Christmas knitting in June

 

 

I decided its always difficult to get my Christmas socks finished for Christmas. That time of year is always hectic, and because its dark and cold I seem to just want to go to sleep earlier at night than in summer, so I decided this summer I will start off knitting my Christmas socks.That will hopefully mean these are better knitted and I am more relaxed come September when I seem to think of such things as Christmas crafting. Well, I am, relatively speaking, a very slow knitter so these will take a few months whether there is a desperate need for them or not. I also know lots of people begin their Christmas crafting about July so why not?

These are not a gift as such though, they are a selfish knit for me!

I am using the Mosaic socks pattern from Winwick Mum that I have knitted previously. Though really I messsed up the pattern but those socks have been a favourite for over a year and are now getting very thin. 

Having said that, the fact they were knitted from doubled lace weight mohair not sock yarn means they have been a major success, and so far survived much better than expected. But I would like a proper pair in sock yarn. 

Anyway this pair are being knitted from the yarn the pattern reccommends - Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply sock yarn. The colours I decided to use are Fairy Lights Sparkle which contains glitter!!!!!

And Cherry Drop: which you can just see here:

The Cherry drop contrast is actually going to mean I am knitting this in a reverse with the darker colour where the lighter colour is on the pattern, but I saw several pairs knitted during the sockalong where people chose to do that and it looked fine. 

 

Though right now I am wondering is there enough of a contrast? 

Or is my Cherry drop too similar in tone to the background colours? 

Ah, I suppose whatever happens in the next few rows these will be a lovely warm pair of socks and probably turn out just fine. 

I will not really know if these colours are a good choice until I get a bit further into the pattern so by then really I probably should stick with however they come out.

Its a difficult one right now knowing whether or not I should choose  different contrast and start again!

This time as well, rather than mess up the pattern by following the chart I have been following the row by row written pattern. Thats strange because usually I am much better with charts, but last time I ended up just kind of ad-libbing the second sock to try and make it match the first one where I went wrong. That did not ultimately matter one bit because they have actually been almost worn out due to being loved so much.

Other than starting my Christmas socks thats all the knitting I am doing right now. Summer seems more for sewing rather than for knitting but then thats just how my brain works because I know lots of people who are happilly knitting lovely cotton jumpers, skirts etc for summer right now.

I am also doing some sewing though but more in my next post

Have a great week and Happy Solstice

Bracken

My Mosaic socks and the January 2022 KAL Finished

 So I am slightly late with this update, because I was away the last few days. 

 

I rushed to finish my socks to wear them when I was visiting Krakow which I returned from yesterday at midnight. 

 

They are a little imperfect. 

I think I have more of the purple marl and less of the bright pink on the toes of my second sock (left in the photo) - which is also not as well sewn up across the toes but it feels ok when wearing despite the visual impairment. 

I am toying with unpicking and adding a couple more pink rows in fact. Not sure yet.

In the end its just me will see my toes and does it really matter if one has more pink than the other?

I wore them for two days in Krakow though and walked loads! Right up from the old town to the castle, all around Wawel hill where the castle sits at the top and all round Krakow the next day as well. I also took my previous two pairs of socks with me and all three pairs now need a wash. Always the downside of a holiday, the washing after you get home.

The shots are taken in our AirBnB appartment so not the best lighting, and also the ones on the chairs were taken at Birmingham Airport before we took off so not the best photos,` but I think they do show my socks quite well.

The stripey underside

So yes a little imperfect but still I am in love with these and they are comfortable and very warm. I had to swap for a thinner pair on the way home because they are so warm, but certainly I am happy I attempted these. I might try the Lace socks next - also by Winwick Mum. Lace sounds good for spring and the daffs have buds on at home now.

But first though, I am now knitting the Swirly Slouchy hat despite last week I had decided to stop hat knitting. I just fancy this beret type of hat for spring.

And even though the mosaic pattern is very imperfect and does not quite look as it should do, and the socks are not the same as each other, it really does not matter. They still work wonderfully!

Also having walked literally miles in these there is no sign of thinning or wear yet so very happy wth the kid mohair yarn too. 

