I have so many WIPs that I don’t really need one more, but this designer’s patterns are so much fun that I can’t resist.

The name is a reference to the Ravelry divorce support group, Casting Off. One member came up with the meme of smacking someone with a wet fish for self-destructive behaviour (e.g. “Someone please give me a fishsmack because I know I shouldn’t but I really, really want to contact the ex!”). That meme is over four years old and still going strong.

Yarn held double.

Rounds 21-45 and 63-76 are plain knitting (i.e. boring), so I added a simple stranded pattern of abstract fish scales. The top and bottom edges of the fish have two plain stitches each, and the pattern is worked on the flat sides only. Perhaps next time I’ll emulate the smallmouth bass’s stripes.

The shaping is clever, as is usual for this talented toy designer.

Tips:

• Stuff the fish after round 58, otherwise, you’ll need to use a dowel.

• Stitch counts:

2) 18

5) 22

8) 26

11) 30

14) 34

16) 38

18) 42

20) 46

46) 42

50) 38

54) 34

58) 30

62) 22

77) 26

79) 30

81) 34

83) 38

85) 40

December 8, 2013: Five fiddly fish fins finished! Better photos tomorrow when there’s natural light. I used up every bit of two skeins of grey and had to “open” another skein just for the last fin. Might make the two sets of fins at the front bottom, not sure yet - might be too bulky to have two fibrey fins that close together.