I’ve Been Bad Part 3 (the final....for now)

 

I have been so bad at casting on new projects before finishing others. My Victoria top by West Yorkshire Spinners has been a victim of this. I had to rip out a few repeats of the pattern which put it on hold. Hundreds of stitches to frog in 2ply. I eventually did and I am at the point where I just need to finish the neck and then I can join them together before working on the sleeves. I needed time to be able to concentrate on that since this was only my second garment. So I worked on other things until I could do that and until I ordered a second stitch holder (since ordered and found other stitch holders). My Christmas knitting has put this on the back burner. Even my sister has commented on it and I’ve been told by her that I need to start working on it again after Christmas.

This zipped cardigan is the work in progress which replaced the Victoria. It’s called Franck by Bergere de France and is a delight to knit. I have been doing lots of other things in between and it’s surprising how fast I have been knitting it up. I even spotted a mistake in the pattern. Just a small one but since I am new to garments I am proud of myself. I am on the second sleeve. Next is the collar and then the sewing. I’m not actually dreading the sewing because I am so excited to see it finished. This will be part of my dad’s Christmas present.

My weekends have become dedicated to sock knitting. I’m sure I have mentioned this before. The Loveliest Yarn Company challenged the group to a sock knitting weekend and I have decided to keep it going. It means I can work on bigger projects during the week and still get to knit my beloved socks. For the most part it has been fine even when working. I have managed to knit quite a few pairs as a result. These cat socks though have proven to be a nightmare. Turns out I can only knit them during the day due to the black yarn. I’ve changed the lightbulbs in my lamps to cool in the hopes that it will help as I want them done for my sister. The second problem has been that when I am not working my sister has been spending quite a bit of her time staying with me (I’m her bubble). Today I might get the chance to work on them a little.

So, that has meant that I have been working on other socks. I knitted socks as part of a gift to my line manager since I would be leaving her. Then I was working on Christmas socks for myself and my sister. I thought it would be fun to do our own version of a Christmas Eve box with matching jammies, socks, snacks and wine. I finished the second pair last night.

Sundays became Study Sunday thanks to an idea from Stephen & Penelope’s Instagram account. I wanted practise on my colour work so bought this hat kit. It will also be a gift for my sister. I just need to attach the Pom Pom which I have yet to find the time to do.

I bought this beautiful set of yarn from For the Love of Yarn. Through Lisa’s instagram account I saw that she was making kits for people taking part in a MacMillan Knit a long. A charity that is close to me I signed up and ordered the yarn. The colours are beautiful and the pattern is lovely too. I’ve just not had the chance to cast it on yet. It looks like it will be a quick project so I am hoping to get it started and finished in time for Christmas. Maybe after I have finished my dad’s zipped jacket.

This scarf by Martin Storey has been the biggest victim. I started this at the start of the year as part of my project of trying new things and challenging myself. It took a back seat to my sock knitting due to lockdown. Then to my knitalong cardigan and then all the other projects I have started since. It’s almost finished too. I WILL get it finished.

I’ve Been Bad Part 1

 

I have been very bad of late. November I had planned to get in all my Christmas shopping. And actually, I am almost finished on that front. However, I did not plan to buy myself yarn at the end of October. But I did. I’m not even sorry. My bank balance probably is but I’m not. The lovely Lisa of For the Love of Yarn has been VERY busy of late. Go follow her on Instagram and you will see for yourself. With three children and her own business she is always busy but she’s been busy on the creative front. She brought out a new striped yarn base and she is calling it the Glesga Zebra. All of them are beautiful and all of them are linked to famous Glasgow slang. I picked this one because it’s called Ya Belter which is apt for this colour (because it is a belter).

It gave me an excuse to buy this yarn which I have been coveting for so long. The colour inspiration is my favourite soft drink, Irn Bru. If you are Scottish and don’t like Irn Bru there is something wrong with you (I’m including my sister’s BFF in that one). It’s such a vibrant yarn and it fits the drink perfectly. I can’t wait to knit with it. The problem is that both my sister and I will fight over who gets it. So I might have to design a pair of shorties or splash out on a second skein.

