Socktober

How on Earth is it Halloween already? That's it now; as of tomorrow it’ll be wall-to-wall Christmas.

I had a very sock-filled October. I've knitted four pairs this month and all of them are getting worn daily (not at the same time, obviously) as it's quite chilly down the shed.

I couldn't have knitted all those socks without my furry assistant.

Nigel knows exactly when to leap onto my lap or demand that I open a door for him and this is usually in the middle of a complex stitch manoeuvre or just as I'm turning a heel, and he never chases my ball of wool across the lounge floor or anything, no...

Cats, eh? The stuff they get away with on account of being so flipping lovely.

The wool Nigel is 'looking after' in these photos is Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in shade 658 Zinnias. I turned it into a plain pair of socks as I think the variegated yarn is enough on its own without any sort of stitch pattern.

The yarn is a super soft merino and nylon mix and it's a mélange of reds, pinks and oranges.

These were knitted cuff down which is a bit of a change for me as I normally go toe-up but it's good to have a change every now and then, isn't it?

These sparkly, icy pale blue-green socks were knitted cuff down too.

I absolutely love this yarn. The merino and nylon mix is very soft and squishy and its silver lurex spangle is just so pretty. The yarn is Nateby 4ply in Silver Birch from Eden Cottage Yarns.

The pattern is Bembe by Dawn Henderson from Laine's 52 Weeks of Socks book. The patterned leg is very simple and is created with just knits and purls.

I haven't started another pair of socks yet but I think I'll probably end up beginning some this weekend. I've been working on a jumper the past few nights and it has a very complex cabled yoke so I think I may well need a pair of socks as an I-just-need-a-little-break project to give my knitting brain a rest.

I have new beads made. Some need cleaning and others are in the tumbler and I'm aiming to get them all sorted and photographed tomorrow afternoon so check back here then or maybe Saturday for new beads.

Whether you're out trick or treating with the children, staying in and ignoring the trick or treaters, or going full-on Samhain about it all, I hope you have a good All Hallows’ Eve.

Salt Air

These pale-greyish-green-with-a-touch-of-blue 'Salt Air' beads are very subtle. I don't really wear my own beads but if I did, I'd wear these ones.

They have cores of CiM Dirty Martini which are encased with Effetre Pale Aquamarine 038, with decoration and spacers in Effetre Pearl Grey 268.

I should have posted these black and white ones here last week but I forgot. My customer asked for the beads to be tumble-etched.

They turned out really nicely.

I've still got some black and white strands for sale in the shop and if you like the silky soft finish of the ones pictured you can opt to have them tumble-etched at no extra cost.

I never did get around to looking at YouTube shorts this weekend. Do you see what I mean about me lacking the drive for content creation? I've got other things to do, like knitting socks. Knitting a sock is way more satisfying than faffing about editing videos.

Talking of socks...

...I finished the green pair this weekend.

The pattern is Intersections by Marceline Smith and it's from the book 52 Weeks of Socks by Laine.

The undulating cables were very satisfying to knit but my word there are a lot of them. I'm mighty glad I can cable without a cable needle.

The yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 Ply in shade 0351 Cardamom.

In my previous post I said I was trying to decide which of two new skeins of sock yarn to use first. Well, I solved that problem by opting for neither. On Saturday evening I cast on a pair of socks with some wool from Eden Cottage Yarns instead.

This Nateby 4ply is a wonderfully soft merino and nylon blend in the shade Silver Birch which is a colour not dissimilar to the beads at the top of this post. The wool has a silver lurex thread and it glimmers beautifully.

I am away to the shed now. Will I make a bead video? Will I not? Who knows? Who cares? 

Have a good Monday!

Instagram angst

I made this burgundy colour by encasing a core of CiM Schoolhouse with a thin layer of Effetre Medium Amethyst 042.

The decoration and spacers are Effetre Red Roof Tile 440. 

The colours remind me of red wine and cinnamon so I called the beads 'Mulled Wine' and they're currently available in my shop.

