Rookie error

In an alternative world this sock, given the amount of time I've spent on it should be well past the heel by now. One of the pitfalls of designing of course is that a fair amount of ripping out is required from time to time but this time the errors are entirely of my own making.

The intended design is fairly cable heavy with additional twisted stitches and the design is already charted and good to go. All I had to do was knit it.

The first two attempts went wrong when I mis-crossed cables. Apparently I never learnt that knitting late at night with tired eyes and dim lighting could lead to problems. Third time lucky though and I was well on my way down the cuff. Cables were looking good, the stitch definition looked fantastic. Things were going well. 

But wait. I had cast on my standard 64st and totally forgotten to allow for the fact that cables draw the fabric in and make the resulting sock circumference narrower. A good rule of thumb normally is to add half the number of stitches that you need for each cable. So if you have 2 cables which each involve 6 stitches you would need to add 2x3=6 stitches to keep the final circumference the same.

So it was a case of ripping back again, adding in the correct number of stitches and away we go again. This time...I've definitely got it right...

Mornings like these

Frosty morning in Essex.

Here in my part of the UK we are experiencing an unusual prolonged period of calm, cold, still weather. Each morning waking up to a hard and beautiful frost and the sun slowly rising through the mIst.

Mornings like this are a sheer delight and worth any amount of scraping ice off car windscreens. I'll admit that our mornings are usually far from idyllic. There is more than the usual amount of school uniform related chaos and last minute homework dramas. As we rush out of the door to drive into town there is little time to stop and admire, but these last few mornings have been so beautiful that our usual walk from the town car park to school has been much slower than usual.

Suitably wrapped up snugly (smugly?) in layers of handknits we have taken our time and paused to admire the amazing ice sculptures. Well, I paused and DS2 set about trying to break ice puddles with a stick but he was admiring it in his own special way.

Obviously as a Knitter, mornings like this being their own special joy. Being able to select from a range of beautiful handknit woollen shawls and scarves is a great feeling, as is being able to say casually "Oh, I made it" when a work colleague asks where you bought said shawl. But it also makes me realise that I tend to concentrate my knitting on certain items. Somewhat embarrassingly I don't own a pair of knitted gloves/mitts having lost my last pair and most of the hats I made I gave away to family. Surveying the contents of our "woolly items" basket I can't help thinking that this summer might have to be spent with some dk/worsted yarn making some new woolly items for next winter. 

So if you see me knitting woollen mitts in July, you'll know why. 

Hours in the day

It's not an original thought but it is a true one. We are given the same number of hours every day and it's up to us how we chose to spend those hours. Once the essentials such as sleeping, eating and working are taken care of we, each of us, have time at our disposal.

I chanced upon a conversation in the pub last night where a neighbour was recounting a tale of a house he had visited for work purposes which was, according to him, a mess. He described washing up left undone and a heap of laundry in the kitchen and then to cap it all, the owner of the house was sitting on the sofa - Knitting!

Imagine the horror of it!. His tone of outrage and disbelief was palpable. Why would any self respecting woman be sitting, wasting time knitting when there were clearly domestic duties to be attended to.

Needless to say I found all this very amusing. I didn't try to persuade him otherwise - I know from experience that he is a stubborn and recalcitrant man but I did find it very funny. Especially since I had spent most the afternoon with my feet up with my boys watching films and yes...knitting.

Yes, the kitchen floor could do with a clean, yes there was laundry to be done (although school uniforms were done) but we had a fun, snuggly and knitterly afternoon. It made me happy and recharged in a way that no amount of house cleaning would. I'm sure that the boys will also have enjoyed the afternoon much more than if I had spent it cleaning and putting off their requests to snuggle until an unspecified later time.

And I make no apologies for it. 

February Sock Challenge

Following on from the success of January's Brioche Challenge, February is going to be all about the socks - a subject that pleases me greatly.

Obviously we are all at different stages in our sock journey and so the type of challenge you pick is entirely up to you. As long as it involves socks or sock yarn it totally counts. Some ways that you might participate include (but are not limited to):

• A new type of sock construction for you - toe-up if you're a cuff down devotee
• A new type of heel/toe
• A new technique such as cabling, lace or even (dare I say it) brioche?
• Challenge yourself to use up a long term resident of your sock yarn stash
• Use a new type of yarn in your socks - alpaca maybe?

