October 2022

Hello friends, since learning to knit socks around 10 years ago they have been a constant project on my needles and never more so than this month. They have been all I want to knit and I would seem to have found my perfect pattern. This simple almost vanilla top-down sock has been making my heart sing all month long and I want to cast on all the yarns and enjoy my own personal Socktober and beyond. 

Off the Needles

All my socks are knitted using the magic loop method and a simple 3 x 1 rib. Clockwise from the top left we have

Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy in colour Cloud No 8 

James Makes Yarn in Popping Candy

DropsFabel Print in Forest

Cascade Heritage Prints in Sea Morn

On the Needles

Still ongoing are the Dustland Sweater for hubby, the body has now been reworked and fits beautifully and I am on to the sleeves. Four pairs of socks are in progress, with a fifth pair set to be cast on today, seeing as it is Sunday. 

I have abandoned my Stephen West Twists and Turns MKAL as the pattern just was not turning out to be my cup of tea. I have seen many beautiful pictures of shawls in progress but they are just not floating my boat. I have in my mind to use the yarn for a Winter Lights Shawl as I adore that pattern. 

Finally, the first pattern from the Curious Handmade Knitvent 2022 collection is actively being worked on. I was resisting purchasing the collection of mystery patterns until the lovely Chris, from The Sunday Sock Ravelry group, posted a picture of the Anthology Throw, the first pattern, and I was sucked in. The entire collection is themed around using up mini-skeins or leftovers so I grabbed my bag of scraps and was off.

Acquisitions

I have had quite a blessed month with a few goodies arriving through the post. First up is this gorgeous skein called Witches Brew from Twinkknits, this is an 80% Merino 20% Nylon sock yarn. I was craving some Halloween yarn this year and this certainly fits the bill. 

Next, is this amazing skein from The Border Tart called Lollipop. This is a BFL/Nylon blend and again sock weight. 

Then I was gifted this Scheepjes Whirl in Cotton Candy Man. It is a 4-ply cotton/acrylic yarn in a huge 220g cake and I am sure it will become something amazing.

Finally this month after knitting the wonderful Popping Candy socks, shown above, I could not resist when James Makes Yarn brought out his autumn colours and this skein of Falling for You fell into my basket. It is similar to the Popping Candy but has a more peachy than the pink base. 

That's it for October, it has been a productive month overall and my knitting has given me so much pleasure. More details of my projects, both finished and ongoing, can be found on my Ravelry project pages and yarns on my stash pages. 

I hope you all have a delightful month ahead and keep hale and hearty, I have my flu and Covid booster jabs next week so am expecting sore arms for a day or two.

Happy crafting

Mary

A Week of S's, Sadness, Socks, Sweater and a Shawl

In amongst the sadness of this past week, my knitting has brought me great solace and comfort. I was, to be honest, quite astounded at the emotions which played through for a woman whom I have never met, nor was ever likely to. Whilst watching the news coverage the peaceful rhythm of the stitches moving along the needles kept me grounded and connected to the life I have around me. 

So what have I been working on?

Needing something easy I cast on a toe-up vanilla sock. 

I am using the free Milkshake pattern by my friend, Fiona D Tulloch, the yarn is by James Makes Yarn in the Popping Candy colour.

I have two more socks on the needles, the first is the Heel Toe Do Si Do which has seen a little work 

More details about this sock can be found in a previous post or on my Ravelry project page.

The second is my Sunday Sock, a pattern I made up myself inspired by the sweater I am knitting for Bill.

The yarn here is Cascade Heritage Paints in the colour 110 Sea Morn.

As mentioned earlier, the sweater has seen some steady progress with separation for the sleeves and the 19" slog of the body now on the go. I am sticking to 4 or 5 rounds a day so as not to bore myself and I am delighted to see the progress keeper getting further away each day until it gets moved on a Sunday after I have shared it with you.

Finally this week the project which has seen the most work is my Shawlography. I have finished both wings of section 9 and am at last making progress with section 10, the brioche.

I say at last, as this is my second go-round of the brioche as I cocked up spectacularly with my first attempt. It really was my own fault as I did not read the instructions properly. I should have known something was amiss as previously I did not have too much trouble with this technique. Yesterday afternoon was spent frogging this section and re-knitting it correctly. 

That's it for this week, time to pick up the needles.

Happy crafting.

WIP Bingo

 When it comes to my knitting I am totally disorganised and have way too many works in progress. I am very easily seduced by the new shiny yarn and/or pattern. This has led me to re-evaluate my knitting practices and with the upcoming Westknits MKAL I know I want to free up a project bag, needles and notions so I can have everything together. To that end,  I have joined some fun threads in the Stash Knit Down group on Ravelry and this led me to discover how to make a bingo card of my WIPs to try to concentrate on just a few this month.