I made an Instagram reel showing the encasing process for these. I am so torn on my Instagram usage because I'm not a content creator, video maker or editor and I'd rather be making actual things than digital content but Instagram are adamant that you have to engage with people by way of video and stories and if you don't play along your boring old 'legacy media' still photographs won't get served to people in their feeds. I'm trying to compromise by making the videos I want to make and the type of videos I like watching on there. I very much enjoy seeing people just make things without a load of fancy editing and text and superfluous 'stuff'. I don't want to fall into the trap of making the same kind of videos that everyone else makes because quite frankly they annoy me. All this staring at the camera while making something in an attempt to be all Nigella but coming off more like an unhinged sociopath, tapping your long fingernails on things for the benefit of ASMR weirdos, flicking caps and lids off pens and paint tubes (again with the long nails), pulling your sleeves over your hands so they look just-so, and slapping the term 'POV' on everything when 90% of the time it’s not a point of view video at all... it just makes me want the internet plug pulled. I know I sound like a moaning old bag. That’s because I am.

So anyway yes, I've put a couple of reels on Instagram this week.

Over the weekend I hope to investigate YouTube 'shorts' and see if I can put them on there too for the people who don't use Instagram. I'll let you know how I get on with that.

In knitting news...

I've started the second sock of a green pair I'm working on.

They're totally covered in cables and I'm very glad I can cable without a cable needle or I'd have lost my mind by now.

My new sock yarn arrived and it's lovely.

This is Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in 214 Magenta and 658 Zinnias. I just need to decide which one to use first now.

Right, it's time to get on with my Thursday. Hope you have a good one!

Lots of Lonelies

I've cleaned and sorted my Lonelies this morning. I'm always surprised at how they mount up. A lot of them are duplicates from other sets where I'll have made three of one style because initially I wasn't happy with a dot placement or it ended up a millimetre smaller or larger than it should be. Then next morning when I take them out of the kiln I can't see the dot placement issue and the size difference is barely visible so I end up with more beads than I need for a strand so into the Lonelies pot the extras go.

I've divided this batch of Lonelies into two strands and each one contains five pairs.

These are for sale in my shop at the time of typing.

In crochet news...

I've put a couple more shawls in my Etsy shop and webshop.

This purple and yellow one reminds me of irises.

The pattern is Sunset Boulevard by LisasAttik and the yarn is YarnArt Flowers in colour 307.

The second one is bright orange and very summery. This tangerine colour is super zesty. 

The pattern for this one is V For Vintage by Mijo Crochet and the yarn is Hobbii Twister Solid in colour 151.

Both of these shawls are on the larger side. I seem to be averaging about 1200 metres of yarn per shawl. Gradient cakes are normally 1000 metres but I find the extra couple of hundred metres makes quite a difference in the coverage and swoosh departments.

There are beads to be won

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the long weekend?

We had quite a quiet one. We popped to town on Saturday and amongst other things I bought some hideously pink sock yarn.

The wool shop in town seems to be discontinuing Regia and it was reduced to £2.90 a ball. What sock knitter could resist that?

Dad visited us on Sunday and yesterday afternoon I headed shedwards.

See? Quiet.

And not a single chocolate egg was consumed.

I'm currently running two bead giveaways. The strand of Lonelies at the top of this post is up for grabs on my Facebook page and the one above can be won over on Instagram. To be in with a chance of winning I'll need your entry by tomorrow night. I'm drawing the winners on Thursday morning.

I would do a giveaway here but as I've only recently restarted blogging, and not many people seem to be blogging or commenting, I don't know if there's much point. We'll see how it goes.

Have a lovely Tuesday,

Hookin'

I've been crocheting like a mad thing lately. I made this blanket for Janine at Cherished Trinkets as her baby boy is due very soon. Janine has got a lot going on. Not only is she about to become a mum and not only is she making her gorgeous jewellery but her and her fiancé have started a new business called Cherished Tea Party Hire. They've just launched their brand new website and it's well worth a look. I wish Janine and Kieran every success with their new venture.

Back to Janine's blanket of blue. It's crocheted in John Lewis 'Baby' Double Knit and it's acrylic.

I wanted to make the blanket in acrylic so that it could go in the washing machine. I like to block finished knitting and crochet because it brings the stitches to life. Some pieces can look like a crumpled dish rag when you cast off but blocking is a kind of magical witchcraft that opens up lace work and gives real stitch definition. I'd always been under the impression that you can't and shouldn't block acrylic projects but after Googling about I found this excellent blog post and gave steam blocking a bash. Sure enough, it worked like a dream and the baby blanket ended up with a beautiful drape and the stitches look lovely. The difference between wet blocking natural fibres and steam blocking acrylic is that the latter is permanent. After I steam blocked the blanket I washed it in the washing machine and sure enough, it held its shape perfectly.

