instructions that differ depending on the size you are knitting are color coded.
Size Sock Circumference Approx. UK Sizes
M 8”” 20.5 cm Ladies 5-8
L 9” 23 cm Men’s 9-11

Yarn: You can use any 4 ply (fingering) sock yarn that you like and with which you can get tension/ gauge.

Please note I do not recommend using yarns with a high cotton content as cotton doesn’t stretch as much as other fibers and this will affect the fit of your socks.

You will need at least two contrasting colors of yarn, but this is a great pattern to experiment with color! You might choose to add a third color as contrast cuff, heels, and toes as I have in the pair pictured; you might use solid colors or a mix of solids and a long gradient yarn. Be creative, have fun, but keep in mind changes will affect yardage and number of ends to weave in. The amounts of each color required will depend on how many colors you pick, where you choose to use them in the sock, and which size you are knitting. As a guide:
MC – Approx. 160 (165) metres, 175 (181) yards
CC1 – Approx. 122 (145) metres, 133 (159) yards
CC2 – Approx. 139 (142) metres, 152 (155) yards