My Sea Creatures subscription also arrived and it it a beautiful purple. This is of course by Mothy and the Squid. Her inspiration this month is the Ochre Starfish. Mothy has also been busy of late which you can see from her Instagram (again she usually is busy). Just now she is working towards her own studio. She has signed up to Kickstarter and there are various ways you can help. I’ve signed up for a skein of sock yarn. Please go check it out or check out her Instagram.

Not from one of my friends I’m afraid. I have seen a few people knitting with WYS sock yarn of late and I’ve been a little envious. Sometimes it’s good to have a few of these in your stash for when you want to knit up something simple and effective. Although Christmas is up in the air for most of us at the moment I have one good thing about it. Thanks to my new job I will guarantee to have Christmas and New Year off. New Year I’m not so bothered about but I have always preferred Christmas off. It was my mum’s birthday and it was her favourite holiday. My family struggle at that time of year and I am still a huge fan. I try to make it a good time as I can which isn’t possible if I am working. So this year I will be in a new job and finishing at a reasonable time. We are assuming that we will not be going to my dad’s. So my sister is staying with me. She will be there on Christmas Eve and I have bought us matching pyjamas. I decided also to knit us matching socks and what better than to use Christmas themed yarn. My sister picked it from the name alone which is Candy Cane. I love it.                                     

   This one I didn’t purchase. I talk often about the Flower Power fund which raises money for Marie Curie. I have purchased yarn and patterns which have went towards this. Every so often the lady who runs it holds a raffle with dyers and makers donating items. Anyone who donates a pound to the just giving page is in with a chance of winning. A few weeks ago I had noticed I had a message from the organiser saying that I had won. I was tagged in the announcement post but didn’t see it. I never win these things so I didn’t expect it and winning is besides the point really. However, I feel privileged to have been the winner for this yarn by London House Yarns. The sock set is called Hermione and it is so pretty. I can’t wait to knit it up and I know who I will be knitting the socks for (of course it will be socks). I have never used London House Yarns before so I will be looking forward to that alone.

  Lastly this one is not yarn related. For the last few years or so I buy my sister an advent calendar because it was something my mum always did. My mum always bought us the Cadbury one which has the same thing behind the same doors every year (I know because timehop would show me). For a few years I got her the Loccitaine calendar and I would usually get myself a yarn one. Then I got it for us both and it was fun opening our calendars each day. Took us back to our childhood. Then last year I went for the paperchase as we both love stationary and I thought it would be a fun change. Which it was. There were issue with the delivery though and their courier recently let me down again so as much as I love the store I won’t be ordering from them unless they change their courier. I then saw that Nikki’s Supply Store was doing one and what could be more perfect. It’s still stationary so it is something we can both share and it supports small business. I can’t wait until December 1st.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

The Final Three

I have finished the last three pairs of socks for my knitting for nurses challenge. I have a wee collection and want to move on to other things. I am waiting for a few things to arrive and then I’m making up little care packages for my nurse buddies.

This pair is one of my favourites and I have a person in mind for them. The yarn is by Eaden yarns (not to be confused with Eden cottage yarns) who sadly haven’t dyed yarn in a few years. I think this may be the second and last yarn I purchased from the dyer. It’s so pretty. A very delicate colourway which is unlike me. It’s been in my stash for years just waiting for the perfect project. I thought the socks would look perfect with a contrasting to and heel. I initially wanted to do a tan contrast but I have every colour of mini skein but not tan. Thankfully I did have a nice pink which goes nicely. The mini skein is courtesy of my good friend Lisa of For the Love of Yarn.

The second pair is a sturdier sock. Although the yarn is 4ply it feels a little thicker. The yarn is by Knit Picks. I took advantage of their free delivery to the UK many moons ago. Sadly I have lost the ball band so I have no idea of yarn type or blend. It is beautiful though and lovely to knit with. I have quite a bit of the yarn left and I think I might hold onto it for little ankle socks.

Finally, this pair is among my favourites and I am half tempted to keep them for myself. The yarn is by Callum of For the Love of Yarn. He designed this yarn as part of the SJW awareness. He called the colourway “Respect is for Everyone” and the proceeds from the yarn went to his chosen charity, SAMH. The photo really doesn’t do this yarn justice. I love all the colours. I especially like the hints of yellow and green. If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen that I posted a photo of the reverse of the sock and I loved the effect of that on the yarn. I’m tempted to knit up a pair of ankle socks in the reverse but would love to do a contrast heel and toe in the dark green. A possible project for the future.

