Sunday 24th February

Hello friends, welcome to The Sunday Sock.

I have been a busy bee this week planning out gift knitting. We all have one of those months where birthdays come like an avalanche and April is my month I have 5 birthdays and a Wedding coming up. The secret to getting it right is forward planning but I have to admit I have been very bad at that in previous years. Now that I no longer have a wage to rely on I have kicked myself up the bum and have been sorting myself out. Sadly this means a lot of what I am knitting just now has to remain secret until the gifts have been handed over.


As it is the last Sunday of the month it is time to update the round the world challenge. Over the last 4 weeks, I knitted 1314 rows in the last 4 weeks and have added them into the map. A small distance has been travelled.

As you know knitting socks is a great passion in my life. I was perusing the free sock patterns available on Ravelry and was astounded to find there are upwards of 7000. This, to be honest, shocked me. I had no idea that there were so many gorgeous patterns out there. I put on my thinking cap on Friday, which for you Girl Guides out there will know was Thinking Day, and came up with an idea. Why not knit the alphabet? Thus the Sunday Sock A2Z KAL was born. I would love you to join me in choosing your own adventure knitting 26 pairs of socks. I have set up a thread in the Ravelry group with a link to the A-Z of free sock patterns available. I reckon it will take me over 2 years to do this myself so it will be a relaxed on-going KAL.

For my A socks, I have chosen the Aramis pattern by Caoua Coffee. This is a simple 12-row repeat of knit and purl stitches. I am knitting toe-up and will be using the Fleegle Heel which is my favourite heel for fit.

So far I have the beginnings of a toe.

Short but hopefully sweet this week, please do join in the KAL. I would love to see what patterns you choose.

Until next Sunday, happy crafting

Mary

Sunday 17th February

Hello friends, I hope you have had a great week.

Last week I mentioned shopping my stash. For this to be a success I first need to fall back in love with some of it. We are all guilty, I am sure, of spotting a skein of yarn at a festival or other yarn event and just having to have it with no pattern or use in mind. That is the reason I have quite a number of skeins in my stash. So now I need to evaluate and decide just what to do with them. I am loving churning out the socks just now so know that will be an answer to a certain degree. With some skeins though, I will need to get over my "this is too pretty/good/nice/luxurious for socks", I have to realise that my feet need to be loved and cossetted just as much as my head or neck. Once I get my brain sorted to that way of thinking I think my sock drawer will fill up and my feet will thank me for it.

Also during the week, I was thinking about my future. I was perusing the internet and stumbled across a local adult learners college website. One of the courses really caught my eye and I called them to ask a bit more about it. It is is a one year return to education course in Celtic Studies with Gaelic. Everything about it struck a chord with me and I will be going along to the college open day next month to find out more.

My Knitting Week

On Monday I picked up the second sock for Dad's birthday present. I am knitting the Vanilla Latte pattern toe-up. This free pattern is a great go-to for women and men. It is a classy and simple knit which always gives great results.

Tuesday, I kept on with the sock and managed to almost get it done.

Wednesday saw the sock finished but as yet there are no photos as they still need washed and blocked.

Thursday I cast on a new sock for me. I always have trouble with socks which move about on my feet whilst wearing them. This week I had on a pair that didn't do this. I looked up my notes on Ravelry and discovered that instead of a 56 st sock this pair had been 52 sts. I was astonished, I double checked, yes I counted the stitches, and right enough just 52 so I have started this sock with 52 sts.

The yarn is from deep stash so I am making good on shopping the stash.

Friday saw me making a decision, the sweater had to go. It just wasn't working in the yarn I have. I had a good look through my Rav library and decided to start a squishy shawl. Split Stripes is a free pattern written for two colours of fingering weight yarn but hey, you know me! I am using my four colours of Merino sport weight to make it my own very smooshy shawl. The shawl is mostly garter stitch with some purl and some very interesting rows.

I have completed the first repeat of the pattern and am moving on to section 2.

On Saturday the Black Dog hit hard and I struggled to even get out of bed. I was floored after having such a positive week thinking about the future. I did manage a few rows on a sock for a friend's daughter but it was a struggle.

Rows last week 439

Time for a cup of tea, happy crafting

Mary

Sunday 10th February

Hello friends, here we are it's Sunday again. I hope you have all had a good week. I had a great start with this wonderful box of goodies arriving from Rosie's Moments. This is the second mystery box of the year featuring the characters of Beatrix Potter. This month's box is dedicated to the Tailor of Gloucester.

Upon opening the postal box I was greeted with this gorgeous little suitcase. Inside it was packed with goodies.

A pin badge. a brooch, sewing needles, cards, a collectable 50p and of course the yarn.

This beautiful skein is a butter soft blend of Merino/Bamboo/Silk. There was also a sock pattern included but for me, this deserves to be worn somewhere else and I am thinking that a shawl like Reyna would be just gorgeous.

I have had a real hankering for Salad Cream this week. For those of you who don't know it, it is like mayonnaise but more piquant in taste. I am just wanting it with everything, sandwiches, chips (french fries), fish, just everything. Goodness knows where this hankering is coming from, maybe I am subconsciously longing for summer.

During the week I decided to make a small change to the parameters of my yarn savings which I laid out last week. For every skein or ball finished I will add 1p per yard rather than just £1 per skein. This will help me save a bit more cash. I finished 2 skeins @ 286 yards this week which means I was able to add £5.72.

