All Fingers and Thumbs

The "ish" because of the very distinctly unmatching nature of these socks. Not, thankfully, because there is still only one and a bit of them.  Pattern:  My Own Knee Socks - Garter Rib Stitch for the legs Yarn: Regia Kaffe Fasset Design Line - 4350 Needles: 2.75mm DPNs Started: October 23rd 2010 Finished: December 25th 2010 Ravelry page I never make the effort to begin the second sock at the same place in the colour repeat as the first and with a shortage of yarn these weren't the pair to start fussing about that with. I then also decided I'd refine the calf increasing on the second one to see if hiding the increases in the purl troughs of the ribbing was neater than the increases in either knit or purl had been on the first. Answer definitely yes to the knitter's eye but if a non knitter picked it out I'd be amazed. Despite my scrappy notes I think I matched up the shaping nicely, made the heel in the right place, had the right number of stitches for the fo...

from me and a bear in a Christmas Pixie Hat

Two more gifts got finished. This is from about two weekends ago now. They got done mainly because they are CHUNKY. Chunky is definitely the way to go for my gift knitting. Chunky plus accessory = speed. Obvious I know but in previous years my focus on a pair of socks for x, y and z took the idea that small accessory item = speed. Not in 4 ply yarn and a bazillion stitches - one day I tried to count how many stitches in a sock . I wonder how many in a knee sock? Stop! I'm not going there I'm going to the sofa to knit like the wind. As, of the rest of what the list boiled down to: these socks (it's hard to make two of something when your notes are so crumby!),  a big, plumptious Springtime Bandit shawl, two hats and one scarf are started but unfinished and one scarf and an owl are still just wool and dreams. I may be crazy but I think I'm going to get everything finished as most of the gifts are for people I'm seeing between Christmas and New Year. Yay deadline ex...

I'm going as fast as my legs will carry me and yet I'm just so slow at getting to things at the moment. I'm a total bloggy loser, I've hardly visited you peeps in weeks, it feels dusty and neglected here with just a quick fly by now and again. I picked out my winners from my four year post last Sunday and then never got them announced. Still I know you dears will forgive me and four years of blogging have taught me never to do it out of obligation. I always find my way back to the blogosphere eventually because I love this little creation and all of your creations so much that the time is always found.  Thank you so much everyone for your lovely comments and with no further ado the random number generator and I picked the following winners: Winning the spotty heart buttons is Gill, Anita I hope you'd like the blue stripey hearts, Charity it's stitch markers for you and for Bells the round black and white buttons. I think I've made contact with you all to g...

That was the noise of the last week whistling past me!  This time last week I was having a lovely time in Bath. The skies were grey but we had fun in the spa, got our caffeine fix drinking the nicest coffee I've ever had in the UK - trained in Melbourne apparently - thank you Australia. Sightseeing and shopping.  I'm not sure whether you can make them out for all the reflections but this is the amazing All Saints shop window display - masses of Singer sewing machines - stunning.  Though I saved my purchases for another kind of shop . Doesn't it look cosy and welcoming? It certainly is. I'd love to shop here regularly. A gem. I was quite restrained, just another idea for a Christmas gift!

This little creation makes it to four years old tomorrow, I swear it hasn't been a year since last time and four since the first post - amazing! Nothing dramatically changes here now year on year, and that's part of the charm for me. The little ordinary details that get captured. The increased connection with the rhythm and cycles of the year. The space to obsess over things that the average work colleague or even my closest friend just doesn't quite feel the same about. Ceramic buttons - squeal!  I'd definitely say to anyone learning to knit that they should keep a blog about it along the way. (So any new knitter without a blog if you're reading this and fancy it - do it! It's fab.)   It's so easy to forget what it was you didn't know (everything) and take your skills for granted as there still feels like a whole lot of everything you don't know. There have been dramatic changes since those first days, changes that creep up on you.  I'm tickle...

...inside is the perfect antidote .

...inside there are plumptious new leaves. Cosy leaves of wool.

The list I made back in August when I had just ordered the yarn for the Vogue cowl seemed so modest. I thought I'd refined the strategy to perfection last year , ie plan only a realistic number of things and make sure they are patterns that I actually fancy knitting. I got very focused and came up with a one page list of very few hand knits for only those who have made requests or who I think would really like a hand knit gift and was impressed at how ahead of the game I was. Things looked so promising with that first gift ticked off at the start of September. Now with just the cowl and a sock and a bit complete I'm feeling much less smug, it's looking somewhat more daunting and yet I still want to add more to it! I'd say I'm not sure why I do it. I am of course. I do it because I love to knit, I want to give handmade, meaningful gifts and in most cases the best way I can think to do that is with something knitted.  The first year I learnt to knit it was just bef...

