Sock design challenge: An Update

It may all have gone a little quiet but please rest assured that I am beavering away behind the scenes to bring you a snazzy and fun new cable pattern in time for some super-organised gift knitting in November and December.

I have tried to be faithful to the choices of the majority and so we have a cabled sock with a really effective but very simple repeat. We have it as a cuff down version (although you die-hard toe-uppers) could easily modify it and we have a fun alternative heel which might be something you haven't tried before.

The pattern will also include directions for a regular heel flap and gusset in case your nerves fail you at the last minute or in case you are up against a gift deadline and just want to power on through with your tried and tested method.

The pattern testing will be underway very shortly and my cunning plan is to release the pattern in early November.

Before that though, I will need to find a name for this design and so it seems only fitting that I turn to you for the final vote on this. I am putting together the shortlist and then I'll be asking you to vote once more for your favourite.


Back soon

xx

Sock Design Challenge: Work begins

Thank you all so much for your votes and participation over the last month. It's been really great to get so much feedback and I'm very much hoping that I can take all that valuable feedback and use it to create a sock pattern that you will really like and that you will want to knit.

I've cleared the needles, browsed my stitch dictionaries and chosen the yarn. So, this afternoon I sit down with a pencil and chart paper to get cracking.

Mmmmmmm....cables....my favourite :)

Back soon
xx

A Purl Alpaca Day

I just thought I would share with you a few photos taken on my recent visit to the wonderful Purl Alpaca ladies at Burwash Manor. I treated myself to a workshop day there and had such a fabulous time I have been on a little alapca-induced high for the rest of the week.

 

I loved that there was the opportunity to try on such a range of garments, designed by the very talented Kari-Helen and of course, there was the full range of alpaca yarn to browse too. We each chose a different kit and it was great to see what the others chose to work on.

We were a small group of six knitters, plus of course Kari-Helen and Tracey and it was lovely to just sit and knit amongst like-minded souls. Tracey is very knowledgable about her animals and clearly very passionate about her work. We learnt all about the processing of the fleece as well as about the animals themselves and we got the opportunity to get up close to them too. It turns out that alpaca love apples so we all enjoyed ourselves immensely, spending a little time with the 'ladies' of the herd. They are such gentle and captivating creatures, I think we were all a little in love with them by the end of the visit.

 

 

The workshop offered a rare chance to take time out from my normally busy day, to sit and knit and make a start on what I'm sure is going to become my favourite winter garment - the Isis Tailcoat. We chatted so much that before I knew where I was I was joining my second ball of yarn and since coming home, I have had to force myself to put down that delicious alpaca and work on other more time-pressing projects.

Fab yarn, great company and delicious food (Kari-Helen is an amazing cook as well as a talented designer) made for a wonderfully relaxing day.

If ever you get a chance to attend one of their workshop days I can highly recommend it.

 

 

Sock design challenge: Week 4

So, it looks as though you would like a little bit more adventure in the heel department. The 'something different' option won by quite a margin.

We are looking at a unisex sock with a simple, easy to memorise cable repeat and something a little out of the ordinary for the heel. It's a good job I have been doing my homework and have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I have left the most difficult question until last.

Most of my designs I like to offer in both toe-up and cuff down formats but due to the time constraints of this project only one option will be on offer.

So, over to you...

1. Toe-up

2. Cuff down.

Leave a comment below or head on over to the Ravelry group to cast your vote.

Sock design challenge: Week 3

Ooops...

A technical hitch meant that this didn't go out on Monday as expected.

We are on to Week 3 and having determined that you fancy working on a simple cable repeat we are now thinking about heel options.

Would you prefer:

1. Standard heel flap and gusset

2. Short row heel

3. Something different that you might not have tried before

Leave a comment here on over on the ravelry group to have your say.

x

Sock design challenge: Week 2

Just an idea - not giving anything away here :)

The winner of last weeks vote was Cables by quite a margin so I'm guessing that you are up for a bit of workout with these socks.

