So, I did it. I finally finished the first sock last night. Well, almost. I still need to graft the remaining 12 stitches at the toe. This sock has a graft that is at 90 degrees to the usual one. Instead of joining the remaining stitches top and bottom along the top of the toes, this one decreases more (which is why I only have 12 stitches left rather than 24) then joins the left and right stitches together down the centre of the toes. I can’t remember where I first came across this toe shape for socks, but it works really well.
The reason it’s taken me so long to get back to this sock is that I’ve knitted the front neck of the jumper design I’ve been working on three times. I mistrusted my first calculations thinking the neck would be too low, so I ripped that out, made the neckline higher and knitted it again. It seemed fine. Joined one shoulder seam, knitted the neckband. Again it seemed ok (this is with me draping it around Sue to check fit). Joined the other shoulder seam and all of a sudden the neck looked really small. It was indeed not easy to get over the head. So! I undid one shoulder seam, ripped out the neckband, undid the other shoulder seam, ripped back the front neck to 2cm lower than the too-small one. I re-knitted it all – holding my breath and also making the neckband shorter with a looser cast-off. This time, once I’d seamed one shoulder and knitted the neckband, I joined the other shoulder seam with lockable stitch markers to check it would actually go over the head. Phew! At least there were no sleeves to worry about, so I just had armhole ribbing to knit and side seams to sew before it was finished. And I can’t even show you any pics because it’s for a design submission.
I realised today that we are already in February and I haven’t yet sent out a single newsletter. If you are a newsletter subscriber and are wondering where your newsletters have gone, don’t worry – there will be one this week!
I mentioned a while ago that I’m scaling back / rethinking my kits. I’m also looking at changing the packaging from tins to cardboard boxes. There are several reasons for this – not least of which is cost, but also the fact that the empty cardboard boxes come flat and so take up far less room in our little bungalow! I think I’ve found the right size – it’s almost the same size as the larger tins were and now I’m choosing between natural brown and white.
I’m leaning towards the brown as I think that will show off the white sticker with the kit details far better and the white looks like it could get grubby quite quickly. I had considered black cardboard boxes to match the black cloths and metal cubes I use at yarn shows, but looking at them closely the black dye seems to rub off where the box is folded and I was then worried about it rubbing off on customers hands etc!
This week my local yarn shop, Yarn O’clock, announced that, after 10 years of trading, the shop will be closing in April. This is very sad for me. Anne, who owns the shop, hired me to teach my first knitting workshops, commissioned seven mystery knit-alongs from me and has sold me the yarn for nearly all of my kits! And of course, Anne and I have brought Yarn Gathering to Mold for four years. And when things were difficult for me personally a number of years ago, Anne’s shop was just about the only place I was able to leave the house to go to – it was my safe space. Things won’t be the same without her there, but as she put in her social media announcement, all good things must come to an end. I wish her so much joy for her new adventures, but will really miss being able to pop in, even though I haven’t been there as much as I would have liked over the past year or so. If you have a chance to visit Yarn O’clock before it closes in April I highly recommend it! Natural fibres with a focus on British yarn and a lovely range of needles, patterns and other items too.
It’s not long now until my first show of the year – the North West Winter Wool Show. If you have bought an advance ticket you will have a code to download the Seaside Winter Cosy pattern for free!
I will also have printed copies of the pattern with me at the show for sale for those people who buy a show ticket on the day – or in case anyone who already has their own copy of the pattern wants to buy one as a gift for someone else. If you do have an advance show ticket you have until March 15th (one month after the end of the show) to download your free copy of the pattern.
Until next week, take care of yourselves and each other and do something that makes you happy. K x
I like this blog and I vote for the brown boxes best.
I like this blog too. I also think that the brown boxes are best.
Brown boxes will be ordered!
Any chance of buying the hot water bottle cover as Pdf or possibly at Wonder wool?
Although I haven’t made up my mind about Wonder wool yet.
It will be on sale as a pdf after the Blackpool show. And I will have copies at Wonderwool as well!
Hey Vivianne – the hot water bottle cover is now available as a pdf on Ravelry, my website and Payhip!