Once Upon a Sock August

A week ago, I was at the closing ceremony of the 24th World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, USA. It's possibly easier to do a separate post on that, otherwise this is going to get looong!

Our team colour was orange.  I had all sorts of ideas on how best to express that creatively.  In the end, the scrunchies didn't have enough material in them and kept pinging off, the earrings got stuck to the paper on which they were drying and I ran out of time to make the sunhat.  Still, it's the thought that counts, right?

Quick summary: 

• I was deputy of the skateboard park. I think I was pretty supportive.

  

• I have a bucketload more badges left to sew on to my camp blanket.

• I'm part of a leadership team talking Guides to the European Jamboree Jamboree next year. Thinking about all the things we need to keep the girls safe scares the £@$& out of me.

• Our IST (international service team) who staffed the event were awesome. 

Mr Knitty and I are now in NYC, where I have a lot more time (and air con) to knit.  I want my current pair to be completed before the flight home, as I've got yarn for at least one more pair with me.  Yesterday I found another knitter on the subway.  He didn't seem in the mood for a lengthy chat, so I didn't ask if I could take a photo of the socks he was knitting.  They were long and stripy and being knit continental style.

We're almost at the end of the Summer of Socks KAL run by Nikki of the Tea and Possibilities podcast.  It's been pretty good for my sock knitting; I'm almost up to 7 pairs of socks this year, five of which have been knit over the summer.  I want to do a round up post next month.  These are the current pair on the subway yesterday:

Yesterday was also Knitty City day, the only yarn shop I visited when I was in New York last year. (It's not the only shop I plan to visit this year!)  I was after a small Knitty City project bag, some darning needles (I left mine at home) and green sock yarn.

Whilst Mr Knitty may not agree, I was pretty restrained.  I got the bag like I wanted, some green sock yarn like I wanted and some Christmas sock yarn that was an impulse buy.  I've got some white yarn with me, left over from the socks I finished on my journey to America, so that's the backup yarn, if I knit all the rest up.

Today I went to String Thing Studio, and joined in the men's knit night.  It's a very small shop and only open a few days a week.  Because it was so small, there wasn't a large amount of sock yarn that I couldn't get back in the UK.  Luckily, there was a few skeins of yarn from a recent Lola Bean Yarn Company trunk show. 

I also found out some incredibly cute stitch markers from a maker in Brooklyn, going by the name of One Geek Craft - although I can't currently find their Etsy shop. 

Later this trip, I want to visit Brooklyn General Store and possibly Purl Soho.  Tomorrow, String Thing Studio has a bigger knit night; the socks and I have both been invited! 

If you like knitting socks, there is a group of us who blog about socks on the first Thursday of each month.  If you want to join us, head over to Paula's blog where she hosts a link-up for everybody's blog.  We would love you to join us and see what you're knitting! 

Once Upon a Sock - July

I fly to the USA in just under a fortnight, and I am both massively excited and also slightly scared about what awaits.

I'm sure that you are aware of Ravelry's recent decision to ban overt support for Donald Trump.  The response from some right wing knitters has been eye opening.  I am cautious about knitting during my time in the US and having people feel they have the right to tell me how wrong and discriminating Ravelry's decision was. Yes, the risk is probably small, but, given how loudly certain people have been behaving on social media, I would be naive to think there was no risk.

The first part of the trip is at the 24th World Scout Jamboree.  This is an event held every four years for teenagers aged between 14 and 17.  The idea is that every young person will only ever be eligible for one World Scout jamboree, making it a once in a lifetime opportunity.  When I was a Brownie (or possibly a Guide), I remember reading about the World Scout Jamboree and thought it was the only jamboree that existed in the world.  I thought it sounded so fantastic that when I got older I wanted to go to a World Scout Jamboree.  This will be my third! 

Larry and I overlooking the New River Gorge WV, last year.

My friend Larry, who will also be my boss, has agreed to be a yarn mule.  There are several companies in North America, from whom I want buy stuff.  However, sending stuff to the UK incurs a higher postage fee and a customs charge.  I thought I could get round this by sending stuff to Larry.  For some reason, his ZIP Code has not been recognised by any website. I've tried to buy from.  It didn't bother me much, until I couldn't get my hands on the last skein of  Dark Side of the Moon, by Must Stash yarns. Now, I'm taking it personally. 

Instead, let's share some finished socks - actually quite a few this month. 