Here are the three yarns still in their skeins. I think this photo shows up the Callum’s yarn better. Next post I will show you this months yarn purchases. I am really excited about that and have already started knitting with one. I am currently working on a sock design with it which wasn’t planned. I also finally got the needles I needed to get on with the cardigan for the KAL. The morrow of that tale is to not assume that you already have the needles that you need.

I hope you are all safe and that you are taking care of yourselves in body and spirit.

Three Pairs for Nurses!

I feel like I have been a knitting machine the last few weeks. Since I decided to put aside all projects and knit socks for my fellow nurses I have knitted up five pairs. Three of those have already found a new home. You have already seen the first two pairs I finished so thought I would show the latest. I decided to put them together in one post rather than one each as I imagine this could get boring very quickly.

So the third pair I finished were these. Like all of the socks I plan to knit just now it’s a basic pattern. The yarn is from my stash and was hand dyed by For the Love of Yarn. It’s a sparkle sock yarn although you can’t see that in the photo. The colourway is called camp fire and I honestly can’t tell you when I purchased it. I absolutely love it. The striping is very short so there is no pooling of the colour at all. Trust me, I was looking for it. This is the only pair from this lot that has been given away. The recipient was chuffed and is already an owner of some hand knit socks which she inherited from her gran. So she knows the work that went into them. She did have to explain to one of our consultants that I did not change the colour of the yarn every two stitches. I most definitely can’t take credit for all those lovely colours in there.

The second pair I finished knitting was these ones. As yet I haven’t decided who these are going to. Perhaps because I feel that these are a little more special. This was another yarn by For the Love of Yarn but is part of her cherub collection. This is called Comic Con and was hand dyed by her oldest son with money going to charity. I think in this case it was the Glasgow Children’s hospital. I am so very tempted to keep these for myself as both the name and the colours speak to me. I won’t though. I just need to find the right nurse to give them to. I think I might have an idea who that is. Oh, and again there was no colour pooling. Thank you Callum for the beautiful yarn!

These socks I actually finished today. Again by For the Love of Yarn but a little different from the others. Instead of Merino/nylon or stellina. It’s merino bamboo! It’s a beautiful yarn to knit with and I highly recommend it. The texture isn’t quite as smooth as the merino/nylon but this makes it perfect for socks to wear with boots because they are definitely more durable. If you are looking to knit a pair of hiking socks I would recommend this type of yarn base. I love the colours too. The colour is called Midnight Fun and I am sorry, again this was from deep in my stash with no clue as to when it joined it. Let’s just say the chances are it was waiting to long to be knitted up.

Here is all three skeins of yarn in their glory before I wound them. I always like to show them in their skeins as I do think they always look very different when wound or knitted up. The vast majority of my knitting stash is by For the Love of Yarn. However, the next three pairs will be knitted with yarn dyed by other dyers. Well two of them will be. If I go at the same rate you will be seeing those in another couple of weeks.

In the meantime I hope you are all staying home and staying safe. A huge shout out to all key workers out there. That includes those working in shops, Royal Mail, public transport and refuse. You are all appreciated.

Supporting Small Business

As an NHS worker I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of others. Last week received bread, chocolate and pizza. More importantly I also received lots of warm words and messages of support as have my colleagues. I hope that other key workers are receiving the same thanks as they put themselves out there. However, as I said to a friend recently, at the end of the day I will be paid regardless. I will still have a job when we come out through the tunnel. I understand that there are nurses out there who are literally living month to month but I as I don’t have a family to support I am not one of them. Instead, I worry about my friends who are running their own business. Who rely on income from these businesses to feed their families. So I urge you all to continue to support them if you can.