I also crocheted Janine's blanket with a super duper new crochet hook. It's an Addi 'Swing' one. Addi make my favourite knitting needles and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with one of their crochet hooks. It's ultra-comfy to use and I'll be buying more of them. I got it from my favourite online yarn shop, Stash Fine Yarns.

And now I am using the aforementioned Addi hook to make a cushion. This is one of those popular Ravelry patterns that you just have to have a go at and I am loving it! It's Attic 24's 'Blooming Flower Cushion' which is a free pattern and a wonderful project.

I'm making the cushion in Sirdar Ella which is a cotton blend with a shimmery spangle of silver running through it. I popped to Dunelm Mill at the weekend to grab a cushion pad for it. I've heard tell of this Dunelm place but we've only just got one in Cambridge and Saturday was my first visit there. It's one of those shops that you can't leave without buying something. The feather cushion pad I got is really high quality and cost £3.49. I reckon that's a bargain.

I'm off to carry on with my cushion now. Have a lovely night!

Flat Batteries

I know I've been a bit quiet - I've had a few days off from the beads in order to recharge my lampworking batteries.  They were pretty flat, you see.  I made beads on Friday and am just about to head down to the shed to make some more so I will be back later with photos.

My knitting needles have been click-clacking away recently and I've finished a couple of projects in the past few weeks. 

One of those projects was a fab Ysolda design - her 'Hap Blanket'.  It's getting quite chilly here in Cambridge so I decided we needed a smallish blanket for the sofa.

 

It's knitted in Rowan Pure Wool Aran in charcoal grey and sage green which matches our sofa and curtains nicely.  The yarn is so squishy and soft.  I unpinned the blanket from the blocking mat this morning and I expect it will be deployed during tonight's television viewing.

I'll be back later with beads .....

'Crocus' Socks

It's been a bit warm for knitting and that's why it's taken me so long to complete this pair. The pattern is 'Crocus' from - yes, you guessed it - Wendy D. Johnson's wonderful 'Toe-Up Socks For Every Body'.

The yarn is Smoothie Sock in 'Pumpkin' from Artist's Palette Yarns and it was a joy to knit with. The stitch definition is really crisp which makes the lace look lovely.

I have no idea what my next sock project will be. Normally I'm about two pairs ahead of myself but I don't think I'll be casting on for another pair until I'm in Cambridge. I've got to pack up all of my knitting paraphernalia ready for the move. Hope I've got enough boxes .....

Webnesday

The first thing I do each and every morning is visit my favourite websites and blogs. I sit here with a cup of tea and click away seeing what's new and what everyone else is up to.

I've decided that I'm going to share five of my web finds with you every Wednesday in a feature that I'm going to call 'Webnesday'. Get it? (Don't try and say that word as it probably won't work - it's more of a visual thing.)

1. Pursuing The Art Of Curiosity

Firstly I'd like to draw your attention to Jennifer Dangerfield and her wonderful blog 'Pursuing The Art Of Curiosity'. I have known Jennifer (on a virtual basis) for years - we've never met but we have sent each other countless emails and she works the most amazing wonders with my beads. The 'Cherry' choker above is just one example of that. Jennifer has recently returned to blogging after a long hiatus. I'm delighted about this as I have missed her. Please click here to read Jennifer's blog and click here to visit her website which includes a gallery of her fabulous jewellery.

2. So What's New Today?

Next up is 'So What's New Today' which is a blog by Tina Scott. I have known Tina for about five years now and she is one of the nicest people in the world. I have met her in actual real life, in fact I stayed at her house for a couple of days during which time I threw up all over her kitchen floor, the thought of which still makes me cringe to this day. But because of her one-of-the-nicest-people-in-the-world status she looked after me brilliantly and never mentions the kitchen floor incident. Seriously, I still blush about that whenever I think about it - my face is hot pink right now! But anyway, I digress. Tina is a fellow beadmaker but at the moment she is really concentrating on honing her photography skills and she is blogging the results of her online photography courses. Her photos are fab! Just look at that 'Orange Tulip' one up there. Please click here to visit Tina's blog and click here to have a look at her Flickr Photostream.

