Once Upon a Sock - January 2019

Well hello!  Not only is it a new month, it is a New Year.  I missed Once Upon a Sock in December, because I was attempting Vlogmas and did not have enough hours in the day , or mental energy to blog as well.  It was a project worth doing, but it took up more time than I was expecting.

For those who do not know, a group of us who knit socks all meet up and blog about socks on the first Thursday of every month.  If you wish to join us, you are more than welcome.  All you need to do is add a link to your blog at the link up found here, hosted by Paula of Spin a Yarn

Since I last posted, we had a new member of the family join us; my sister's second son.  Of course, proud auntie that I am, I knit him some hats - which was an excellent way of getting rid of spare scraps of sock yarn.

Baby hats for my nephew

So, casting a brief eye over 2018 and looking forward to 2019:

I attempted the box of socks challenge, hosted by Voolenvine and didn't complete it.  (The challenge was to knit at least 12 pairs of socks over the year, ready to be worn this year).  On New Year's Eve, I had three pairs of socks (which would have completed my 12) yet to be completed.  What was waiting for a pair of afterthought heels, one had a dropped stitch which needed dealing with and the last needed its heels turned.

My incomplete Box o' Socks - with only nine pairs of the twelve finished

In my eagerness to get everything finished by midnight (and after messing up the heel three times from not properly concentrating), I ripped back one of this pair with the aim of doing a fish lips kiss heel instead.  I then realised that would mean knitting with kinked wool, which I would only do if my life depended on it.  So, in an attempt to get everything finished on time, I actually made more work for myself by messing up what had already done.

Messing up was a theme with my December socks, after inadvertently increasing a stitch, then dropping the stitch back to where the error was, so that I could pick it back up again.

Oops! 

At the beginning of today, that sock looked liked this:

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I ended up sorting out the unintentional increase by ripping back 17 rows, then somehow managed to drop a stitch just before the ribbing!

And again, oops!

So, that was that.  I accepted the challenge; whilst I did not complete it, I still have some lovely socks to show for it.  I had decided this year, but I was not going to do the box of socks challenge again.  There are more things that I want to knit than socks, and socks I would like to knit for more people than me.  

Then I saw Amy Florence's video on 25 Days of Christmas Socks (and the associated discussion on her Ravelry group), and then somebody pointed me towards the UK sock knitters group on Ravelry, who are doing a year long KAL based on the periodic table of the elements - and suddenly I want to knit all the socks again!

Some of the socks I knit this year

To help me on my way, I have some very nice yarn for Christmas.

The first is some red and white striped yarn from Twinkly Knits on Etsy.  I bought this before seeing Amy's video, but after seeing a pair of red and white socks with a contrasting green toes, heels and cuffs.

The next was a gift from Mr Knitty; London House YarnsLondon House Yarns in the colourway Baubles. 

The last one was bought in the sales from Giddy Yarns in the colourway Christmas Tree Fairy.  The suggested contrast colour was pink, however, I preferred a more vibrant red.

Whatever happens, I will be knitting Christmas socks at some point before December this year.

At the moment, I don't have any socks on the needles.  Well OK, I have a pair for Mr Knitty, which are a belated Christmas present/ very early birthday present and the mosaic socks which need some work.  Apart from that, I don't have any socks on the needles and have a mass of yarns to choose for socks to get on the train when I visit my dad and his wife tomorrow.

And the candy cane socks?  I finished them whilst watching a film this evening .....

They may be The Wrong Trousers - but Gromit has certainly chosen the right craft!