Next Step Sock Knit-a-long

Toe-up, two-at-a-time Twisted Basket socks

This is where I am at!  I have grafted (worked hard!) for the past few days, after seeing every ones progress on the instagram feed and feeling guilty about my lack of socks to show.

These are painfully slow in my mind....I have loved learning the method, but the combination of thin yarn and small needles has got me bored beyond.....and I need some crochet in my life! I have a few more centimetres of pattern left and then a small amount of ribbing.....YAWN!

I saw Joanne from Rose and Dahlia's socks still on needles, but also on her feet, and after reading how hard she found it, stupidly, I thought I'd try mine on too......how stubborn am I that it was a serious struggle and I began to wonder if my circulars were going to snap, but I still carried on....remind me not to do it again!

(I have to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised, when I had finally shoehorned the socks avec needles on, how very comfy and fitted they were...HOOORAAY!)

I am linking up with Crafts from the Cwtch for this post as part of the Next Step Sock Knit-a-long

Year of projects - 10.02.13

This is the first Year of Projects update, I've done in a while....I'm not sure where the weeks are going, but it always seems to be a Monday or a Tuesday....see proving my point its Monday today!

I've been keeping myself ticking over with a few things itching to be done but still more languishing in their project bags.

The first is a small baby blanket for a little boy born just before Christmas....easy make, using singles, half -doubles, doubles and trebles in no particular order.

The second thing which is currently on the needles is a second scarf for the hubby.....would you believe it, but since I finished the first one a few weeks ago, it does not come off, it goes on his bedside table at night time, and then gets put back on first thing the next morning.  We do live in a cold house, but I call that a massive success......this occurring to a man who has always treated my knitting and crochet as something to smirk about.

This scarf is pushing the boat out with a small, 'not-too-shouty' blue stripe.  Its made in two colourways of Kingcole Riot.

As I am sitting here typing this, I have just looked up and seen a male Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeder outside the window...I know very little about birds, but I do know him, as he's far more exotic looking than the others that visit  (its very misty outside...either that or my windows are particularly dirty, you decide!) they are particularly shy and when they see movement they are away...so taking photos is a covert matter.

 

Right.....ought to go walk dog and kids....half-term hols.....lots of things to do!

Looking forward to catching up with all my fellow yop-pers sometime tonight!

Stocki's Beautiful Bloggers' Blanket

Thought I'd show you the squares I am about to send (I know Jill, I am cutting it fine!) for the Beautiful Bloggers' Blanket for 2013.  Do you remember last year's blanket?  It was stunning, loads of colourful cotton crocheted squares, lovingly and painstakingly sewn together and offered as a prize to the lucky blogger picked from the hat.  As you well know, blankets really make me tick....and this one...made by so many different hands, is really special.

Anyway, although time is short, there is still time to join in and be in with a chance of winning this year's blanket.  Pop on over to Stocki, read all about it, and get crocheting.

My first square is called Impossible Hexagon, made in four different colours of Sirdar Sublime cotton.

The second square is called Alter Ego, again using the same sirdar cotton.

The third square has the same designer as the square above, this one is called 'On the huh'.  I did really enjoy doing this one, I thought the pattern was really clever.....something a little different.

The last square was just crocheted as I went.  This was made in some beautiful variegated cotton, Katia Samba that I bought from Stocki's new etsy shop.....you should check it out, she has some gorgeous handmade things, worth bearing in mind if you have a special gift to buy.

Anyway.....why not get your crochet hook out, find yourself some cotton.....and join in the fun!

Next Step Sock Knitalong wk2

Well, my sample socks as you can see, have been done and dusted.....

I flicked through all the patterns in the book, and was immediately drawn to some beautiful cabled socks....then I checked back with reality and chose some more simple ones, which the book referred to as being good for a beginner....yep, that's me!

I bought some regia yarn on line and being rather click happy, clicked on 'buy it' before I checked the colour box....oooops......this was maybe not my first choice, but hey ho, its sure to brighten someones day!

On the advice of Sarah, I knitted a swatch (I know it would seem I mean business!) and then ploughed on in (not being totally sure I had understood right!!)

I am a little further along than these photos that I took this morning, but light has totally gone now, so just imagine them about 0.5mm longer (I now think socks should always be made in chunky yarns)

This has been (so far) a great leaning experience and I am wondering to what new ways I can put these exciting skills, I've been wandering about toe-up-ten-at-a-time socks.....therefore kitting out the entire family in one go......