Some of these, most of the socks, are not yet cast on and I don't have a current photo of my Bits and Bobs blanket but here are photos taken this morning of where I am with the others.

Shawlography

This is the second time I have knitted this glorious Westknits pattern. I am on part 9 of the shawl on the right-hand wedge.

The yarn is all Ripples Crafts Burras a gorgeous single-ply merino yarn dyed in the northwest highlands of Scotland. The colours are Peat, Moonshine, A Slice of Lime, Crushed Blaeberries and A Cerise that Demands Attention.

As I mentioned this is my second time with this pattern, the first one I gave to my Mum for Christmas.

Dustland Sweater

Bill's sweater is now at the most amount of stitches on the needle stage and is slow going. I make myself knit 4 rounds each day and I enjoy seeing my progress when I take my Sunday photos.

For the yarn details see When it all Goes Horribly Wrong.

Dust of Snow

The wrap is going very slowly, partly due to my concentrating on other things and partly as it has still been a bit on the warm side to work with mohair. There has been some progress though, and I am about to start on colour 6.

Heel Toe Do Si Do

These socks for a friend have only just passed the heel turn on the first sock. This is my only real deadline project as they need to be done by the 28th of the month.

I do hope this system helps keep me on track and that my enormous pile of WIPs sees some reduction over the coming weeks.

Remember to Be the reason that Someone Smiles Today, and have a fun week.

How Is It The End of August?

 I am baffled and bamboozled to discover that we will be in September next week. This year has simply flown by, and I have achieved so little. My knitting got off to a languid start this year as I only wanted to work on scrappy blankets which I then did not like and sent off to the frog pond. It was March before I knitted a sock and even then my mojo was still lacking. Things picked up in April and have been motoring along since but I still feel I am way behind where I ought to be, especially with my charity knitting.

This week I have, however, finished a pair of socks.

I knitted these using a motif from the Dustland Sweater and just made them up as I went along. The yarn is Ripples Crafts Reliable Sock in the Learning to Swim V2 colour which was a fundraiser for the RNLI overseas division, so sadly is no longer available. I used a 2.5mm ChaioGoo fixed circular for magic loop.

As soon as these were cast off I started a new pair.

These are for a fellow East Lothian Carers Panel member who has expressed a desire to learn how to knit socks. I am more than willing to teach her but suggested she try a pair first before she falls down the rabbit hole that is sock knitting and spends money. These are the Heel-Toe-Do-Si-Do pattern by Crazy Sock Lady Designs but knitted toe-up. The yarn is Stylecraft Head Over Heels Colours of the World Shade 1161 Sa Pa and again it is my faithful ChaioGoo 2.5mm fixed circular.

The re-knit of the Dustland Sweater got some love this week and I am powering through the yoke.

I am really liking how it is looking this time and hope to get to splitting for the sleeves in the coming week. That's it for actuall knitting this week, however there is some dream knitting to plan.

It's that time of year again!!

I have taken part in the last two years and have loved evey minute, now I cannot afford to buy a kit from Stephen and Penelope but I will stash dive and possibly even purchase a yarn or two to make my own unique kit.

I think that's all for this week, I leave you with a phrase which has been banging around my head since I saw it, and cannot help but think the world would be a better place if we all could make it happen.

BE THE REASON THAT SOMEONE SMILES TODAY

Relief, a Surprise and a Mystery

 Hello friends, I am delighted to report that with the removal of the offending upper tooth my mouth is now pain-free. What a relief! I have also had my first Covid vaccine and other than a little swelling and tenderness all went well.

My surprise came in the form of a little windfall. Last month I had an e-mail from the local carers centre inviting applications for a carer's break grant. This money was available to help give a boost to the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers. Although I have been registered with them for many years due to being the sole carer of my disabled husband I have never asked for any help and was of the belief that I would be turned down should I apply. I did, however, decide I had nothing to lose so gave it a go. I asked for much less than half of what may have been available to me and imagine my surprise and delight on Wednesday morning when I opened the e-mail to find my application had been successful. I had asked for and am spending the money on an instant sock yarn stash from the wonderful Ripples Crafts. 

And finally, the mystery. One of my favourite designers is Ambah O'Brien. Imagine my delight when she announced an MKAL starting on April 2nd. The Caladenia Shawl will be released in 5 weekly clues and people from around the world will be knitting it together. 

The aforementioned Ripples Crafts has put together a few colour sets for the project, which can be found under new products, although I think there might just be one or two left. I was lucky enough to snag this gorgeous BFL combo.