The next question then is to try and determine how adventurous you are feeling:

Do you prefer your cables:
1. Simple, with a nice, easy to memorise pattern repeat

2. Complex - hit me with the charts - I want a challenge

3. A mixture - a more complex panel with simpler background.

You have until September 15th to decide.

Please either vote here by leaving a comment or over on the Ravelry thread here.

Thank you
x

New month, new projects

There is something very special about this time of year. With just a nip of coolness in the morning air and mists on the fields there is a sense of seasons turning and autumn just around the corner. Time to get the chimney swept and winter logs ordered. Time for the kids to go back to school and fresh starts everywhere.

Since the start of this year I have been trying, in an effort to curb my constant cast-on enthusiasm, to limit the number of monthly projects I have. Making a concerted effort to finish that month's projects before starting the next. And should I find myself with bare needles (horror!) I can work on my Sock blankie or Mitered Crosses Blanket.

There is something very satisfying about lining up all my intended projects for the month. Although it seems that in September I will be mostly knitting Green Things. Not all of them will come to fruition but there is a great sense of anticipation as Sep 1st comes around and I can Cast On.

Clockwise from top we have:
West Yorkshire Spinners 4ply sock yarn - not quite sure yet but probably socks for DH
Rico Design Essentials soft aran - a baby blanket in my Where I Live series
Debbie Bliss Rialto DK - a Lush cardigan for my niece
Juno Fibre Arts Buffy Toughie sock yarn - a new cabled sock design.

If anyone wants me, I'll be in my favourite chair...

Sock Design Challenge: Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of my Sock Design Challenge.

Once a week for four weeks I'll be posting a question about an element of sock design for you to vote on.

At the end of the month I will use your answers to come up with a unique sock design - hopefully one which will be ideal for gift giving - enabling us to have a knit-a-long and produce a fabulous sock gift for someone in the run up to Christmas.

Once we get going we can use the hashtag: #sockdc2014 to keep track of our sockie goings-on on various social media platforms and I dare say there may be the odd prize or two for those who fancy joining in.

You can either vote in my Ravelry group: HERE

Or you can leave a comment below giving your answer as either 1 or 2.

So, for Week 1 a nice easy question...

Would you prefer the main design element of the sock to feature


1. Lace

2. Cables


I'll post the next question on September 7th, so you have a week to ponder.

xx

FO Friday: Socks and more socks

This week my FOs are all about socks it would seem.

 

A combination of a family holiday (we visited the Lake District and had a lovely time - thank you) and school holidays has meant a lot of busy days and brain-frying activity. Some days I didn't manage to knit a single stitch - and my DH rapidly realised that a 'mummy-day' was needed in order to preserve my sanity. 

 

 

The saintly man occupied the boys singlehandedly in wet woodland for over 6 hrs whilst I climbed my first solo Wainwright peak - Whin Rigg - and then spent a happy few hours by myself in front of a log fire, happily sock knitting.

(For the record, the males of the family erected a tarp for shelter, made hot soup and noodles on the camping stove, ate marshmallows and made a bow and arrow set)

 

Thankfully, before we went away I found my long-lost project bag and my one-and-a-half socks in the Golden Skein yarn  - from Desert Vista Dyeworks.

 

I opted for an afterthought heel (using this tutorial) in order to preserve the stripes and I love the way they turned out.

 

In addition I also packed a skein of The Knitting Goddess yarn in Ducks Ditty - a fabulously cheery colourway which was instantly claimed by my DS1. Indeed, so smitten was he with the yarn that he took to sleeping with it under his pillow at night hoping that the tooth fairy's sister would work her magic and leave him with a lovely pair of toe-up, mid-calf socks.

The sock knitting fairy took slightly longer to produce the socks than he would like, but she got there in the end.

Stash Dash - the final tally

This year was the first time I have partcipated in the venerable instituition known as the Stash Dash. Hosted by the KnitGirllls and promoted by many knitting podcasters - I heard about it via The Knitmore Girls - the aims are simple, straightforward and fun.