The first pair were actually finished in May, for my husband's birthday last month. However, I wasn't going to share them here before giving them to him.  Frustratingly, despite me putting ribs on both the front and the back, they still don't really fit.  I think I may have to find a better heel.

Vanilla ribbed socks, with fish lips kiss heel.
Main yarn is Regia Denim, with Regia Colour as a contrast. 

The next two pairs were both cast on and cast off in July, almost unheard of for me! They are being knit as part of the Summer of Socks KAL, run by Nikki from the Tea and Possibilities podcast. 

The next pair was the first pair I knit last month, and were in progress at the beginning of last month:

Ribbed vanilla socks. Main colour West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply
 in colourway Pheasant.  Contrast Colour is Nutmeg. 

The second pair was also completed last month:

Vanilla socks with fishlips kiss heel. Yarn is Christmas Grinch by The Yarn Jar. 

There was something rather subversive about using black yarn on a Christmas pair of socks. I think I need to find an excuse to do it again.  Whilst knitting this pair, I made a new-to-me mistake, namely putting in a random YO when knitting the toes.  I can sew it up when I weave in the ends, so it's not a massive issue. Fun fact, if you're weaving in the ends of black yarn, you need really good light! 

The current socks on my needles are also Christmas socks. Sock one only needs a cuff; sock two needs a leg and a cuff.  I'm hoping to have these finished by the end of the week. 

Vanilla ribbed socks, with fishlips kiss heel. Main yarn is Vintage
Christmas by The Yarn Jar. Contrast heels are JaWool. 

I'm going to be in the US for a month in total; this will include two trans-Atlantic flights, a four hour journey from the airport to the campsite (I may well be asleep on the return journey) and an internal flight between Charlotte SC and New York (plus shuttle buses to and from the hotel).  I'm wondering if yarn for two projects is going to be enough.  As well as the Summer of Socks KAL, I also want to try and complete the Box o' Socks KAL challenge and pick up with the Periodic Table KAL, being run by The UK Sock Knitters group on Ravelry.  If the worst comes to the worst, I'll prep some yarn and ask my husband to bring it with him, when he flies over in in August. 

This is the next yarn to be knit into socks:

One (or both of these) are for July (nitrogen).  Whilst I love rainbow coloured socks, knitting two pairs in a row feels like a total indulgence. 

One (or both of these) are for August (neon):

So, in two months time, I'll be able to share what I've managed to complete with all the yarn above.  I'll attempt to blog next month, but it'll mostly be written before leaving the UK.  Trying to blog on my phone on a campsite where several thousand people are trying to use the wi-fi has a higher frustration risk that I'm prepared to allow! (And it also makes the assumption that I'll have any battery left). 

If you like knitting socks, there is a group of us who blog about socks on the first Thursday of each month.  If you want to join us, head over to Paul's Blog where she hosts a link-up for everybody's blog.  We would love you to join us and see what you're knitting! 

Once Upon a Sock - June (AKA, the birds)

Since last month:

I've woven in the ends on at least one pair of socks:

(I think I managed two pairs, but as I didn't take photos, it doesn't count) 

And started to sort out the toe of the second of the Seaweed Socks:

I met up with Once Upon a Sock friends

From left to right: Meg, Kat, Me, Paula

I've finished the pigeon socks I was working on last month, ready in time for Christmas 2019 rather than Christmas 2018.  I promise I'll do better next time.  Mr Knitty tried them on, decided they were too small (I should have done ribbing on the back of the leg as well), and then I noticed that I'd dropped a stitch, somewhere before casting off. 

Toe up vanilla socks, West Yorkshire Spinners signature 4 ply in colourway pigeon

Then again, immediately after trying on the hand-knit socks, he put on a pair of commercial socks and put a hole through the heel, so I'm not taking it personally! 

Background fabric hand dyed by my aunt 

Once I've dealt with the errant stitch, I'm going to wash and block properly and see where we go from there.  If all else fails, I'll keep these socks and knit Mr Knitty a new pair.  I chose this colourway as a joke, as pigeons are almost the only bird that he can recognise. 

Excluding the seaweed socks, the current pair on the needles are also country birds yarn - this time in the colourway pheasant. 

I worked on sock one during the Guides meeting on Monday; I'm fairly new to the unit, so have no idea who the other leaders are talking about.  Since a Guide makes good use of her time, I spent the time knitting.  I managed about four and a half centimetres.