When the horror of the tangle pushed me into starting the knee highs I felt I was diving in on something that needed a little more planning.  My auntie requested some knee high socks for her Christmas gift socks back in the spring, so the idea  has been percolating in my mind for a long while but I was holding off until I had some time to work out the details. Then the socks need for planning became less than my need for some calming sock knitting so I thought I'd just get going and adapt as I went along. I wasn't sure of sizing, calf-shaping, heel type, anything in fact bar the yarn and that I wanted to rib the leg so it would have the best chance of fitting - but I knew all the rest could be figured out along the way and it has been. I've been enjoying the lovely Kaffe Fassett colourway. I had some fun playing with the way it echoes the strength of the colours in my anemones. Thanks to Dr K for reminding me that this is the self same yarn Bells used...

Does writing something at the end of your blog post like " More to see of this at the weekend I feel sure." constitute some black magic spell that means you're bound to stuff up your knitting? Hmmm beware is all I can say! Last time I was here I was feeling all confident I'd have most of a beautiful Wollmeise sock to show you and instead (much delayed by the various toings and froings of the real life which do get in the way terribly of knitting and blogging don't they?) here is the tangle that ensued shortly after that post. It's a good job that wool and pattern are so beautiful and meant for each other as this was the second attempt - first time around things were looking good but were coming out too tight - this time too loose so that everything has got tangled up -   in this pic with the pattern you can see what I'm aiming for - cool hey? -  so there will be a third attempt! Not for a while though, I put them aside and reached for a simple socky alte...

Done at last and straight in to action. Socks make great little summer projects but as the weather starts to cool down they really come in to their own. There's nothing quite so satisfying in knitting for me as finishing up and pulling the item in question straight on for some much desired warmth.  Pattern:  Caretta Caretta - Alice Yu for Knit Love Club Yarn: Socks that Rock in the wonderful Thraven Needles: 2.25mm DPNs Started: June 9th 2010 Finished: October 18th 2010 Ravelry page These are a wonderful match of a pattern I love (top down - yay!) and a yarn I'd dreamt about owning until the start of this year . Thank you again Wendy for your generosity and thoughtfulness it makes these beauties all the more beautiful to me. I may never take them off  though I love how they look when I do. The sculptural aspects of the ribs are wonderful. And the colour - oh the gorgeous colour - it's a little more true to life in this last shot. I doubt I'll ever have the...

Oh why, oh why is Socktober flying  away so fast? I'm making glacially slow progress on my beautiful Carettas. They were three quarters done before the month started.  This toe has been tormenting me all week, so close, yet so far, from an actual finished sock. Even when I manage to sit down with it in my hands I'm so tired it gets only a row or two longer. Still I'm hopeful that today even I must be able to finish off these toe decreases. I'd thought I'd be on to the Lorna's Laces next but then last weekend the next club parcel arrived with this in it.  Seriously! I'm so excited to even hold this legendary yarn I think I have to let it queue jump!

A long time in the works mainly because of the idea that I needed to think about the knitting of them here finally are the Spring Shoots. Pattern: Spring Shoots - Alice Yu for Knit Love Club Yarn: Brooklyn Handspun - Soft Strength in club colourway - Persephone Needles: 2.5mm DPNs Started: April 2nd 2010 Finished: September 19th 2010 Ravelry page I wasn't sure I would ever be bothered to knit another sock in this way, it is based on Cat Bordhi's Houdini structure  and I am quite wedded to the cuff down, heel flap construction. I suspect in the main I love my top downers because it is what I learnt first, though there is something very special in the rhythm of the knit. Normally a simple cuff to get you into the feel of the needles and the yarn, then a stretch of leg with pattern if you fancy, then the magic of the heel for a little razzmatazz  and then gusset decreases ahoy you can feel yourself running down hill to the toe. This pattern taught me lots and it is fu...

Did a week go by?  I've been slightly dazed and confused these past days. So out of practice at getting up and that work stuff, sign of a good holiday I guess. Suffice to say, I'm only just finding time to post about my knitting souvenir but as it's seen little action since the end of holiday it's kind of fitting. I'll try and settle back in to that lovely post vacay relaxed vibe I had last weekend and it'll be like the work never got between us. Knitting on our balcony at Rottingdean As with my project choice I'd done my preparation for a little holiday yarn shopping. I knew that Christchurch had a lovely traditional wool shop , Honora Wool Specialists stacked high with a big range of the staple UK yarns. To try and avoid my normal panic when faced with such riches I picked out a pattern in advance that I could hunt down some suitable yarn for. I went for  Short Lucky  as a nice autumn welcoming cosy project, I don't have anything quite like...

Beaches and knitting - can't go too far wrong with a holiday heavy on those two things can you? Avon Beach, Mudeford I took three knits away with me. First up was a project suited to car knitting time: Jonna, a simple ribbed scarf, in more of the scrumptious Cashsoft, in Poppy this time. I started this just before we went away to make sure I had something simple on the go. View across to the Isle of Wight The Spring Shoots socks I took are not really complicated, it's just that the unusual construction means that they require that little bit more thought and attention than car knitting, or indeed post-work knitting time tends to offer. Perfect for peaceful holiday time. Mudeford Spit from Hengistbury Head I also used my holiday peace to start a pattern I knew would need a little thinking about: Summit . I got the chance to buy another skein of the Sunna sock club yarn that I was saving for a scarf, thus the search for a suitable pattern grew to shawl...