 

The goal is to knit 5 km of yarn from your stash. That's it. Simple.

 

No quibbles about what counts as stash or how long it has to have been there. "If it's in your house it counts as stash".

 

Projects which have been started before the challenge begins can count, spinning can count, knitting something which has been previously frogged counts, knitting part of a modular item (eg blanket squares). In short, anything that you have knitted on during the challenge period counts. Weavers, crocheters....anything goes.

 

Given my day job, designing and Pinterest addicition I knew I would be unlikely to achieve the goal, and indeed I didn't disappoint, but I had real fun trying and I did surprise myself with how much I did manage to knit over 400m during the 6-week challenge. Who knew I had that much knitting time? And more, to the point, just think how much more I could achieve if I stopped Pinning quite so much :)

 

Project	Yardage	To go
Velvet Rose	480m	4520m
Wye	330m	4120
Peasy	873m	3317
Kittie blanket	680m	2637
Honey Cowl	337m	2300
Autumn Crocus	486m	1814
Fairy Snowcap	112m	1702
Lush	790m	892

 

Autumn Crocus

Following on from the excitement of last weeks SKA Sockdown voting (and thank you all very much for your votes and support) I am pleased to announce this week the launch of my first shawl design.

 

Autumn Crocus is a fun and relaxing knit with lots of stocking stitch interspersed with panels of lace and garter stitch to add interest and texture.

 

 

 

The shawl came about through a Craft-a-Long hosted by Chrissie of the Stitched-Together podcast. Called 'Where I Live' the idea was to work on a project that in some way reminded you of, or was inspired by the area you live in. Living in Saffron Walden, one thing which immediately sprang to mind was crocuses. Many years ago, as a bustling medieval market town, Saffron Walden was named for it's brisk trade in Saffron and the fields surrounding the village were reportedly a blaze of colour as crocuses were grown all around.

 

Not much is grown here today - although some still is - but the emblem of a crocus appears on many old buildings and official signs in the area.

 

When I received my wonderful Golden Skein package last quarter and this yarn from Sparkleduck fell into my lap I knew it was a match made in heaven. A new yarn base - Nimbus (a blend of merino, yak and silk) and the luscious colour (Plumbleberry Compote) spoke to me of rich autumn tones, blackberries and yes, crocuses.

 

And so, the Autumn Crocus shawl came about and I enjoyed the process so much I am planning a small collection based on 'Where I Live'. Once I started looking around me I realised there is beauty and inspiration in even the most mundane objects and have been having fun translating these into knitting ideas. The Maze as a blanket pattern, pargetting on buildings as a textured sock - the possibilities are endless.

SKA Sockdown Update

In a change to the recent post, I have now been reclassified as a New Designer in the SKA Sockdown 8 voting thread which is good news.

The less good news is that if you have voted for me I'm afraid you need to vote again.

The link to the new thread is here

Thank you very much in advance for your support
x

SKA Sockdown voting

I was very excited to discover that I have been included in the Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) Sockdown 8 voting - to determine which sock designers are featured in their next round of challenges. The group on Ravelry is a large one with over 18,000 members and is a hive of sock knitting activity.

There is a slight problem however in that I have been included by mistake in the 'previously featured' designer group and therefore I am up against serious competition from very well established names.

If you have ever knitted one of my designs or if you like my work I would be really thrilled if you could take the time to vote and include me as one of your 11 choices.

You can vote here.

Thank you
xx

FO Friday: Sty Head Tarn socks

I'm very pleased to be able to whizz by this morning and show off my latest pattern.

The Sty Head Tarn socks were inspired by one of our favourite picnic spots when we are holidaying in the English Lake District. We have been there in snow, ice, sun and gales. Each time it is beautiful in a different way.

As with many of my patterns this can be worked toe-up up or cuff down - go on - I dare you to try a different way this time!

I am also experimenting with a different pricing structure on my Ravelry shop. Add any 4 of my patterns to your cart and receive an automatic 20% discount.