On Tuesday, I went to the anti-Trump demo.  I thought I took a video of the East London Knitters' banner; seems I only took a photo:

I started off with the knitters, then met up with a friend and lost the knitters.  Said friend is a birdwatcher; it was only after we parted ways that I realised I should have got him to guess which bird was represented in the yarn!  With the journeys in and out of London, the trying to listen to the speeches and a fair bit of sofa knitting on Tuesday afternoon, sock two is ready for a heel turn.  

I cast these on, on 1st June - and am knitting them as part of the Summer of Socks KAL by Nikki from the Tea and Possibilities podcast.  I had tried to do the Box of Socks KAL but have fallen way behind, so thought this would be a good KAL to join instead.  I'm working on a secret project, using another of the West Yorkshire Spinners 4 ply; there may well be enough for another pair of bird socks! 

If you like knitting socks, there is a group of us who blog about socks on the first Thursday of each month.  If you want to join us, head over to Paula's blog where she hosts a link-up for everybody's blog.  We would love you to join us and see what you're knitting! 

Once Upon a Sock: May (not a lotta socks!)

In all honesty, I haven't done much (if any) sock knitting over the last few months.  I haven't forgotten to post for the last couple of months - I just didn't have any real sock progress to share.

In March, I took my sock with me to London to knit on - so that I had something to write about.  The sock was in the same bag as a water bottle which leaked.  On one hand, sock yarn is great at soaking up the liquid.  On the other hand, I can't knit with soggy sock yarn.

You may not be able to see from the photo - but this sock was soaking wet

The dark patch at the bottom, shows the extent of the water leak

In April, I even went as far as taking some photos.  However, we were a couple of days before a flat inspection, and cleaning and clearing up took priority over knitting and blogging.

Instead of knitting, over the last couple of months, I've been sewing badges on to a blanket.  Withing Guiding and Scouting, there is a tradition that old badges get sewn on to a blanket, which then gets taken to camp.  I have an old grey blanket with all my Brownie, Guide and Ranger badges - as well as badges relating to places I've visited and events I've been to.  This year, I've been working on a blanket which is dedicated to all the foreign travel I've been lucky enough to do.

Slovenia/Croatia in 2016 and Iceland in 2017

Some of the badges from Japan in 2015

Badges to be sew on, after my trip to the US this summer

There has been such joy in watching the project grow, accompanied with a lovely feeling of accomplishment.  I keep think that I'm close to sewing on the last badge - and then I find one or two more that need to be added on!  

However, I'm at the point of getting a but bored of sewing, so I've reverted back to knitting!  The current socks that I want to get finished are the ones for Mr Knitty's Christmas present, then Valentine's Day present, then wedding anniversary present. Given that our anniversary was ten days ago, I'm not doing very well at this wifely business! 

Vanilla toe-up socks, with Fish Lips Kiss heels

The front is ribbed; the back isn't.  I've made that decision, partly to stop the socks being too loose and baggy, and partly because plain stocking stitch is much quicker to do than ribbing.  If I'd really thought about it, I'd have done a 4 x 4 rib, rather than an irregular rib pattern. 

Yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners; can't remember which company did the contrast yarn

Hopefully, this is going to give me the push I need to get some more socks finished, which will give me something to post about next month.  I'm off with friends for lunch on Saturday, which will give me some knitting time.  My aim is to get them finished by the end of the Bank Holiday weekend, and to get at least one more pair finished, before I cast on something new.  That's the plan.....

If you're a sock knitter, or sock crochet-er, you're more than welcome to join us in blogging about socks on the first Thursday of each month.  Paula from Spin a Yarn hosts a link each month.  All you need to do is pop over to Paula's blog, add your blog post to the link and join in.  I've made new internet friends, and found more people who love knitting as much as I do.  There's always room for more people to join the party! 

Once Upon a Sock: February

Each month I come here to write about socks and think 'I really must blog more' - and then put that thought to bed, until the following month.

However, this month - I have socks to share.

The candy cane socks got completed:

Yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners, in colourway Candy Cane.

I've completed my first pair of socks for 2019:

My plan was to alternate 'normal' socks with Christmas socks throughout the year, so I would end up with at least six Christmas pairs, come December.  With that in mind, I started my second pair of socks for 2019:

Yarn is from London House Yarns, in the colourway Baubles

It was only when I came to turn the heel, that I realised I'd dropped a stitch - which I found about three rows above the end of the toe.  I'm too much of a perfectionist to leave it is or try and fudge a repair - so out came eighty-something rows!  At the moment, I can't bring myself to pick it back up and sort out a repair - but I think I need to, before I forget what I did on the first sock. 