From left, Cladonia, The First Summer Rose, Crushed Blaeberries and The Weathered Fairy.

If you want to join in the MKAL, there is still time to get the pattern for a reduced price until Apr 1st and you will also receive a bonus pattern of the Caladenia Cowl free.

FO's

In the last two weeks I have finished 2 pairs of socks, first up is Hattu by Nicola Susen. These top-down socks have a very different construction from any I have knitted before and I can see why the description says they are ideal for those with a high instep. These socks are also great if you don't like picking up stitches as it doesn't happen, very unusual with top-down socks.

I knitted these for hubby who has very odd shaped feet due to bunions and he has declared them wonderfully comfy. 

My second finish is my 4th pair of Heel Toe Do-Si-Do socks by The Crazy Sock Lady. I simply adore the simplicity of this pattern and the results it gives.

That's all for this week, stay safe and enjoy your crafting

Mary

Needle Talk

 Hello friends, this past couple of weeks I have spent some time evaluating my use of knitting needles. I learned to knit on straight needles which I found cumbersome and unwieldy, especially as I was under 10 and therefore quite small. I all but gave up in my early twenties and when the bug finally caught in my early forties I was astounded to discover the magic of circular needles for any project. They were simply perfection, small tips and a cable to take the weight of the work transformed me from a reluctant to a passionate knitter. I felt ready to tackle anything and I did, lace, garments, and finally my beloved socks. Over the years I have tried many brands and while they all have some virtues I have come to the conclusion that my favourites are ChiaGoo, whether fixed or interchangeable they have what I need in a needle. Points sharp enough for lace or picking up stitches, a cable that stays put and doesn't curl all over the place, always smooth joins allowing the stitches to glide and best of all for me, nickel free. Sadly I cannot afford to buy a set but I have a plan. I will ask for a fixed circular needle case for my birthday and I will buy the sizes as and when to build my set up.

Picture from The Little Knitting Company Website

And then last Sunday, this happened

Yep, the needle tip and cable parted company in a way that cannot be fixed. Now, this is the third time this has happened to me with this brand so I have rescinded my request to hubby for the above needle case and have asked instead for a set of HiyaHiya Steels in the small size with 5" tips.

A to Z of Socks

I am delighted to say that more folks have joined in with my mad idea. it would seem that others also want to expand their sock collections and with no deadlines or particular requirement to knit in alphabetical order, folks are attracted to the simplicity of the KAL.

That said, I have personally started in alphabetical order and have completed my A socks which I talked about in the last post.

Ash Socks

I have also completed my B pair.

Bark socks

The free pattern for Bark socks by Wei S. Leong caught my eye and the simplicity of the textured design was a joy to knit. I used an MCN sock yarn from a past mystery box from Rosie's Moments, the colour was Pig Robinson at Sea from the Beatrix Potter series. These lovely socks knit up very quickly and I was just about finished the second when the above needle mishap occurred. Luckily I had a spare needle and was able to rescue the stitches.

The Handmade Sock Society 4

Serendipity struck with the release of the first pattern in this collection in that the socks are called Curling Mist. I cast on the day the pattern was released and yesterday finished the first sock.

I am knitting these on a ChiaGoo 2.25mm 100cm needle using magic loop and I am doing the medium size with 64 sts. The yarn is EasyKnits Big Boy in the Fields of Gold colour which I was gifted some time ago. 

Other FO's

Nothing at all.

Incomings

Well, as I mentioned above I asked my lovely hubby for the HiyaHiya steel needle set for my birthday which is not until June and he very kindly said why wait until June, get them now and so I did a little research and found them on the Fig Tree Yarns website. I ordered on Wednesday and on Friday morning the package arrived from Jersey.

It looks too beautiful to use. I also ordered a 2.5mm 80cm fixed circular to complete my most used sizes. 

Race to the Bottom

My figures as of Feb 1st

Total knitted - 2,380 yards
Current Level - Dust Bunny (1,000 - 4,999 yds)
Goal - Cashmere (30,000 yds)
% of goal reached - 7.93%
Yards to go - 27,620

Books

As with my knitting monogamy is also not a strong point with books and I have a few on the go so I can listen to whatever takes my fancy.