My plan is to support my friends and favourite small business through buying from one of them once a month. I know it is not essential to my needs which is why I am going to try to limit my ordering to once a month. This month is my favourite hand dyer Lisa of For the Love of Yarn. I have to admit I was planning this order anyway for other reasons. If you are a fellow Instagramer who follows various hand dyers you will have heard about operation SJW. Many dyers are submitting yarn under this and donating to various charities. Lisa took part in this as she and her son had been the recipient of some trolling recently. Her son dyed this yarn and it’s called Respect is for Everyone and is part of the anti bullying campaign RespectMe. Callum designed the yarn and came up with the name himself with all money going to SAMH. They have raised over £1000 already. I can’t wait to knit with this. Those colours!

This is another dyed by one of the cherubs. This time Isabella. It’s called Silver Slubby. If you remember to my last yarn haul post I had received the teal slubby and I was planning a pattern for it. All my pattern planning is on hold just now as I am knitting socks for my work colleagues. However, I will get back to it and I plan to use this yarn for the same pattern as the teal. I do love a semi-solid yarn colour and I think this will be perfect for the pattern I have planned.

I realised that I had used the last donegal base I had in my stash. Which is why I ordered this beautiful yarn. It’s called blush and I am loving the colours. I might keep this one for myself. It is my favourite base after all.

I hope that you are all staying safe. If you are struggling speak to someone. And please don’t feel you have to be productive while staying at home. It’s okay to stay in your jammies and watch rubbish on tv. I’ve had days like that too as I am sure everyone has. Yesterday I did very little. Today I’m feeling slightly more energised with banana bread in the oven and I’m about to wind some yarn. Take care of yourselves everyone.

Change of Plans!

Most of you will probably know that I am a nurse working for the NHS. I always try to keep my social media and blog separate from what I do although it’s not always easy. Especially right now. There is a lot of fear in the community. Some of it is due to lots of wrong information out there and some of it is being caused by others who either are paying no attention to social distancing or restricting their shopping to what they need. As a nurse I fear for my patients and my family and friends. Not just their physical wellbeing but their mental too.

The problem with fear is that it escalates very quickly. I have seen it in social media and in person. It’s easy to give in to it. I know because I have felt it myself and have had to consciously tell myself not to give in to it. On that note I have decided that I want my blog to continue and to continue as a place of positivity. Instead of giving in to fear I want to be able to do something about it. Therefore I plan to use my craft skills to put a smile on someone’s face. That’s the hope anyway.

I will be postponing my 2020 challenge. In its place I will have a new challenge. That is to knit as many pairs of socks as I can. The reason being that I plan to give a pair to my colleagues when they need it most in the hopes that it will bring them a little light. I also plan to bake when I can and ensure that my team have good coffee and tea to keep them going (something I do anyway).

So this is pair number one. I happened to be talking about knitted socks with the person that these are for before I came up with this plan. She has had a tough week and I hope that these will help. They are knitted in a slip stitch pattern which I have used a few times already. Much like previous I have had to add a few extra rounds as again they came out shorter than I would expect. I usually know how many rounds to knit for length from years of knitting them. This is a pattern that I should really measure as I go instead. After having to unpick a toe and frog back for the second time I have learned my lesson. Worth it though.

I used this beautiful yarn from For the Love of Yarn. I love these colours. I did have this earmarked for myself as I both love the yarn base and the colourway but I have plenty. It’s Donegal nep which is my favourite base. It’s beautiful to knit with and has a tweedy effect. Beautiful in both solid and variegated colourways. If you are a sock knitter and haven’t knitted with this base you haven’t lived (in my humble opinion). I don’t mind admitting that I have ordered more.

So I challenge you fellow crafters. Look after your mental health as well as your physical. Create that something for yourself that you have always wanted to. If you have friends or loved ones that are struggling create something for them that will let them know they are in your thoughts.

With that I am off to wash my hands then make some cookies. Stay safe everyone.

Knotted Roses KAL

I follow Pink Girl Knits on Instagram. Recently she came out with a pattern for a beautiful hat called Knotted Roses. I couldn’t resist and used stash busting as an excuse to join in. It’s been a long time since I joined a KAL. I did finish it pretty quickly. Mainly because I loved how it was knitting up and couldn’t put it down. Bobbles are addictive! It’s very easy to get into and knits up fast. I did the medium sized beanie which is a perfect fit.

I wish the close up of the pattern gave justice to it. It’s so pretty and the twisted stitches really make those bobbles pop. If you are looking to knit this pattern yourself I highly recommend it.

