Easy two color top down socks using needles you prefer (DPN, two circs…). A great beginning to stranded knitting of socks.

It is assumed you are familiar with making top down socks on your preferred needles so specific mechanical instructions for each approach are not included.

Materials:
US 1 or 2 DPNs or circular needles to make gauge
300 yards fingering weight MC/background color (I used Knitpicks Stroll Black #23701 231 yds/50 gms).
300 yards fingering weight CC/motif color (I used Knitpicks Chroma Tiki #28041 396 yds/100gms for CC)
Stitch marker
Darning needle for finishing

Consider using a solid MC and handpainted CC as long as none of the handpainted colors is the same as the solid. You will get a more complicated, fair isle-ish look. Handpainted yarns will change color quickly (within inches)—variegated yarns like Chroma have a longer color change so slower more blended look like watercolor vs fair isle. Self-striping yarn does not change colors quick enough to work well.
Consider for these handpainted yarns for CC: Knitpicks Hawthorne Speckle, Cascade Heritage Wave or Cascade Heritage Paints, others…

Be careful to carry yarns consistently so you achieve the correct yarn dominance—CC coming from the left lets motif and stripes pop.
Check Youtube for videos like this one from Tin Can Knits on Yarn Dominance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DTJmv_zAgs