In My Ears 

1. Gargantua and Pantagruel (Librivox) Still on book 2 waiting for book 3 recording to be completed
2. Love in the Time of Cholera (Audible)
3. Don Quixote (Audible)
4. The Complete Little Women (Audible) Now on Jo's Boys
5. A Room With a View (Audible)

On My Kindle

The Inferno - Henri Barbusse

Finished in the last Fortnight

• The Return of the King - JRR Tolkein, whilst I enjoyed the series I can honestly say I did not love it. Hence it took me 3 years. Fantasy is really not my preferred genre and I can take it or leave it.
• Pere Goirot - Honore de Balzac, I did enjoy this sad tale from a Paris of long ago. I will admit to shedding a few tears along the way.
• The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn - Colin Dexter, I have watched all the Morse episodes multiple times but the books bring so much more depth of character.

Well, I think that's it for this week, time for me to cast on my second sock since it is Sunday, a very Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

Stay safe and healthy

Mary

Sock It To Me

 Hello friends, in the past couple of weeks when the knitting world has been taken by storm by Bernie Sanders' mittens. I have had socks on my mind. Ever since I discovered the beauty of magic loop and the magic of turning a heel I have been a sock knitting addict. I have, however, in the past few years become stuck in a bit of a rut knitting all my socks toe-up and mostly the same pattern over and over. This year I have decided that it is time to change things up and challenge myself somewhat. My second and third pairs of socks this year have been knitted top-down with heel-flap and gusset so I have made a start. I have revived an A-Z thread in our Ravelry group, and have been joined by five intrepid knitters, to knit 26 pairs of socks, a pattern from each letter of the alphabet. I have also purchased The Handmade Sock Society 4 by Curious Handmade. I have not, however, gone the whole hog and joined Sock Madness, nor shall I. I like to knit at my own pace rather than have a deadline or trying to be first.

There is still time to join in the Sock Society at the reduced price of £9.95 (UK) for all six patterns, one each month until July, before the first pattern is released on Thursday, Feb 4th. 

I have my yarn wound, Easyknits BigBoy in Fields of Gold from deep stash, and bought a new 2.25mm needle so I am all set to cast on the first sock on Thursday as soon as the first pattern comes out.

A-Z of Socks

My A socks are well underway. I chose the free Ash Socks pattern by Jenny Love. I have had the pattern in my queue for a long time and finally took the plunge to cast on.

I have the second sock well on the way now too. The yarn is 75% Wool 25% Polyamide by Regia and I am using 2.5mm Chiagoo circular needles for magic loop.

Incomings

Just the one incoming since I last blogged and it is a beauty. The first mystery sock box from Rosie's Moments Around the UK in 12 boxes 2021.

Based on Somerset, her home county, the box is full of goodies representing the area. 

• Postcard of her village
• Apple soap
• Swans travel mug
• Sour apple candy
• Glastonbury Tor pin badge
• Apple blossom yarn

I am always blown away by the thought and beauty of these boxes and, yes, I have already bought the next one.

Books

I was so excited last evening to find two Kindle collections of classics with a total of 100 books for just £1.50, 75p each, these will be my bedtime reading for many, many months.

In my ears as I knit I have these 4

1. Gargantua and Pantagruel (Librivox) down to 1 chapter per day as the book is still being uploaded
2. The Complete Little Women Series (Audible) On Little Men now
3. The Return of the King (Audible) 1 chapter each evening as I fall asleep
4. Don Quixote (Audible) 5 chapters per afternoon, I have to say I am loving this. 

I think that's it for now, my socks are calling, stay safe and healthy, see you in two weeks

Mary

Twitching without Socks and Advent looms.

 Hello friends, after my profound realisation in the last post I have discovered something else about myself. I get twitchy if I have no socks to knit. I am like a bear with a sore head. I have been trying very hard to free up my knitting time for upcoming Advent projects but yesterday I just had to cast on some socks for me. It was a compulsion and no matter what else I tried my brain kept screaming you must knit socks. 

Advent Knitting

When I was little a highlight of the year was the Advent countdown to Christmas day. I got a new Advent Calendar every year which had in those days pictures hidden behind each door. As time went on the calendars started to have tiny chocolates hidden in them, now we have Advent calendars for everything you could think of. There are coffee, tea, gardener's, beer, toiletries, lego, toys, tools, you name it and I bet there is one to find and of course, there are yarn Advent calendars. In the year we have had where it seemed at times all hope was lost I have been given the gift of hope by having been the lucky recipient of two yarn calendars.

The first of these is EasyKnits 10g lux which has some beautifully intriguing boxes to open each day with a full skein for Christmas morning.

With this kit, I am hoping to knit a Habitation Throw by designer Helen Stewart. This pattern from last year is written for 10g mini-skeins and with Jon's dyeing I am sure it will be a colourful addition to my home.

My second kit is from a favourite dyer of mine, Rosie's Moments. This is my third year of Advent kits from her and they never disappoint. Rosie packs so much love into everything she sends that you can happily know whatever you order you will be more than delighted.