I decided to use yarn from my stash. Mainly because I wanted to start it on time and it gave me an excuse to start up another knit as I could say that I was stash busting. I actually have very little in the way of DK in my stash. I was hoping that I would have a solid colour but as I didn’t I picked out this one from For the Love of Yarn. This came from one of Lisa’s yarn club boxes from 2015 and I had two skeins of this. The first was knitted up into a pair of socks and so now I have a matching hat. I love the striping effect on the hat and I have worn it to work already.

March Haul

I have purchased some sock yarn this month. I needed yarn for some of the patterns I am writing up and I had always planned that I would buy that now. What I didn’t plan was buying some yarn ‘just because’. Actually, it’s not entirely for selfish reasons. As all of you will know I am a huge fan of my talented friend Lisa of For the Love of Yarn. What you may not know is that I am also a HUGE fan of her three very talented children. Lisa’s children have always been creative and inquisitive about what she does and they are crafty themselves. One day they asked Lisa if they could try dying yarn and they love it. It’s a creative outlet where they get to pick colours, names and be part of the process. They also choose the charity the money goes to for any of the yarns that sell. Lisa makes no money from these and her children have always been keen to help out others. This goes back from before even her eldest was unwell. If you follow Lisa you will see that she is coming up with new colour ways herself and Callum (her eldest) has picked an anti-bullying charity Respect Me and a mental health charity SAMH to be the recipients of her upcoming colourways. For someone who has had so much going on in her life. So much has been taken from her I can only admire her strength and her passion on continuing to give to others.

Now to the yarn. The first is a sock yarn and the colourway is called Comic Con designed and named by Callum. I don’t know how he did it but he picked the perfect colours and name for me (being a self proclaimed geek). I had planned to knit up socks for myself but actually I think I might use it to knit socks for one of my nurse friends. The second is a slubby sock yarn. It was dyed teal by the youngest of the cherubs, Isabella. This is my favourite colour and so I couldn’t resist it. I have never tried knitting socks with this yarn before and I’m excited to try. I have plans for a lace design and will use a little of it to knit up a swatch. You can find more of these beautiful yarns under the cherubs collection in Lisa’s shop. Please remember that these children do this for fun and to raise money for charities that they have chosen. So even if you are unable to buy any of these yarns please at least remember this years motto ‘Be Kind’.

I have a collection of patterns that I hope to bring out at the end of this month although it may be April. It’s called my Birthday Diamonds collection. The first sock pattern I designed was for myself as a challenge and to cheer myself up. I always meant to publish it but things got in the way. I then did a pattern for my sister and I planned on creating one for my dad. My dad’s is still in my head and partially on paper although never been on the pins. He is quite fussy with the socks I knit him. He prefers dark colours and plain knitting. I did the plain black socks once and I swore never again. This time though I will give him the dark socks but there will be a pattern. Has to be otherwise there goes my collection. I chose a DK yarn for him and a charcoal colour which is as close to knitting with black as I like to get. The yarn is Roslyn by Cascade yarns which has a beautiful tweed effect. I think he will like it and I can’t wait to knit with it myself. I ordered two 100g balls of this because he has large feet but it also means I will have enough to knit up a swatch. Who knew I would become a swatcher.

For my socks and my sister’s I went with Heritage also by Cascade yarns. I picked out a cream for myself and a rose for my sister since she loves pink. I’m looking forward to knitting these up and finally sharing the patterns with you. My mum is missing from this collection. She passed away before I started trying out my own designs. While I won’t be designing a Birthday Diamonds pattern for her I do have something else planned to honour her. This possibly won’t happen until next year but I have a sock design planned out for her and once I publish it all money made from the sales of it will go directly to Cancer Research UK. This is a very important charity to me as they tried to give my mum a little more time through their trials. Sadly she was never fit enough to start but they wanted to help and their work is important. I’ve seen that since becoming an oncology nurse myself (I don’t work for Cancer Research so my choice is purely in honour of my mum). Any socks that I design in the future which are inspired by mum will go to this charity. As I said this won’t happen for quite a while but I wanted to highlight why my mum wouldn’t be included in the collection.

