Once upon a sock – March 2018

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant hapus Pawb!

Happy St Davids Day everyone!

So I left you with teasing glimpses of a new KAL on Tuesday. And here it is! Not that long to wait was it?

I came across this KAL by chance, I’m very glad I did. A Knit Along for socks? Where do I sign, I thought? I’ll give you a moment to adequately imagine my glee..

Much like the SAL updates, these lovely ladies post on the first Thursday of the month with their latest sock makes. Everyone is making something different, meaning there is lots of lovely variety.

Hang on a sec, let me make sure I get everybody..

• Stefanie at Wooly Cakes and Wooden Spoons
• Katherine from Fiber and Sustenance 
• Paula from Spin a Yarn
• Kat from Felinity Knits
• Kathy B at Compassionknit
• Liz at Knitting from the hip

As usual, you’re advised to go and wonder at the projects on display, and let someone know if you’d like to join in. I might be wrong, but I suspect that knitting socks is always better with company, even if its internet company.

Anyway, I start my first one with a finish! A tad backwards I’ll grant you, but that’s just how it’s ended up.

Some of you will already have seen these guys on their way to becoming whole, but feast your eyes some more.

My second pair, and I’ve not lost any of my lust for the making of them.  I decided to do these at the same time. Not to get over the dreaded second sock syndrome, but so that I could practice the tricky bits of them at the same time. Repetition is definitely a factor for me, and being able to do two heel turns etc at the same time was a bonus. No waiting to knit a whole other sock before I tackled Kitchener again. It also felt like I was doing one lot of work, but getting two socks out of it. Is that weird? I know it’s just my imagination, but it seems to work for me so I’m running with it.

 

Oh the yarn! I nearly forgot the important bit. Drops Fabel, which came handily in two 50g balls for easier use while doing two. I love how vibrant these colours are. I’m also slightly obsessed with blue and orange together currently. They fit the bill quite nicely. You’ll see from the pictures that one went slightly awol in the middle of the leg, but returned tidily back at the orange. What a rebel. I think at first, I was slightly horrified, but I quite like it now. A bit of variety without even having to engineer it. They’ll do nicely.

 

So what next you ask? Of course, I’ve already decided on my next pair, but have held off on casting on until time is on my side.

I’ve decided to give this a go. Himself very kindly gave me some for Christmas, and I was rooting around trying to decide what next when these called to me. I wanted a relatively inexpensive yarn while I’m still practicing. I’ve also been wanting to try it out for a while, so perfect opportunity. I am sorry to say that I’m planning on going for a plain sock again. Yes practice, but I’ve found my first pair are getting slightly slack with wash and wear. I want to try these with less stitches to make them snugger. I’ll give it a go. Once I’ve found my magic cast on number, I can look at doing fancy cables and using delicious expensive merino. For now, I need to get the basics right.

Hopefully I can progress my skills with this KAL. Goals include getting rid of the hole in my gusset (again, I wish this didn’t sound so rude..), mastering Kitchener once and for all, and eventually, just maybe, doing some colour work. I’m always happy to lap up any advice. Please tell me everything and anything you know. It’ll all help.

 

Anyway, enough socking for now. Next update is on the 5th of April. For now, enjoy your St Davids Day, snow and most importantly the crafting.

Much love xx