3. Artist's Palette Yarns

Now for a web shop. You know I like yarn. You know I like socks. That means I like sock yarn and I know that some of you do too. I'm aware that a few of you have been inspired to take up sock-knitting because of me and my sock-knitting obsession and for that I apologise. Not to you but to your other halves. I know that Chris thinks of my sock-knitting as quirky and very Laura but sometimes he just cannot hide his Sock Shock when I put on a completed pair. The other day I finished knitting a pair of green socks, put them on and then set about getting dinner ready. When he glanced over and saw my feet he let out an 'Argh!', recoiled and guffawed. Thinking back I was wearing lime green socks with a purple dress so I guess a lot of his shock stemmed from that wacky colour pairing. But anyway, if you do knit socks then you may or may not know of Artist's Palette Yarns. They have an amazing selection of hand-dyed luxury goodness and their sock yarns are particularly delicious. I am currently knitting a pair of pumpkin-coloured socks with their Smoothie Sock yarn. Please click here to have a browse.

4. Howard The Drummer

I don't want to make 'Webnesday' all about blogs, beads, socks and jewellery. Sometimes you stumble across a great YouTube video that you just want to share. Take a look at this one. This is a four year old boy playing the drums. I know. If someone asked me if I'd seen the cute-four-year-old-boy-playing-drums video I'd normally pull the same face that I pull when someone emails me a bunch of photos of tiny fluffy kittens posing harmoniously next to big dogs. Normally I detest that kind of thing but seriously, the video of Howard the four year old drummer is pretty amazing! Take a look at it here.

5. Emma Kennedy

And finally a link to a very funny lady - Emma Kennedy. My book-on-the-go at the moment is her hilarious 'The Tent, The Bucket & Me' which is Emma's recollections of camping holidays with her parents in the '70s. It is highly amusing, as is her website. If you have time take a look at her family photos in her Galleries section as the captions that accompany them are very funny!

And that concludes today's Webnesday feature. I'll be back soon with photos of those green socks that shocked Chris .....

Triton Socks

We're not even two weeks into 2010 and I've already knitted two pairs of socks so far this year. I just wish I was being as productive on the bead front but I'm not going to dwell on that .....

Anyway, these two pairs of socks are the same pattern knitted in different yarns. The pale blue ones are Rowan Cashcotton and the variegated ones are Wild Fire Fibres Manyana in 'Pixie'.

The pattern is my own design and the socks are named Triton after the Greek god of the sea. The recurring lace motif is a bit like a trident and the wavy pattern in between them is quite sea-like.

I've written a pattern for these - it's my first knitting PDF. You can get the pattern as a free Ravelry download. The socks are knitted from the toe up and they have an Eye Of Partridge heel. The pattern is written for knitting on two circular needles but you can easily adjust it for working on DPNs. The pattern is both charted and written.

A big thank you to Chris who is responsible for the 'footography'!

I hope that fellow knitters will like the Triton pattern and if you do make any socks with it please do send me some photos of your finished work. I'd love to have a look!

Smooshy

Yes, Smooshy. And that's not me making up another silly word (you know how I like to do that). This is a fabulous sock yarn called Smooshy by Dream In Color. The shade is called 'Spring Tickle' and it's a wonderful array of bright spring greens. And Smooshy is definitely the correct word for this wonderful stuff. It's squidgeable, scrunchable, cuddlesome and downright lovely. I keep picking up the skein and giving it a squeeze and a hug! And yes, I do realise that I sound like a complete wrong'un but what can I say? I'm a sock freak. (Fellow sock knitters - you understand me, right?)

I ordered this from Pure Purl who have impressed me no end with their super-fast delivery and all-round fabulous customer service. My package of yarn was beautifully presented and I'll definitely be going back there to feed my (increasingly scary) sock yarn habit .....

A little bit of luxury

When I saw that Stash Fine Yarns had some pure cashmere yarn in their sale I knew I had to have some. And when they had some mauve left ..... well, it was meant to be.

But what to do with just 75 grams of purply-pink cashmere? That's not a lot of yarn so I pootled around on Ravelry and found a sweet little pattern for a neck warmer. I set to work and completed the project in just one evening. It is sooo soft. Pure luxury!

It's going to be great for cold wet days. No soggy scarf ends. No under-the-coat scarf bulk. Just snuggly, gorgeous cashmere. I've ordered some more yarn so I can make myself a matching pair of gloves.