This kit came with a mystery wrap pattern which I am sure I will enjoy knitting and will love the finished item. Rosie also notes that Christian Advent officially begins today with the first Sunday of Advent and has added two little extra gifts to open today and tomorrow. 

Finally, I have my homemade effort. Each year the wonderful Australian designer, Ambah O'Brien, hosts a fabulously fun Advent knit-a-long in her group on Ravelry. She designs new patterns each year especially to knit with your Advent calendars. Her Advent bundle can be found here, there are 11 patterns to choose from and this year I was especially drawn to the Radvent Cardigan. 

This cardigan was designed to use a 25 x 20g advent kit plus an extra full skein for ribs and cuffs. Now whilst I desperately need a new cardi I could not afford a kit that size so I have made my own using yarns leftover from the various socks and other things I have knitted this year. My cardi will be full of memories and full of fun as I have put all these leftovers in a bag and my dear hubby will draw out one each morning to be used that day.

I think that's all for this week and hopefully, I will be back next Sunday with some knitting to show and progress on my Advent projects.

Stay safe everyone

Mary

The Power of One

 Hello friends, there comes a time in every knitter's life that no matter how many needles one has nor how much stash you have beyond SABLE he or she realises that evolution has stopped at just one pair of hands. No matter how many projects are cast on and in varying stages of progress said knitter can only work on one at a time. That rarest of breeds, the monogamous knitter, realised that very early on and casts on one item and doggedly continues until the end. I am not one of those knitters. I am of the majority, the knitters who are tempted by that oh so shiny new yarn or pattern and want to start immediately throwing aside all else just to get high from the yarn fumes or the buzz from seeing an exciting new pattern emerge on the pins. Reading posts on Ravelry proves to me that this is how the majority of knitters choose to work, some may be in denial I am not. I just know I have too much on my plate at times. Today I realised I had to come up with a plan to combat my addiction. So you ask, how on earth am I going to achieve this? I have a plan, I am not going cold turkey, that would never work. I am going to limit myself to just one item of each at any one time from the following

1. Socks
2. Shawl
3. Hat
4. Jumper
5. Cowl
6. Blanket

I have chosen these 6 as they are what I mostly knit, or sometimes crochet. I am hoping that given the variety of items I will be satisfied at all times and be able to resist the pull of something new. 

OCS

The first OCS blanket has been assembled

I had to lay it out on the floor to make sure I got all the squares in. It is fabulously warm as I found out whilst putting it together and will surely be a great comfort to whoever receives it. It is currently being gently washed and will go into the huge box once it dries. Onward to the next one tomorrow.

For the rest of today, it will be sock knitting for the cause, it is so dreich here today that I am glad my yarn is bright and happy

Have a great day and stay safe

Mary

How the Heck is it November?

 Hello friends, at last, I am back after having the most awful October with the sad passing of another family member. This time last month we had hope which rapidly faded with each passing day. It really knocked us both for six. The words to write to you just would not come and I spent the month trying to keep hubby and me together in some sort of normality. Once again throughout these most trying of times, knitting and my friends in the yarnie community kept me from going under. I only managed to finish one project in the month but I worked on lots more.

Finished

The one finish was the Woollsia shawl by Australian designer Ambah O'Brien. 

This was pure joy to knit and I have plans for at least one more in the future. I knitted this using Schjeepies Whirl in the Coral Catastrophe colour and love how the hues transition seamlessly from light to dark. I made my shawl larger as I wanted to use as much of the yarn as possible. This was easy to do as the pattern is a simple repeat of garter and eyelet rows, suitable for a beginner knitter with just basic skills. 

Talking of Ambah, a new yearly tradition of mine is to take part in her Advent KAL. She has designed lots of patterns to make use of the gorgeous yarn Advent Calendars that have become available in the last few years. Normally I make up my own calendar using leftover yarn but this year my wonderful hubby has surprised me by treating me to a "proper" one from EasyKnits. The box arrived on Friday and I am beyond excited for December when I can start to open these intriguing little boxes.

Operation Christmas Stocking

Regular readers will know that throughout the year I have been knitting socks and hats for this amazing initiative. I still have a few pairs of socks to finish and more hats to do but here is what I have achieved so far.

I've got to the stage where my brain is screaming "gonnae need a bigger box!"

Parcels of blanket squares have also started to arrive one from the USA and one from Edinburgh 

and I have started to join the squares together. The first strip has been completed and I look forward to a busy month assembling the blankets. There is still time to knit a square if you want or if you would rather help in another way Crisis has an Amazon wish list which you can access here.

That's it for now. 

Stay safe and healthy

Mary