The choice is yours. There is always the option to 'double dip' and join in with the Ravelry UK Sock Knitters group who have a sock KAL starting shortly. And of course, with spring not quite making its presence felt here in the Northern Hemisphere, February sees the return of last year's seasonal #knityellowsocks project- because whose day isn't cheered up by seeing a pair of sunny yellow socks?

So, in short, grab your needles, chose some yarn and get ready for a sock cast on. There will be lots of links and resources over in the Facebook Everyday Knitter group so hop on over and join us if you haven't already.

A little bit of politics there...

Winter morning in Seatoller, Cumbria

The photo has nothing to do with today's blog post but I was in need of calming thoughts this week and reflecting on my peaceful start to the New Year in Cumbria is always a good way to calm myself.

I'd like to share an anecdote with you prior to this mornings mini rant. A few days ago I posted a link to a newspaper piece about the Pussyhat initiative in the USA and the fact that some yarn shops there had run out of pink yarn.

Lighthearted, humorous and fun - I thought.

I was a little taken aback to receive several comments from readers of my Facebook page asking me to remove the link as it was, and I quote "Too political".

One helpful commenter went on to explain to me that my FB Page should be "All About the Knitting" and that there was no place for politics on the page of a knitter and designer. I followed my usual tried and tested method of dealing with unhelpful advice be it from relatives, readers or health visitors: Smile, Ignore, Repeat (and in the case of online advice - delete).

But the comments continued to niggle me and I couldn't let it go. I also saw others on social media having such comments made on pieces they had shared and it got me thinking.

I am the first to admit that I am pretty single minded (some less kind souls may say obssessed) about my knitting. I won't say that it consumes my every waking thought - but my needles are never far from my person and I frequently dream about knitting (is that just me?). But since when is a knitter only allowed to express an opinion as it relates to knitting.

As knitters we are a diverse bunch.  We are a diverse bunch with diverse opinions on a whole range of topics. Some of us feel passionately about the environment, about parenting, about the Great British Bake Off. It's what makes knitters such a great group of people to hang out with and to interact with, whether it be online or in person.

Now I for one, am thrilled when I see any piece about knitting in the mainstream press that doesn't conform to the usual patronising knitting stereotypes. The tone of this particularly piece was light hearted, funny and talked about the way that a variety of communities had come together over the 'Hat Which Must Not Be Named' project - getting people knitting and talking together who may otherwise have never met. It talked about local yarn stores and the importance they can have in local communities and was pretty well researched as far as I could tell. The link to the article is here - just so you can read it for yourself. 

It was upbeat and it showed knitting (and knitters) in a positive light and I think that is something to be celebrated and shared whatever your beliefs and opinions on politics, climate change or Battenburg cake.

*The title is a reference to the glitter-suited 1980s stand up comedian Ben Elton (now well known author too) who used to finish some of his slightly edgier jokes - it was the Thatcher years - in his set with the words... "a little bit of politics there".

**Since I drafted this article yesterday I listened to Jo Milmine of the Shinybees podcast whose latest episode (104) touches on this very thing - Knitting as more than just craft. It's a fabulous and thought provoking episode and I really recommend you give it a listen.

Thinking ahead

I have to admit that I am really enjoying the process of blogging a little every day. And I'm starting to enjoy my morning ritual of coffee (always coffee) and sitting down to write before the rest of the house wakes up. Just 15 minutes of peace alone with my thoughts  (and coffee) to write about whatever is on my knitty mind is a really great start to the day.

As the end of January approaches I'm not sure whether to keep up with the daily posts or not but I'm also thinking about my next monthly challenge.

I really enjoyed the brioche challenge especially all the camaraderie and friendship over on the Everyday Knitter Facebook group. I'd love to keep the momentum going with a new challenge although there is absolutely no pressure and I'm more than happy for people to pick their own challenge or to continue with the brioche.

I think a sock related challenge could be great fun - lots of people would class themselves as sock beginners and would like to start to build their skills. More experienced sock knitters could challenge themselves with a new technique. Or the stash busters amongst us could challenge themselves to use their oldest skein of sock yarn or join in with the seasonal #knityellowsocks theme that will shortly be starting up again.

For myself I have a new sock class that I am putting together so my challenge would be to finely hone it and work on my sock samples for it. For those keen to know it is a 'knit socks 2 at a time, one inside the other' class. Although I really need to come up with a slicker title than that. 

I'd love to hear what your views are on the next monthly challenge. Please leave a comment here or on the Facebook group and let me know. I'm keen to build a community that supports and challenges its members but I don't want it to be too pushy or stress inducing. We are all at different stages in our knitting journey and I want to be mindful of that.