3 Pairs and One Colourway.

I am sure I’m not the only knitter who starts off their day with a bit of knitting. I also have a coffee and I do this if I am working. I work long shifts and I know that when I get home that I will be far too tired to do anything creative. Usually it’s all I can do to feed the cat and jump in the shower before I head to bed. A quick game with the cat to tire her out is as inventive as I get. So getting up 30 minutes earlier so that I can have that coffee and do a little knitting lets me have the best of both worlds. Hands up who else does this.

My morning project has to be something that requires absolutely no thinking at all. I have memorised the windy scarf pattern so well that this is the perfect project. Continuing with my Brioche learning has to wait for a more reasonable hour of the day. Last week though I got up and all I wanted to do was knit some socks. Just for the sake of knitting them. I’m not used to spending so long on non-sock projects. 

When I was looking at my stash I had this cake of yarn highlighted as my next sock project. As you can see it is a product of my talented friend Lisa of For the Love of Yarn. This was from one of her early box clubs. I’ve just looked back and discovered that it was part of her gradient box and came with two of these cakes and two skeins of a deep purple. I’m not sure that I still have those purple skeins. Possibly they have been knitted up already. I feel a little guilty as this would have been a perfect shawl with the solid colours. I wish I had looked out those purple skeins on the off chance that they are in my stash still before I started knitting with them. However, I wasn’t going to do that at that time of the morning and I only just looked up the box today. Sorry Lisa!

When I cast these on I wasn’t entirely sure that I had two cakes of the colourway never mind the purple skeins. The plan was that I would knit up some socks and use mini skeins as an afterthought heel. Firstly so that i could practice these and secondly so that I could use up some mini skeins (I have a bag for life FILLED with them). I decided that I wanted a simple slip stitch pattern. It’s a pattern I have long admired and have had in my queue for a long time. Or so I thought. I couldn’t find the pattern anywhere. I was so sure that I had it saved on my iPad or in my Ravelry library. Unable to find it I decided to go ahead and do it myself anyway. I have since found it so if you want to knit slip stitch socks you can find the pattern here by La Maison de Saba. It’s called Slip Stitch Lines and it’s a lovely pattern. Fantastic for beginners who want to do something a little more than a basic sock.

The afterthought heel went out the window when I saw how large the blocks of colour were. I felt that it would take away from the colourway. By this point I realised that I had two of these cakes. So I decided to knit another sock from the centre and then a third with the remains to see what I would get. I would then do the same with the second cake and it worked for the most part. There are slight differences but I think that’s okay and my sister has gotten three pairs of socks out of my experiment.

The second pair was knit from the centre as I mentioned. I love the transition from orange to pink. They are such bright colours and perfect for my sister who likes to wear all black but accessorise in brights. I did the slip stitch pattern again but this time I added bobbles. I love a bobble and I call these my Bad WOLF socks. I haven’t written up the pattern yet but I plan to with a few modifications. I also plan to match a cowl, fingerless mitts and hat. So watch this space.

The final pair was knit with the remains of both. Like the first pair I worked from the outside in. I went back to the slip stitch pattern but this time I continued it round the entire sock. In one cake of yarn the orange block is a bit shorter. You can see it a little with the first pair of socks but it really shows here with the second sock having a pink toe. I quite like the difference. It makes them unique. For some reason they didn’t initially fit my sister. I made them the same length as pair 1. Luckily I had her try them all on before I had actually started on the second sock of this pair. I unpicked the toe to before I had started reducing stitches and added a few extra rounds. I’m pleased to say that they now fit.

I’m a little sad that I didn’t realise this was part of a much bigger set. At the same time however, I am pleased with my little experiment and the results. I am now back to my scarf and shawl so hopefully I will finish one of those before I cast on another pair.

On the Pins in February

I thought I would show a little of what I have been working on so that no one thinks that I have been doing nothing or disappeared again. I have two larger projects on the pins and they will take a little longer to finish as a result. I am loving them both though and I swap my time between them. They are both very different and so I haven’t minded that it is taking me longer to finish (too used to knitting socks is my problem).