As the temperature reaches 32 F here, what better way to celebrate than with woolly socks.

Thoughts on Baby Knitting

When it comes to baby knits I have a few essential criteria that have served me well in the past. I tend to knit items in advance and keep them ready for the inevitable 'surprise baby' from a co-workers spouse or when several new arrivals happen within weeks of each other.

I like to keep a well stocked baby box with enough choice so that I can match item to recipient, rather than gifting a handwash-only item to a dear friend who I know can shrink laundry just by looking at it.

I do knit the occasional girly cardigan on impulse such as Autumn Leaves if I have suitable yarn but mostly I tend to favour unisex knits in fairly neutral colours to maximise gift-giving potential. Otherwise it is bound to happen that there will be 4 baby boys born in a row and all I have in the gift box is a pastel pink Liesl.

One of the reasons that I prefer a plain and simple knit like my Fuss Free Baby cardigan is that it is endlessly adaptable. Short or long sleeves, plain or striped, frugal stashbuster or blow-the-budget cashmere it can be adapted to suit any requirements.

I tend to have several in the gift box in neutral colours and then when the gender is known I can add some cute and funky buttons. Gender stereotypes can be a social minefield but I do love adding pretty flower buttons to a plain cardigan for a girl, not least because (with having two boys) my opportunities for girly knitting are strictly limited.

For added ease and adaptability I knit both button bands plain and then, using small buttons (knitting police - look away now) sew them onto the appropriate side and then just poke them through the band on the other side to create little buttonholes. I'm sure the local WI would faint at the thought but I don't imagine that the baby or sleep-deprived mother for that matter would give it a second thought.

I have never been clear on which side buttons go for a boy or a girl and I'm not sure that it matters anymore but for the record the buttons for a girl traditionally go on the right of the garment.

Knitting and Minimalism: Part Two

So, last week I was all fired up with enthusiasm for some selective pruning of my stash and I happily set about reviewing my yarn stash (yes, all of it) and ensuring that it met one of 3 criteria:
a) beautiful
b) useful
c) intended for a purpose

So, how did I do?

Well, I'm pleased to report that my stash has now shrunk in size from 4 large storage crates and an under-bed drawer to 2.5 crates and the aftermentioned drawer. The latter holds my prized sock yarn and whilst none of it will be leaving my possession anytime soon it does need a tidy up and organisation - so that is my job for this week.

Overall I have sent 2 larger carrier bags to the charity shop and the kids play club - mainly acrylic and leftover skeins or part skeins from projects. It really helped to think of yarn in terms of 'Is this something I will enjoy using?' when deciding which category it fell into.

For some reason I had accummulated quite an array of aran weight yarn in shades of brown and grey. Not the most inspiring thing to look at - I must have been having a throwback to my 1970s childhood at some point. So, out it goes - and my stash is a happier, brighter place for it.

The yarn pictured is my 'good' unwanted yarn and so this is waiting to be photographed (if it isn't already) and listed on my Ravelry destash page.

I am undecided but I'm thinking that I might offer it up to anyone willing to make a contribution to my Just Giving fundraising page in aid of Bliss. I would have to make this available to UK people only, regretably, due to postage charges but I'm thinking that it would be a good way to put my unwanted stash to good use and raise some money into the bargain.

Next up, the book collection as my bookcase is officially FULL.

FO Friday: Honey Cowl

You may have already seen photos of my latest FO but I am so pleased with it that I just wanted to share it again. It is too hot to wear it at the moment so I am keeping it as a pet and stroking it instead.

The pattern is the wonderful Honey Cowl - over 16,000 Ravelers can't be wrong - and it is teamed with a delicious yarn from Ginger Twist Studios - Sturdy Splendour. The yarn came from the most recent quarter from the Golden Skein and to say I was thrilled with it would be an understatement.

Even though it is labelled as a 4ply it is a very rounded, plump yarn which knits up more like a sport weight or light DK - making it perfect for this cowl pattern.

