Mostly About Socks

Hello. sorry I am a couple of days late, I had issues with loading the photos. Anyway I am here now and better late than never.
This week I have been knitting mostly socks along with a few other bits and pieces. I learned to knit socks about 6 years ago and I always have at least one pair on the go. I first learned to knit them cuff down but quickly realised that I did not like picking up the stitches down the side of the heel flap and switched to toe-up. I find this method suits me perfectly and there has been no stopping me since. Firstly here are the socks I have on the needles.

This yarn is Regia Pairfect which is specially designed to be knit top down to create a perfect pair of matching socks. This is my fourth attempt with this yarn and I have given up trying and just gone with my go to Vanilla sock pattern which is Milkshake by my lovely friend Fiona Tulloch. This is a great free pattern which assuming you have some knitting skills allows you to make perfect toe-up socks with no stress at all.

Next up is another pattern from Fiona.

This is Burntisland, a paid for pattern, which costs £3.60. It is the third pattern in her Regatta series and is a joy to knit. Once again it is a toe-up pattern with no heel stitches to pick up.

I am knitting this in KnitPicks Stroll Tonal yarn in the Queen Anne colour (discontinued) which I was given many years ago in a swap package. This is a beautifully soft yarn to knit with and it is showing the pattern well.

Now on to some finished socks.

Once again I used the Milkshake pattern for the foot but instead of a stocking stitch leg I went straight on to the cuff and did 80 rounds of 2x2 rib for cosy ankles. This time I used RipplesCrafts reliable sock yarn in Hubble Bubble RS350. This is my go to hand dyed sock yarn as it knits up great and wears like iron. I was very lucky to visit the dye shed last year and picked up this yarn whilst there.

Now on to something different. I also completed some Bon Bons Mitts to go with the hat and socks previously done for a friend's daughters's birthday.

I also cast on the neck warmer to go with the set. This is knitted in Drops Fabel 604 Ocean View Long Print which I bought from Wool Warehouse.

Finally I dug out my sock yarn Blanket which I started in Sept 2015 and added a few squares.

This is a long term project with a long way to go as I need to knit loads of socks to get the leftovers.

The stash was slightly enhanced this week with 8 more balls of the Drops Fabel as there is a sale on until March 31st and the balls are reduced by 30%.

This is my go to mass produced sock yarn as it is very well priced and will generally be here just a couple of days after ordering. I like how it knits up and there is a great range of colours.

See you next Sunday

Happy crafting

Mary

Let's Talk About Knitting

Knitting, what is it? Well, in it's most basic form it is taking two sticks and some string and making some knotted stitches to form a fabric. In reality it is a most relaxing hobby which ends with the participant having a work of art and engineering to be proud of.
Whether it be a pair of cosy socks, a jumper, an intricate lacy shawl, a blanket or a simple square the art of knitting is a lifelong skill which once you have learned you will never forget.

Some like me will have learned to knit as a child and have taken time away, thinking it was just for old folks, to come back in later life and learn techniques that we wish we had learned years ago. We then realise that we have missed out so much on new developments, yarns and tools and we can then spend many pleasurable hours playing catch-up and finding out once again everything that is exciting about sticks and string.

Learning to knit can be daunting and difficult but with perseverance it can become a truly relaxing part of your life where you can produce garments and art of which you can be truly proud of and wear with a sense of achievement which you cannot get from shop bought products. You can develop your own style and use the colours of your choosing rather than those which others have chosen. You are in charge, be unique and use the sheep rather than be a sheep.

Knitting can be viewed as a very solitary hobby however in recent years I have found it to be the exact opposite. The internet has made the world a very small place and the wonderful social network site Ravelry has brought millions of knitters around the world together. I have made many friends from all over the world and we all chat and share our projects like we were in the same room. There are yarn festivals springing up everywhere where you can meet fellow addicts and see all that is new in the world of knitting and of course there may just be a local group where people meet up and have a cuppa and a blether.

So I have convinced you now that this is a skill you want. Where can you learn? Ask around, do any friends knit and are they willing to teach you? Find out if there is a local group or turn to YouTube. There are thousands of videos out there which will take you through step by step. Go on, try something new today, you know you want to!

Happy crafting 😍