And Krakow is lovely. An amazing city to visit. Its actually supposedly warmer here today than it was last week in Poland yet weirdly the UK feels freezing. Must be to do with us being an exposed island or something. It certainly feels wetter here and its not even raining today.

 Have a great weekend

Bracken

Sock along update - final week of the KAL

  

Well I am not going to complete my socks during the KAL. It offically ended 31st January and this is all I have done so far of my second sock. Ah and I have just begun a new project using blue kid mohair ( 3 strands again because its lace weight again). Its the Swirly slouchy hat ( also by Winwick Mum) I have only just begun though and will concentrate on my socks first and of course sewing up my partner's jumper. I do hate the sewing up! You can see my next hat in the basket. It looks kind of beret-ish which I fancy for spring - though probably won't finish that till summer but never mind about that.

Now after my last post I did actually finally sort out the correct pattern but because I cocked up the first sock I am now trying to make the second sock similar - I think identical is impossible for me right now😀.

I am quite happy with how these are turning out though, I must admit and I think they will be very warm. I was feeling a bit down about these but after Christine at Winwick Mum's kind comments I feel much better and there is that old saying better to try and fail then not try at all - or something like that anyway.

And I will get some socks from this even if they do not look like other peoples versions. Nice socks too!

Also unlike my previous 2 pairs I think these will be the right size. The other two pairs are a bit baggy. Since the green pair are the same yarn as these its not yarn type that caused that but my knitting.

Still not so very long ago I never thought I could even consider knitting socks or knitting on small needles. I might finish these this week if time allows and of course if life allows. I will let you see them once I do finish. I am really looking forward to wearing these.

Thanks for visiting my blog,

Bracken

Sockalong update -Mosaic socks week 2 KAL

I mentioned last week my problems with knitting the mosaic socks which is the sockalong pattern for 2022 from Winwick Mum. You do not have to do the new pattern and perhaps I would have made better progress and much less mistakes had I done a different pattern. 

Sock knitting is  a new thing for me and I do not find it very easy. Its Ok since there are very good instructions but I would say the current pattern is certainly challenging me.

I believe - well pretty certain really I have completely cocked up the repeat mosaic pattern.

Now if I am honest its due to me being apparently unable to read properly!

These are my current projects - or two of them. The orange hat is the Isolation hat from Ravelry that I started just before Christmas. Its much harder than I expected and has been ripped back 9 times so far! More on that one later. I am also nearing the end of a jumper for my other half thats not pictured here because it does not fit into my knitting bag.

I had a few colour choice issues which are detailed in last week's post so I will not repeat them here. But thats not the only problem. I realised half way through the second repeat that I was meant to be knitting each pattern row twice!

 Well no wonder its hard to see the contrast!

Sock with heel flap completed

I am half way through the second pattern repeat and realise this mistake.  So half way through my second repeat, I sorted that bit out and do each row twice as I should ahve done. But then also I have more than once got completely confused as to where I was in the pattern repeats as well and I obviously got where I thought I was meant to be wrong because my socks do not look like others on the internet! Being part of a KAL does show how other people do things and this is incorrect.

Its still quite pretty though and, I feel, surprisingly well knitted.

Well I could undo it - rip it back or frog it etc but:

1) it does not look so bad, 

2) I have no problem with slightly ( or majorly?) not quite identical socks - after all I usually knit fairisle jumpers with odd sleeves on purpose and for around 30 years its been my trademark as far as friends who know me are concerned to do that, 

3) I am not so sure frogging this will mean when I reknit it it will follow the pattern anyway!

 Well no I am not unpicking because its not so bad and I have written notes on the pattern so I should hopefully manage to make a second identical sock with the same (or probably not the same but similar) mistakes so they (kind of) match. Thats the aim anyway. That will also mean I do not need to unpick and begin again.

So having realised this cock up has taken place I have decided to continue, finish the sock and knit a second one as near perfect as I can.

 Yes I am so imperfect!

