Sock knitting and stash diving

This month, the Everyday Knitter Facebook group is all about stash diving. Even those of us with slightly more modest stashes than my own yarn mountain have a few precious skeins. You know the ones. The ones we keep squirreled away in case of dire knitting emergencies. The ones that we bring out to pet every now and again, to sniff, to ruminate over it's endless possibilities -  and then we tuck it back neatly away out of sight.

So, this month we are celebrating the joy of untapped potential hidden in our stash. Pick a glorious skein of yarn and show it off. Pair it with a beautiful pattern and you're all set. For extra brownie points this should be an item for yourself. I refuse to use the term selfish knitting when discussing knitting for oneself. Instead I prefer to use the word indulgent. Our crafting time is precious and it's only right that we should enjoy it. What could be better than working on something you love, in yarn you love and knowing that you'll get great pleasure in wearing or using the finished object as well.

Sounds like a win, win to me.

Not just pretty nails

To the casual observer this is just a pretty shot of some yarn and a frivolous and fun manicure, but to me it's so much more. To me it represents everything I love about our wonderful and warm online community.

The Jamberry nails were bought from an online friend - Natasha (@coxabey on IG) who I've never met (yet) in real life but we share a love of yarn, fibre and funky nails. The bag was bought from another friend - Gem of Little Grey Girl - who I got to know online and then in real life and who now is a partner in crime when it comes to yarn shopping and hanging out in hipster bars.

Vykky of West Green Loft Yarns - is a newly discovered indie dyer for me and I've yet to meet her in person but as with so many people in the knitting community I just know that we would get on like the proverbial house on fire. 

We all have a shared love of fibre and crafts and in these peculiar and rather stressful times there is something rather lovely about being able to seek refuge in my little woolly corner of the internet. The online knitting community is a warm and wonderful place and just occasionally I wonder at how my life has changed since I first picked up knitting needles and discovered online knitting forums, and then of course Ravelry when it first started. It's certainly a lot more colourful and a lot more fun and every day I'm grateful for it and the yarny friends I've met there.

BOB Sock - The Foot

Hello and welcome to the 3rd installment of the BOB Sock KAL.

You will be pleased to hear that it's a nice, easy one this week. All the hard work of the heel is behind us now and it's plain sailing towards the toe.

So, on needle 1 you are just continuing in the pattern as you were before, whether that's the panel of twisted rib stitches at either side of the foot or the garter stitch panels. The stitches on needle 2 are just knit plain.

Keep knitting until the length of the sock (from the back of the heel) is 2.5" short of your total foot length. Or, if you want to try it on and measure it that way, the slight stretched sock should just reach to the base of your big toe.

Next week we will work the rounded toe and finish with a triumphal non-Kitchener stitch ending!

Whoosh

There are times when the fates align as if by magic. You have the time and space to work on a project. You have a simple project lined up and you have perfect yarn that is fun to work with. And I'm pleased to report that this is one such project. Churning out a shawl in 4 days isn't my usual modus operandi but everything about this project was perfect and exactly summed up the name of the pattern - Knit Me.

Now the eagle eyed among you will note that the Knit Me shawl is knit in stocking stitch with a garter border. Me being me I can't leave things alone so I opted to knit the whole thing in garter stitch. Which of course makes it into the sister version of this shawl - Knit Night. Still that's how I set it up in Ravelry and that's how I'll leave it.

My stash dash goal of 10K has been looking a little bit distant given my recent lack of progress on the WIP front but churning out almost 400m in 4 days has given me renewed optimism. Obviously the secret is to knit nothing else but garter stitch shawls from now until August! Three guesses what folks in my family will be getting for Christmas this year?

BOB Socks - the Heel

BOB Socks: Build on The Basics socks by Louise Tilbrook Designs

The heel uses the wrap and turn method. If this is new to you, then this tutorial is well worth a look. It's a simple method but it might be worth a little practice first just to make sure you get it straight in your mind before attempting the heel. The heel is worked back and forth on needle 2, so work across the 1st 32st on needle 1, ready to start:

K31, W&T, always ensure wrapped st is slipped back to right hand needle, turn work.

P30, W&T

K29, W&T

P28, W&T

Keep going in this fashion - working 1 less st each time (to 1st before the last wrapped st)

The final row is P10, W&T. You will have 10 central sts and 11 wrapped sts on either side. For the 2nd half of the heel you will work back across each of these wrapped sts, wrapping them again.

K10, k 1st wrapped st (pick up wrap and knit it together with that st), wrap next st (this will now be double wrapped) and turn.

P11, p 1st wrapped st (together with its wrap), wrap next st and turn

K12, this will take you to the first double wrapped st, pick up both wraps (from bottom to top) and knit them along with the st, wrap next st and turn

P13, pick up both wraps (from the front, bottom to top) and purl them along with that st, wrap next st and turn.

Cont in this manner, work until 1st double wrapped st, pick up both wraps from front of work (bottom to top) and work with that st, wrap next st and turn.

Continue until all st have been worked and you are ready to commence working in the round again.

Thanking your past self

Some times you just have to stop and give your past self a pat on the back for a job well done. A few days ago I had finished up a bunch of projects and had collected a surprising amount of empty needles. Casting around for something else to work on, none of my long term WIPs was calling to me. I felt restless and in dire need of a fresh new project to work on.

Then by chance, in my WIP basket I came across a brand new project - all shiny and ready to go. I had picked out some beautiful yarn a few weeks ago (from West Green Loft Yarns) and decided to make a Knit Me shawl. I thought it would be the perfect project to take with me to Blogtacular but then I totally forgot to take it with me.

So there it was, the first couple of set up rows already done, and I even had a little marker attached to mark the right side. I could just grab the bag, grab my coffee and go.

It may be a simple thing but it totally made my day.