I'm taking part in the UK Sock Knitters' periodic table KAL this year, so a couple of days ago, I started my socks for February.  The chosen element for this month is iodine - so I've decided to knit the seaweed socks by Wendy D Johnson.  It's the first pair of lace socks I've ever knit, and at the beginning of today, they looked like this:

It's times like this, that stitch markers are your friend!  I've already made at least three mistakes, which have been easy (if fiddly) to repair.  The pattern is starting to show a bit better after a couple of repeats.  I think it's going to look good, but will be slow.  I'm knitting it in dark red, with white contrasting heels, toes and cuff - to look like a Christmas stocking.  I still want a simple vanilla, self-striping sock that I don't need to think about, which is a motivation to sort out the Baubles socks.

If you knit or crochet socks and would like to join in our sock-knitting chat, it would be lovely to have you join us.  On the first Thursday of each month, we all blog about our sock knitting progress (even if that's only a couple of rows since the previous month) and then share them on a link, hosted by Paula at Spin a Yarn.  The link up for February is here - please come and join us! 

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:

Add caption

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! 

Once Upon a (Southwark) sock - November

I think this is the first time that Once Upon a Sock and the first of the month have coincided for quite a while.  (Having checked, it was back in March).  Today is also the first day of Wovember - a celebration of all things wool.

A drainpipe outside the main cathedral

On Thursday of last week, Mr Knitty and I spent an evening at Southwark Cathedral, to see a talk on the book that goes alongside the All The Stations project, by Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe.  For those who don't know the project - Geoff and Vicki did a trip last summer, where they visited every single train station in the mainland UK.  (The full documentary is here )

The cathedral is gorgeous.  There was a monument to Shakespeare (given that he worked in the parish when he was at The Globe Theatre.

Of course, I had a pair of socks on the needles, which I worked on during the talk.  I'd decided that if anybody complained, I'd be prepared to stop.  Luckily, I was sitting at the back and nobody was paying attention to me, as they were listening to the talk and taking part in the Q&As. 

The socks at the beginning of the Q&A

When it came to the book signing afterwards, it made perfect sense to knit in the queue.  I think we were waiting about 90 minutes, so it was a good distraction and more work towards this year's box o' socks.  (Please can we ignore the dropped stitch somewhere round the toe which I found a couple of days ago).  Geoff could not get over the fact that I was knitting whilst waiting, to the extent that he asked if he could write it in the book.

The Candy socks are finally finished.  After messing up the heel at least three times, I told the socks that I didn't want them languishing in the project bag; I didn't think that it wanted to be languishing in the project bag - so could we please work together to get the heel turn sorted.  

Yarn - Regia Pairfect, in the colourway Candy.
Pattern is Sockmatician's toe-ups. 

These are knit in Regia Pairfect - designed to be knit from the cuff down.  I chose to knit it toe up, so the pink on the toe should be the cuff, and the thick stripes on the feet should be on the legs.  If I were to knit them again, I'd either try cuff down (gulp) or knit the toes and heels in orange and re-jig the yarn so that the pink cuff and thick stripes are in the right place. 

Last month, I also cast on an orange pair.  This was meant to be my socks for last June, then this June and then whenever-I-could-get-round-to-knit it. 

I've recently started using this progress keeper, because it's gorgeous.  I think it came with a yarn purchase...

Yarn: Opal 20 Years, colourway 9285 - Candle

The final pair, which still need a heel are my third time lucky socks.  This was the yarn I used in my first attempt at socks over four years ago.  The next attempt was over three years ago where I got halfway through the heel and no further.  (My friend Jane was telling me how to turn the heel with wraps and turns.  The lesson finished before the heel did).  They're now nearly finished - pending an afterthought heel.  

Yarn is Sirdar Heart and Sole.  I cannot remember the colourway.

There are a group of us who blog about socks on the first Thursday of the month.  If you knit socks and want to join us, you would be most welcome.  Each month we have a live link-up, hosted by Paula at Spin a Yarn.  If you want to join us, all you need to do is post your blog entry, add your link to the link up and link back to Paula's blog.  It doesn't matter if you crank out a pair of socks a week, or just manage a couple of rows a month - if you knit socks, you're part of our gang and it would be lovely to share your projects!