The first is for my garment challenge and it is a the Windy scarf by Martin Story. I came across the pattern and the designer thanks to watching the Fruity Knitting podcast. Andrew of Fruity Knitting did this very same scarf in order to practise his cables. It was beautifully done and I initially thought that this might be good to knit for my dad or my uncle. Then selfishly I decided to knit it for myself as part of the challenge. Like the hat it is a bit of a cheat since I am not new to cables. I love a cable and I have never knitted a cable scarf before. I don’t want to say too much about it until I do my finish post but it is a lovely knit.

The second project is a continuation of learning Brioche. It’s another Knit Graffiti design and it’s a shawl called Parlour. I cast on the yarn that I found in my stash by Owl About the Yarn. I knit this on my days off while I have something easy on in the background so that I can concentrate. It’s hard to put down though and I am loving watching it grow just as much as I am loving the scarf. The scarf pattern I have memorised and I tend to knit that when watching something I haven’t watched before. I also occasionally do a few rows before bed after work as it helps me relax.

So I said in my last post that I was going to have a month or two of de-stash projects once my Brioche phase was finished. In that vein I decided to cast on the sock yarn by For the Love of Yarn which I also showed in my last post. I have seen numerous people knitting socks where the design is a simple slip stitch. I was sure I had this pattern saved somewhere but have struggled to find it. I have therefore cast it on myself but won’t be releasing it as I know that this already exists as a pattern. Since my last post I have also tidied out what was formerly known as my cupboard of shame. I can now find everything and that means seeing exactly how much stash I have. It is considerably more than I thought and it is disgusting. Another excuse to cast on socks. Really I was having sock withdrawal.

On the plus side I found that I had a second cake of this yarn. When buying Lisa’s club boxes I always opted for the larger size (which will explain my stash size). This yarn has large blocks of colour and so one sock will only have two colours in it. After realising that I discarded the mini which I had originally planned to be an afterthought heel and toes. I pulled out the second cake and I plan to make two socks the same by knitting from the outside. I have finished the first sock and one half is orange while the other is purple. Yesterday I also started a second sock by knitting from the inside which will be the first of a second pair. It has a different pattern and it’s one that I will be able to release when I have written it up. I have called it Bad Wolf. You’ll find out why at some point in the future.

I suppose that technically means that I have four projects on the go but I predict that my socks will be finished by next week. The other two will take a little longer.

Old Stash Love

Other than buying for my projects I have been very good in not randomly adding to my stash. I’ve actually been quite good for the last few years. Before I dropped away from blogging I had something to show every month. I’m quite proud of myself and don’t ask me how I have managed to stay so strong. I still follow all my favourite dyers and I have come across new ones too (new to me). I wish I had that will power in other ways. However, I have not been so good at using my stash. Maybe just a skein here and there but certainly not enough to make a dent in it.

I decided that one of my challenge projects should be a shawl. I have maybe finished one for myself and it was a very easy one. I remembered I had bought a kit for a mystery knit along. So I looked out the yarn and I looked out the pattern. There is one skein missing. I have pulled my cupboard apart. I have no idea why it wouldn’t be with the rest and I have a horrifying feeling that I have knitted it up not remembering it was part of a set. The yarn is by Felt Fusion and it is beautiful. If I remember correctly I told her my favourite colours and I asked her to surprise me which she did and I don’t think that I could have done better. I loved it. My plan is to clear out my cupboard and sort out my stash to see if I can find that speckled yarn. If not I know I have similar in my stash. The pattern is Starting Point by Joji Locatelli. I LOVE this designer. I don’t think I have seen a design of hers that I haven’t liked and my favourites on ravelry are filled with her patterns. At some point this will definitely be going on the pins.

I’m afraid I had to look up who I got the yarn for my shawl from. The bundle was tied with ribbon and it is long gone. Thankfully my etsy history came to my rescue. While I was there I came across a Star Trek bag that I had bought for my sister who was into her sewing at the time. I had an instant pang of jealously and wondered why I hadn’t gotten one for myself. As I was searching my cupboard for the missing yarn I realised I had as I came across my sock project bag. Yes people, I’m a huge geek and I don’t care. I love my bag and the drawstring on this one is Molly proof. Trust me, she has tried. This gorgeous bag was made by Owl About Yarn and I have a few of her bags. I can testify that they are well made.

