Socktober Tips #1: It's all about the yarn

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Of all the countless articles and endless advice written about sock knitting I feel that the one thing which should be top of the list, rarely is.

What am I talking about? The yarn of course.

You can have the perfect stitch pattern, the perfect needles and create socks that are the perfect fit with amazingly matchy stripes. But none of that matters at all if the yarn isn’t up to the job.

A lot is written about so-called sock yarns - often taken to mean a 4ply or fingering weight yarn which usually (but not always) is a wool blend with up to 25% nylon. This often leads to the assumption that this is the only type of yarn suitable for sock knitting. But in reality it is perfectly possible, desirable even, to knit a sock in 100% natural fibres.

Nylon is added to give strength to a yarn, a job it does admirably. But the same effect can be achieved by adding another fibre such as alpaca or mohair to the blend.

If you want to read more about this and maybe experiment with some nylon free socks for yourself, this article by the Wovember team in conjunction with Sue of Blacker Yarns is a great place to start.

Another crucial factor which is often overlooked is the matter of gauge. People often complain that their socks wear through quickly, especially in high friction areas and may blame the yarn. If this is a problem for you it might be worth switching down a needle size or two. Friction is reduced considerably when the fabric has a tighter weave - the fibres literally have less room to rub against each other - and the resulting sock will be much longer lasting. Knitting socks on 2.5mm needles used to be my default but increasingly I have noticed much better results (and increased longevity of heels/toes) by switching down to 2.25mm needles.

Whilst no one wants a bullet proof sock*, aiming for a slightly denser fabric than you might usually go for could work wonders.

* This reminds me of when, as a sock newbie I decided to knit a DK weight sock on my regular 2.5mm needles. What could possibly go wrong I reasoned - surely you always used ‘sock needles’ to knit socks.

The end result was a pair of booties that quite literally stood up by themselves.

And that’s never a good look.

To sign up to receive these #SocktoberTips as emails, please use this link

Socktober Tips

As October is breathing down our necks already I thought I would do a series of Socktober Tips during the coming month, with some tried and tested tips for levelling up your sock knitting game.

I can't quite promise daily tips but I'm aiming for a few short tips and tricks each week, interspersed with a couple of special offers on some of my sock patterns.

I'll be adding posts to my various social media channels - mainly Twitter and Instagram as well as adding them to the blog as well, but if you want to make sure you don't miss anything please click this link to sign up to a dedicated Socktober Tips newsletter - just for the month of October.

Comfort Blanket KAL 2020

Comfort Blanket KAL 2020

Last year I ran the Comfort Blanket KAL - an 8 week KAL which alternated a recipe and ideas for knitting a mitered square blanket, with tips on self care and mindfulness. It was such a lovely, relaxing KAL and coming together to share progress and inspiration was a really uplifting thing to be part of.

As we head into the final quarter of 2020, it’s been a wild ride and the year isn’t done with us yet. I find myself craving comfort even more than ever. And so I have decided to rerun the KAL again this year.

Instead of a dedicated Facebook group for the KAL I’ll be hosting the community aspect of it within the Everyday Knitter Mighty Network community as a private group.

Those who purchase and sign up to the KAL will receive an invitation to join at the bottom of their Introductory PDF. Joining isn’t essential - the weekly PDFs will still be delivered to your inbox - but the chat, support and general ‘cheering each other on’ will happen in the MN group.

For those who joined in the KAL last time I’d love you to join us again, if you’d like to. The beauty of mitered square blankets is that they are never really finished are they? So if you’d like to add a few more squares to last years - or you are in the mood for a brand new one you would be more than welcome.

The newly re-written KAL is available for purchase now. To start with there is a pre-KAL information sheet and the first installment will be released on 28th September - with updates every Monday after that.

The PDFs will go straight to your inbox and will also be available within the Mighty Network group for reference.

If you bought the pattern the first time around and would like to rejoin the KAL, I’ll be sending instructions on how to access the group through the Ravelry mail system. If using Ravelry is a problem for you please let me know and I can email the directions to you directly.

If Ravelry is safe for you to use and you’d like to see what the knit-along folk made last year using the recipe you can find details of their projects here.

Everyday Jaunts

A post about adventures - small ones.

I've been reading this fabulous book - Born to be Mild by @robtemple1001 documenting his recovery from a period of ill health (both physical and mental). It's both funny and bittersweet and brutally honest about his attempts to broaden his horizons by embarking on a series of mini adventures. Some go well, others not so well.

It made me realise quite how small my life has become recently. Granted we are in Covid times so not a lot is possible, but even with those limitations I feel as though I desperately need a bit of variety in my life right now.

So I have decided I need a program of little things I can do - we are talking tiny here - in my regular day.

I'm calling them #EverydayJaunts and I’m sharing them with this hashtag on Instagram - either on my grid or in my stories - and saving the latter to the highlights tab on my bio as a kind of record of activities. You are most welcome to join in and share your own jaunts too - if you need a little motivation or you'd like to share your ideas with others.

It could be as simple as taking your morning cup of coffee outside and listening to the birds, or stopping off, on a morning errand earlier to look at a church that I’ve driven past for years but never actually looked at, properly.

Small things, but hopefully ones that will rewire my brain a little and start to see the wonder and the variety in the everyday stuff.

Focusing on what’s different, rather than what is remaining the same.

Letting go

Letting go.

Autumn to me usually feels like a time for fresh starts and new endeavours. But right now for me, it feels like a time for letting go.

I've already let the Everyday Knitter Facebook group go (and am loving the Mighty Networks alternative). I genuinely didn't realise the negative effect that Facebook had on me until I cut my usage by 90%.

And now I find myself looking around at other aspects of my life and wondering what else can go.

What else do I not need?

Next up, rather obviously is Ravelry. I'm already well underway with my Payhip store and I'm now at the stage where 60% of my sales are now on Payhip - and my Ravelry invoices are the lowest they've been in 3 years.

Something else that I've previously thought to be essential, turns out not to be.

That's the thing about disruptive change I guess. Once you start it really challenges thoughts and ideas that you've always held true.

Do I really need this? Or do I just think I do? Interesting times for sure.

If you were challenged to let one thing go, what would it be?

Socially Distant Socks

Socially Distant socks - on Payhip

I cast on for these wonderfully vivid socks a while ago using some fabulously named Pineapple Pyre yarn from Gamercrafting.

I had in mind a simple pattern, with no counting and no fuss but one that made the most of the brilliant variations in colour tone.

All the way through the knitting of these socks I knew they reminded me of something and my brain kept focusing on train tracks or tram rails. Then just as I was finishing them off it hit me - they reminded me of social distancing. Specifically the 2m distanced queues that we have become so used to seeing and being part of. Everyone together - but yet apart. Together but separate.

Talk about a metaphor for our times.

So here we have the Socially Distant socks - for your knitting pleasure. Toe-up, minimal counting and low stress. I don’t know about you but that’s been all I can manage in the knitting department of late.

If you subscribe to my newsletter please do check it out for a discount code, alternatively there’s the code SD25 which will get you a 25% early bird discount until Sunday 13 Sep.

The pattern is available on Payhip as well as on Ravelry.