Blue Jeans

One thing finished in readiness for Easter. This pattern got better as it went along. I think it shows the lovely colours of what looked like a very blue skein off. Certainly has a look of flowing water.

Pattern: Go with the Flow from Interweave Favourite Socks.

Yarn: Yarn Yard Sock, Blue Jeans

Sock Blockers, part of the Socktopus Sock Club, newly arrived and a much better size than my others.

I am amassing a few bags of yarn, I know I said I was banned but one lot is for himself a jumper. One is for a Hemlock Ring Blanket, I am going to have to stop looking at Ravelry and Blogs. Will it be the Glace or the Juniper?

Jaeger Merino Aran in Juniper. Rooster Aran in Mushroom and Rooster DK in Glace. They were all relative bargains.

You may have gathered that this house has not just a passing connection with Railways, I am saying no more.

Man at the Post Office was intrigued by the Customs declaration that said Sock Blockers!. I left him wondering.

Getting a bit of extra knitting time in as I have 2 unexpected days off work due to a certain visit I made on Tuesday, 1.5 hours in the chair, lovely swollen face.

Still Here

If a little distracted by the usual sock problem.

It all started so well with these.

Yarn Yard Sock Yarn, Blue Jeans .

Pattern: Go with the Flow from Interweave Knits Favourite Socks.

They weren't growing quickly enough, 2.25mm problem!

So I cast on these. Chameleon Colourworks Evolution, Figgy Pudding.

Pattern: Evolution Rib courtesy of Gilraen. 3mm very quick.

Can you tell I got distracted here as well.

A Swell Yarn Duet Middy, sorry can't remember the colour!

Pattern: Yarn Harlots Basic Sock recipe.

2.25mm again, oops.

I really need to get these 3 finished for Good Friday as I have big plans for Easter weekend. The latest Socktopus Sock Club socks, finish That Little Scarf , pattern and yarn poised for Hypotenuse, I seem to remember someone mentioned a Knitalong?? !

AND

I am itching to knit a bit of Lace, please don't give me any more ideas, well maybe one or two perhaps. I have Kiri, Spring Things, another Montego Bay and various others in mind especially if I manage to snaffle some Silk tonight, I'm not going to tell you where from because I need a fighting chance. Although I am confident, if the silk eludes me, that I have a few other yarns that will do.

There's Mitts aswell, think I need a lie down.

Playing catch up

Did you think I'd been doing nothing knitting wise recently, perhaps I've been knitting a jumper?

Wrong.

I think I have to admit that socks are definitely an addiction, one which I appear to have. Despite saying this year was for knitting other, even bigger, things I have already knit 5 pairs two of which were more than one colour. Have to say I prefer a pattern rather than multi coloured knitting.

The first two are Beaded Rib, Toe-up. I have now knit 4 pairs of Toe-up socks from patterns written by Diane and the way they are written make it very easy.

Posh Yarn Helena, colour Crisp. Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop, colour Mustang Sally, this was quite a different yarn to knit with as it is handspun and a first for me but I like how they turned out.

Next Karenina Socks, pattern by Jane, from The Socktopus Sock Club. These are knit in The Knittery Merino which is a bit splitty but still very nice to knit with. Sadly I think they will need more than blocking for them to fit me. This is where tension is important!

Finally, one of my favourite knits to date, Evolution Rib Socks in Black Cherry. The pattern has been devised by Gilraen and works perfectly with the yarn which doesn't have a lot of elasticity. I have another colour in this yarn which will be cast on very soon.

After knitting so many pairs of socks I have experienced most types of DPN's, Boyes, Britanny birch, Knit Picks metal, Clover, Crystal Palace and Inox. Bottom of the list are Inox, I like 5" needles ideally, followed by Knit Picks these manage to provide me with many wounds. My favourite are Lantern Moon Ebony Sox Stix and as luck would have it they are soon to be adding a 2.5mm to their range. The very, very nice lady at Loop is going to let me know when they arrive, that will be a long lunch.

Enjoy our weekend, I'm hoping there's a delivery of Merino today for me to start some Mitts.

Home Made

Inventive, I thought so!

How convenient that my current (well one of) project matched.

Confession time, I know I said I wasn't going to buy anymore but I just had to try Chameleon Colourworks Evolution.

This is Black Cherry and I'm using this very kind ladys pattern.

As you can see its not an easy colour to photograph. Gorgeous colour and very nice yarn.

Gift Bag

Leftovers from the Chevron Scarf

The colours didn't do much for the pattern so the next bags will be plain.

Slight hiccup on the focusing front.

Finally making progress on the first Socktopus Sock Club offering, Karenina by Jane Lithgow.

Then I fancied trying Toe-Up again, glutton for punishment I know.

First Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop in Mustang Sally. Then Posh Yarn Helena in Crisp on my favourite Lantern Moon Ebony Sox Stix.

Both of these are Beaded Rib, this pattern has excellent short row instructions.

Home Strait

Halfway round the Fir Cone Shawl edging. I ended up doing 24 pattern repeats because of the shading on the last ball of the 4 that I had, it was slightly more orange!

Close Up.

For my sins I have now signed up for the Mystery Stole Knitalong. Not sure I'll keep up but if I start I will finish, also not confident the beads will get included.

Toe up socks have passed the heel, I now know I don't like short row heels but once I've conquered the toe start I can use patterns that have proper heel flaps. The holes aren't quite as bad as I have photographed but it was the third attempt and they are for me! Life's too short to try it 4 times on one pair.

Off to book my ticket for Alexandra Palace Knitting and Stitching Show and hopefully Kerrie's knitted flowers class. Anyone else going?

First Attempt

So far so good. Too early to tell whether I like Toe-up best but it will open up a few more patterns. I am using the pattern from Interweave Knits Summer 2007 magazine. The Turkish Cast on is interesting. Yarn is called Twinkle (I think) one of my Posh Yarn Sock Club.

Koigu.............

A yarn that I have bought and only just got round to using, I can see why people rave about it.
This is Broadripple.


Another WIP, the Fir Cone Shawl for Dee's Knitalong. It is 3 pattern repeats and I have now done 8 but think 30 may be necessary! Not knit with 2 ply before. Stitchmarkers are getting some use again.



Look whats just dropped on the mat. Thats true service, ordered on Saturday and here Tuesday as well as being exactly as advertised. Gorgeous.


Licorish Stich Silk 2 ply, Bronzed Pink Sea Cell, Lilac Ice Sea Cell, Summer Sigh BFL Sock.

Plodding on

It takes some concentrating so this isn't often in my bag when travelling. Hopefully it will be finished for Mays quota.

Am also considering joining Dee with a shawl knitalong, my main concern is joining lace.....I only do knots! So any advice would be useful.

Its in the bag

Far too many pictures to bore you with them all in one go so here's the first installment.

My lovely mother, who did chose the Cowl that we all liked, is very handy with a sewing machine. So as I try to declutter this house of crafty bits (wool doesn't come under this banner). I took her some pieces of fabric and requested travelling knitting bags. Look what she produced, perfect for sock projects, that you may have noticed I have a few, they are also lined with the same fabric. They even stand up by themselves and have a loop to hang on desk drawer knobs!! I thought of putting these on eBAY. Good idea?

Coldspring Mill front and back. The brown back doors with the small step are the entrance to Aladdin's cave......more commonly advertised as the wool cellar. Bus 696 or 697 from Bradford Interchange station or Keighley Bus station. It looks so innocent.