Hiding in the bag were two beautiful skeins of sock yarn. Also by Owl About Yarn. The dark one has a sparkle base. I have no idea what I bought these for. I have a feeling it would have been something specific given hat I bought them together and that they match well. It seems only right that I use them both for the same project. They have now been wound and are on the pins in an effort to continue my Brioche education. 

I also went into my last fibre share box and pulled out these two 50g skeins. I am thinking of using them for fingerless mitts. Again as part of my garment challenge. Or maybe I should knit gloves since I have never done that before. I could look out one of my many mini skeins to go with it to add a pop of colour. The yarn is beautifully soft and I can’t wait to knit with it. I have had these in the back of my head ever since I received it a few years back.

Sitting on my bookcase in my cupboard was this yarn by my talented friend Lisa of For the Love of Yarn. I think it was on my bookcase because I must have brought it over from my dad’s. I originally had two of these which was part of one of Lisa’s themed clubs (I can’t remember which one, sorry Lisa). I love the bright colours and these will definitely be a pair of socks. If I use mini skeins I might even get two pairs out of them. I am thinking that I could pick out a pattern for them since the colour changes are in large blocks.

The last thing I pulled out of my cupboard is this pack of mini skeins. Unlike the vast majority of my stash these are DK and it works out at 100g. These were a thank you gift from Mothy and the Squid. Again, I can’t for the life of me remember why she sent them. I just remember being so chuffed at her kindness at the time. As well as being just a little bit in love with them. I had a project in mind for them but I have since changed my mind. Any ideas what I could do to highlight the whole pack? This is a set that MUST be used in one project. Oh, and they are 100% merino and therefore super soft.

I’ve been enjoying rediscovering these little treasures. I know that there are many more in there and as I said, I plan to give the stash cupboard a good tidy. I think that once my Brioche faze is done I will have a stash busting challenge (alongside my garment challenge). Just so I can finally knit with these lovely yarns.

Oh, and both Mothy and the Squid and For the Love of Yarn have new club boxes out which are so beautiful and make it very difficult for me to not buy yarn. If you are in the mood to treat yourself I highly recommend that you check them both out.

From the Archives - Zig Zag socks

If they were knitted this year can I really call them from the Archives? I have been good to myself this year. I have knitted myself quite a few pairs of socks. Two of those pairs I did in the end give away (unworn). One to a patient and another to a colleague who happened to mention that she loved knitted socks. This pair I knitted during the summer (I think). I had this beautiful blue yarn by For the Love of Yarn which I actually recieved from the last time I took part in Fibreshare. These days I am all about the solid colours as they can really show off a pattern. I wanted the perfect pattern for this beautiful shade of blue and I thought I had found it. The pattern is called Layers of Lace and can be found in The Little Box of Socks.

It’s a toe up pattern which I don’t normally do. I tend to prefer to knit cuff down. Although I can see the benefits of toe up. My usual method of toe up involves a crochet chain in a larger yarn and picking up the stitches from the yarn. It can then be pulled loose at the end. I decided to use the method in the book as it’s always good to learn new skills. However, I became stuck and I went days with nothing on the pins for quite some time. I even contemplated getting one of my UFO’s out.

The joys of living on my own is that I have no choice but to cook. I cooked before but I have learned to enjoy cooking. I have also learned to use YouTube for some recipes. It was while watching one of these videos that I had an epiphany. Why don’t I search for a tutorial for this method on YouTube. Please do not ask me why it only just occurred to me to do this. However, I did and I found one. The method is called the magic cast on and I was able to do this following a tutorial by Sockmatician. Don’t get me wrong. I had to watch it a few times as I was doing it (mainly because I dropped the stitches a number of times). It’s a little foolery but once I got the hang of it I actually quite liked it.

I did a short row heel and then got to the exciting part, the leg. It was then that I noticed that the pattern wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. Despite the title I had seen what I wanted to see and so was disappointed when I got to the next stage. I always say you should read a pattern through before starting. I always say this and I rarely do it. You would think I would learn by now. So instead of following the pattern I continued the zig zags round the full leg of the sock. I actually quite like the result. I then used a lovely speckled pink yarn (also by For The Love of Yarn) and knitted them from the cuff down. I took some notes and I plan to publish it next year. I might make a few more changes though.