I cast on 200st and knit until it was approx 8" deep - giving me a cowl that I can wrap once around for a snug fit or leave loose and drapey. Absolutely perfect and just what I wanted. I won't wish away the hot summer days (we get so few of them) but my little knitterly heart secretly can't wait for autumn when I can proudly whip this little beauty from the drawer and wear it with joy!

WIP: Sock Yarn Blankie

Just a quick update on my Sock Yarn blankie which is rumbling on quietly in the background.

Sometimes I don't pick it up for a few day or even a week, but that's fine.

It's always there and it's quite nice to greet it as an old friend and work on it for some peaceful, quiet knitting when I'm need of something calm.

I love looking at the blocks of colour and seeing how they play against each other - I am easily amused, clearly :)

Knitting and the art of minimalism

I have really enjoyed taking part in the Project 333 challenge and after a month I am starting to see the benefits of simplifying my wardrobe. My morning routine is simpler and calmer with less clutter and fewer choices - and I can pull something out of the wardrobe without releasing an avalanche.

In the interests of decluttering, my mind has turned naturally enough, to my other potential avalanche risk - The Stash.

Like any self respecting knitter I am keeper of a goodly sized stash, but, is it too much, I wonder? Does my stash help my knitting life and imbue me with a sense of calm and satisfaction that I am ready for any knitting challenge or does it threaten to overwhelm me and complicate my knitting life. Hands up that woman (me) who had to buy an extra skein of yarn to finish a project, only to find the missing skein months later in a box of 'deep stash'.

I have no desire to cull the stash severely or to impose any sort of frugal 'cold-sheeping' existance - the idea is just to review it (all of it) and to see what serves a purpose, and what does not.

Employing William Morris' principle of "Keep only what you know to be useful or believe to the beautiful" I will be categorising my yarn into the following groups:

Beautiful Yarns
This doesn't have to have a purpose. It is just beautiful, and lifts my heart when I look at it. It is my source of inspiration, of comfort and of joy. I am lucky enough to have some beautiful sock yarn and laceweight yarn in my stash which is lovingly hand-dyed and a source of pure joy.

Yarns with a purpose
Yarns for which I have a definite project in mind. It doesn't matter when I intend to actually make it, but I must have a defined use for it (and linking it to my Ravelry queue wouldn't hurt either)

Useful Yarns
This includes baby yarns (although I must have enough to make an actual garment) and superwash dk/aran suitable for hats and gift giving (ditto regarding the amounts though). I know for a fact that I have many part-skeins in this category which I have saved for some unspecified time in the future.

Everything else
If a yarn doesn't fall into either of these 3 categories then it will end up here and will be destined to leave my house in some form or another (charity shop, gifting, de-stashing etc)

I don't have a huge amount of free time this week so every day I'll take one of my storage crates - I have 4 and work through it, applying these principles.

Next week, I'll let you know how I got on. And if you don't hear from me, I'll be buried under a yarn avalanche somewhere :) 

The wheel came off

In cycling terms, my Tour came to a grinding halt when my almost finished Kam Chu sock met two very enthusiastic kittens.

Yes, it was entirely my own fault

Yes, I had left it lying in plain view of two playful, inquistive balls of fluff, but still, it didn't stop me being a little less than pleased to come home and find this:

 

 Attempts at painful sock reconstruction were unsuccesful and despite some marathon knitting I didn't complete the project in time. I can still continue with the Tour in other stages but to be honest this one rather knocked the stuffing out of me and although I have attempted the 3rd Stage - with Roll the Bones - my heart wasn't in it. And my tension was way too tight - I wonder why!

They are lovely socks though and I will definitely return to them at a later date.

For now, I did the only sensible thing and cast on for some plain vanilla socks in delicious, good-enough-to-eat yarn from Desert Vista Dyeworks - the latest offering from the Golden Skein. The colours remind me of blackberry crumble and custard - just as soothing as a vanilla sock when one is in need of comfort.