I have also started my EYF shopping list. After much deliberation, I have decided it is time to shop the stash more so this year I am hoping to concentrate on buying sundries more than yarn. The first item added to my list is Eucalan. I love this for washing my woollies and am hoping to find a large bottle of the Wrapture Jasmine scented one.

My Week in Knitting

Last Sunday I cast on Minecraft Socks for my Dad's birthday. This free pattern is written for top-down but is very easily adapted to knitting toe-up. I completed the toe before it was time for bed.

Monday and Tuesday's knitting was devoted to my EYF sweater. I really want to get this finished this month so powered on with the body. I have now run out of the Maiden Loch blue so from the joining of the body to sleeves and for the yoke I will be winging it with Ripe Rowan Berry, Copper Beech and A Slice of Lime.

On Tuesday morning I went stash diving for the last skein of yarn I need for my sweater. I did not find it but I did find a sock and yarn I had started for Dad's birthday last year so I have decided to finish that pair for him instead of the Minecraft socks. They will be knitted for my Step Son-in-Law instead.

Wednesday found me picking up a second sock for a change of pace. I managed to complete the foot before it was time for bed.

Thursday saw my return to the MineCraft socks. This is such an easy knit with a memorable 12-row repeat.

On Friday I was back to the sweater, this time though it was to consign what was knitted to the frog pond. I was just not happy with the way it was turning out. I ripped out the body and have started over.

Saturday was lost in its entirety to fever. I was in bed all day just sleeping it off. I am sure it was caused by a gum infection as I had a lot of pain and swelling around my lower left wisdom tooth. There is still some pain today but it is manageable and I am upright.

Time to go and feed the kitties and find some lunch for us humans.
Until next Sunday, have a good week.

Mary

Sunday 3rd February

Hello friends, I hope this Sunday finds you all well and warm or cool depending on your part of the globe. I know parts of the world have been suffering extremes of weather and must admit that while it is cold here we have been lucky with just a light dusting of snow so far.

At the end of last month, I made a life-changing decision. I handed in my notice to the job I have been in for nearly 10 years. Whilst I have loved my time there and my job, my recent health issues and the deterioration of my husband's health means that I have had to look long term at my ability to be a functioning and reliable staff member and sadly I know that I can not now be the person they need me to be. The loss of an income means that I will now have to be extra careful with my pennies. Luckily I have an extensive stash collected over the years from which I can personally shop but you know how it is, there is always a shiny new yarn you want to try out of a local yarn festival to visit.

Now that I am not earning I have been looking at new ways to fund my yarn habit, yes I have an addiction, and I think I have found my answer. Whilst perusing Ravelry I stumbled across a post which detailed a type of yarn savings account which you keep yourself. You pay yourself a small amount for finished items and used up yarn from your stash. I have decided on the following amounts.

• Small items, hat, baby item etc. - £1
• Pairs, socks or mitts - £2
• Large items, sweater or blanket - £5
• Each ball or skein used up - £1 

I am hoping that by doing this I can save up my pennies for EYF and the smaller St Abbs yarn festivals and my kitty bank is ready to collect my earnings.

Given that I will have a bit more time on my hands I hope to listen to a few more books this year. I have a few under my belt already and this week started listening to a non-fiction epic. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon is 126 hours long so I am listening to a chapter a day. So far this insight into this period of history is fascinating and informative. Alongside this, I will listen to various other books and am currently enjoying The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths.

This week I have mostly been working on my EYF sweater. I have made it through the waist decreases and am heading rapidly to the bust increases.  As I am knitting from stash and using a different yarn from the pattern and I have different quantities of colours available to me I am using the pattern more as a guide to shaping and fit than doing the colourwork in the original.

My ZickZack scarf has moved on a little too with the first mini skein nearing its end. This is such an easy pattern with such stunning results. I have been blown away with some of the finished projects on Ravelry and hope my effort works as I imagine it.

I have a couple of finishes to show you too.

Continuing our journey around Scotland's Burghs we have come to the last big city burgh of Glasgow. The biggest city but not the capital lends its name to a wee pair of ankle socks I finished early in the week.

These were knitted from leftovers from other socks I had knitted and are currently keeping my tootsies warm.

My other finish this week takes us north to the first of the Aberdeenshire burghs. Inverurie, a Royal Burgh, is the name I have given to this stranded hat.

 This free pattern, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-easy-ombre-slouch-hat is a good introduction to stranded knitting if you have never tried it before. Using only two colours of DK and 4mm needles, it knits up quickly and gives a very pleasing result. I used an unknown yarn cake from my stash and knitted a fixed doubled brim for the lower portion then added Stylecraft Special DK in Boysenberry for the top.

Finally this week I have a new gadget to share with you. I am always on the lookout for any tools which make my crafting easier and lately, I have seen a lot of adverts for neck lamps with LED bulbs. I did a bit of research and finally chose one from Amazon.

The lamp came very quickly and it is a fabulous addition to my tool kit. As it is the season of long nights it is especially useful, allowing me to knit longer without adding eye strain. I can also see it being very useful if you are knitting with very dark colours all year round. I have tried to capture a photo of it in use to give you the idea of how you can train the light on your hands. It weighs very little and after a very short while I forgot I had it around my neck.

I am still getting used to it for knitting but can also see many other uses for around the home and out and about. I have a feeling some of these may turn up in Birthday presents this year.

That's it for now, until next week happy crafting

Mary


Rows - 334