Socks!

I got some sock yarn to dye for Bendigo and decided I had better make myself a pair of socks. These really are my first pair of socks and I did them top down, two at a time.

I'd dyed them a nice red/raspberry colour and the yarn was a pleasure to work with.
The make up is - 60%Super Merino/15%Nylon/15%Bamboo/10%Silk. It's super soft and although I had reservations about how the socks would wear at first I am actually enjoying them.

The pattern was nothing complicated an Ann Budd pattern (here on Ravelry) from one of Ann's books that Mum gave me for Christmas.
Very happy, must get back to making some more socks.

Functional Jewellry

I can't take credit for the idea of this little pin cushion, I saw it here, but isn't it cute?

Not the easiest thing to sew, well the hand sewing bit, not my strong point, but I can see me making lots more.
I can see me using them too, just what I need when I'm at the machine pulling pins out,
or simply pinning things together.
Quite comfortable to wear and fits on quite a few fingers.
This one might be finding a new home, but they take such a small amount of material (but such a large amount of stuffing for something so small) that I can see lots more being made. (yeah, ok, I want to see lots more being made but I have a squillion things I'd like to make so maybe I'll save these for when I need some hand sewing to take with me)

Socks in the Blue Mountains

Yesterday a few girls from my Guild Knitting Group (including me) took a trip up the freeway to the Blue Mountains to participate in their Sock Workshop.

It was a really enjoyable day, and even those who were already proficient sock knitters learnt something (a really nice way to cast on and start top down socks).

Lynne had done a lot of work to set up the instructions for every possible method of knitting socks that you can imagine (including on two straight needles), which must have required a mammoth amount of work. And I enjoyed her teaching.

I would have said over 50% of the class had not knit a sock before - some were very new to knitting. So everyone did a great job to produce something, even if we didn't get it all finished.

Some photos...
(we were knitting a baby sock in 8ply, by which ever method took your fancy - dpns, magic loop, 2 circulars or if you were brave 2 straight needles) This is the wool/acrylic blend that Mel was knitting into a little sock for me. And Kate knitting some Opal.
Gemma powering through her sock.

Helen working on her sock. Some of the ladies on the day working steadily away.


Lynne, our teacher with Kate paying attention.


The beginning of my sock in the dyed 100% wool.

Solving second sock syndrome

A lot of my knitting experience has come via my mother.
She spins, she knits, she crochets,she sews, she patchworks, she cooks yummy cakes and bikkies, she can make just about anything you ever need (erm, I see my addiction to multiple crafts is also inherited as well).

The one thing she has always said is that she doesn't knit socks.
She has knit one sock. Just one. Couldn't do two. Doesn't like knitting socks.

I've carried this with me a fair while.
I have always believed socks are tricky and once you've done one you're not likely to do a second one.

But knitting trends are leaning heavily on socks at the moment, especially with what is coming from the US. People are paying unbelievable amounts of money to buy beautiful yarn to turn it into socks (is $30 for a pair of socks extreme???), dyeing yarn to knit socks is all the rage and attending massive sock summits to fuel their passion.

Surely there is something in it.

So I thought I might give it a go. At least one pair so I can tell whether I like it or not.
But I suffer second sleeve syndrome quite badly, and a sock is just a version of a sleeve sort of.

Then I heard about knitting two socks at once. This had me very interested.
I'm not good at double pointed needles, I get ladder holes and I don't enjoy changing needles all the time. Magic loop isn't really my favourite either, but then I heard about 2 socks on two circular needles. This had my attention.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a lot of information out about it, so I just thought I'd jump in and nut it out... surely it couldn't be that hard.

So here they are... a little pair of socks (people with little feet in this family) from some hand dyed crepe.

They're actually on two circulars and after a rocky start I've really got the hang of it.
I'm up to the heal.

I should mention this is also my first pair of socks, so not only am I doing the two circular thing, I'm also learning about socks on the way. My guide? The Yarn Harlot and her simple sock recipe.

Can't wait until they're finished.