(I may sound slightly insane, but this is  because after 2 months of conversations with the delightful British Telecom, no phones, new numbers, no broadband, long conversations to foreign lands, lost numbers, they have finally set us up with a new working line and broadband.........in the meantime, they have cut off my in-laws phone.......I have spent well over an hour this evening trying to explain this to numerous people and have listened to 'The Four Seasons' more than you can imagine......)

Anyway, if you want to catch up with all the other sock knitters, pop on over to Sarah at Crafts from the Cwtch......I'm sure you'll see far more sock than you are seeing here!

Thankyou for all your lovely comments last week....wow, you really are a lovely lot!

Next Step Sock Knitalong

When I drew up my list of projects for this years Year of Projects Blog-a-long, I decided to include some knitted socks.  I bought myself the book Toe-up 2-at-a-time Socks after reading Marie from Underground Crafter's review last year and then put it to one side until the mood struck.

I was enthusiastic to join in Sarah's, Crafts from the Cwtch knitalong, as I had previously made two beautiful Veera shawls with the support of fellow knit-a-long-ers, so when socks were on the agenda, I knew that it was meant to be.

I've started on the sample socks in this book, having never knitted socks before, I wanted to make two at a time...... as I am lazy like that.

I cast on and after getting my head around moving the circulars back and forth, it seemed alright.  I turned my first heel and thought....not so bad.....put the knitting down, picked it up tonight and have turned the second heel, but with a mistake....gggrrrrrr!  Thank goodness these are only sample socks.

I have knit these on 4mm needles on Sirdar Crofter Chunky (I have used the same yarn for both balls and just tried to keep a mental note of which sock is which)

I plan to finish these off quickly now as they are only samples and get on with something wearable!

If you would like to see the patterns and progress of all the other knit-a-long-ers, then check out Crafts from the Cwtch link-up.

Year of projects 13.01.13

I've probably said it before, but boy did that week whoosh by!

The boys have all returned to school and my day is a little more orderly now that littlest has started full-time. This means though that there is quite a lot less in-car crochet.....more time to be at home (cleaning uuggghhh!) and hopefully more time to be a little more....organised.

Well, somewhere in all the orderliness ;-)  I managed to finish off hubby's scarf. It is just a simple knit two, purl two rib made in Kingcole Riot DK.

Fairly plain.....very manly (as someone rightly pointed out last week!) ....will it be worn?  We will see.....

There has been little other crafting this week, it has mainly been cleaning, our new house is a big project!

I have turned my attention to Stocki's beautiful bloggers' blanket for 2013.  It requires crochet squares, any design, any colour, just made from cotton.  So here I am thinking I am organised with my library book full of ideas, until I realise that the writer of said book writes in a crochet language I don't understand.  Backup plan....ravelry, where I found this lovely pattern.

So there is my first of four squares.....please check out Stocki's crochet blanket, last year's blanket was absolutely stunning....go on, get involved!  Be a  part of such a fantastic effort.

Well, it's a good thing this meeting isn't in person, as I have been suffering with the lurgy and have spent the day feeling sorry for myself, surrounded by tissues, blankets and more tissues.  I don't 'do' having a cold and one day of it, is quite enough!

Hope that you have all had good crafting weeks....I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone over the next few days.  Thank you, as always, for your lovely comments...any advice on keeping one's head whilst continuously cleaning, gratefully received!

Year of projects - 06.01.13

It has been a while since I did a YOP update, so here I am, a little behind schedule, but here never the less.

This was the blanket I was hurriedly finishing so I could wrap and send for my sister for Christmas..you'll be glad to hear it was done on time and was well received ;-)  The pattern was simple, and I used doubled-up chunky weight yarn and a silver cotton thread also....the effect was a subtle twinkle.

This is my 'in the middle of' project.  A very unlikely event happened just before Christmas...I heard my husband utter the most magical words

'can you make me a scarf?'

No longer were the words uttered, but the casting on began.  I knitted non-stop until I had finished the ball only to find it was a little on the short side.....so another ball went on order which arrived yesterday and knitting has resumed.....I am certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to make something requested!  Especially when the request comes from somebody who is not always particularly interested in the things I make!

This will be done in the next day or so, and then I think the socks on my list may be calling.  I am set to go, book at the ready.....

This afternoon, we took a walk to the beach which is closest now to our new house.  This beach is just a field away, a surfers beach, a little precarious to get down to....the beach that I may attempt to go to each day and take a dip in the sea when the weather becomes a little more conducive!  We'll see!

Really looking forward to catching up on all I've missed since November....have a happy crafting week.x