But the pattern is now starting to look more like other people's so I am much happier now. I also at around the same time I sorted out my pattern repeats ( or thought I had) I decided to move up to a slightly larger needle. This is because I think the fabric is going to felt up if I carry on with the 2mm. I am now using a 2.25mm. I will need to do the cuff in the smaller needle next sock as well so that matches too. I am thinking maybe I should ordinarily go down a couple of needle sizes when starting socks and then go back up for the main body? Not sure yet but thats a possibility. I will decide on my next pair. So now I am trying very hard to do the pattern correctly for the rest of the foot of this sock. This time I am using the chart rather than written instructions but so far I have managed to swap the pattern colours round half way down anyway so not really achieving much improvement this way either. 

So I think this will end up being "inspired by" the Winwick Mum Mosaic pattern rather than actually looking like its meant to.

Also I decided to print the pattern rather than rely on the PC version. I think thats actually why I made the mistake of doing half the number of rows for each colour repeat - I was trying to remember etc. Having to keep going to check what comes next in a different room ( because the PC is in a different room to my comfy space) to where I knit is not ideal. Not the best way to knit. With a pattern in hand its slightly easier.  Had a printer problem recently though so I am avoiding printing because I seem to spend hours cancelling the print and then reprinting but it did eventually work and I have a hard copy of the pattern to sit down with. 

Time will tell if it makes the slightest bit of difference of course!

This is how my sock is looking at the moment:

I am quite pleased with it despite everything not being quite as it should be pattern wise.

And I do not like circular needles at all! 

The only advantage for me is I am less likely to drop the stitches which being so small are hard to find properly to pick back up. I prefer to knit on 4 or 5 pins and on around a 5.5mm as well! So I swapped back to the 5 pins and wow has it grown since I did that. I might even catch up the other KAL participants now!

More on this KAL next week

Bracken

Winwick Mun 2022 Sockalong - Mosaic socks

Just a quick post to show you my progress ( or lack of) taking part in the 2022 Winwick Mum Sockalong.

You may remember my previous two pairs of hand knit socks which were made using the basic sock along - also via Winwick Mum. 

However I followed that  sock along recently when in fact it occurred back in 2015. Theres more on my purple socks here 

https://brackencrafts.blogspot.com/2021/10/my-very-first-pair-of-knitted-socks.html

and green socks here. https://brackencrafts.blogspot.com/2021/12/green-socks-my-second-pair-of-hand.html

This time I am using the new ( and free) Mosaic socks pattern - by Winwick Mum. Again the idea is to use stashed yarns. I did have a look at proper sock yarn but its so expensive that unless I can afford quite a few balls I am better off trying to use my stashed yarns. The postage is as much as one ball of yarn! At some point I do need to buy some proper sock yarn but I need to be able to get about 6 balls to make it worth it. Or maybe visit an actual shop. Well for me thats such a novel idea and it has nothing to do with covid. I haven't been proper shopping for anything other than food since 2007! Also I still have about 20 balls of this ( bad buy!) lace weight kid mohair and the socks I already knitted from it are amazing.

I started these in pink and yellow with the yarn doubled (lace weight kid mohair as previously). But I had forgotten why I knitted the green in different shades - because its easier not to miss one of the threads when knitting! The green are silly and too thick though. I made holes in my fingers making them which meant I had to keep stopping to let my fingers heal. I should have knitted them as double knit or something!

I actually only need to knit the lace weight doubled to get the right thickness for sock yarn. So I decided having started in pink and yellow to change to pink/purple and yellow/green. Thats worked much better - though as you can see I left the original border in solid colours. But having completed one pattern repeat there is not enough contrast so I have now decided to go back to solid yellow but keep the pink/purple mix.

Once I get a bit further I will show you what it looks like. I am knitting so much slower than others doing this sockalong. Still never mind. So long as they get finished eventually. 

Oh and also this time I have actually invested in circular needles. I cannot knit on the recommended size so ended up buying 3mm, 2.5mm, 2.25mm, 2.75mm and 2mm. These are meant to be knitted on 2.5mm. To get the tension I am using 2.00mm and they are so small! Still I have a great set of small circular needles now!

More next week on these. They are kind of going on in the background whilst still sewing as usual.

Take care

Bracken