It’s been far too long since I lasted posted. I have no excuses. I can only blame it on a lack of inspiration.

After all of the false starts I’ve finally decided to knit Kathryn some multi-coloured socks with some regia yarn I bought in Newcastle. I gave up on the idea of knitting her a scarf/shawl after I couldn’t find anything I liked enough and the stuff I found myself liking, I wouldn’t have been able to complete in time. I do plan on knitting her something else for later on in the year when we’ll hopefully see her again.

It feels like it’s been ages since I last updated the blog and in fact it has been.

So much has happened, not much of it knitting. I’ve always found knitting to be quite theraputic and with so much going on it would have been nice to have focused on that instead but I couldn’t because for some reason I hadn’t printed a copy of the argosy pattern off, instead I’d bookmarked the page and only really knitted while I’d been watching something on the computer, so when it broke, or was broken, I had nothing to follow and with my incredible lack of a decent memory I didn’t want to risk working on it and end up making a complete hash. So it’s been sitting waiting for me to get back “online”.

 

I hope to be back fairly soon with some knitting news and new photos!

 

My latest project. Argosy.

I’ve been doing little bits here and there. It’s knitting up really quickly and I’m getting more and more familiar with the pattern. I think I’ve learned my lesson now, I can’t knit without a row counter. I just end up being lost in a mass of tangled yarn.

I’m also still trying to figure out what to knit for a friend who lives in Turkey, I only have about 5 weeks to get it done and my Mam has suggested socks for through the winter when it’s colder but I’d really like to knit her a scarf or a wrap. I guess it’ll all come down to what I can get done in time. I was waiting to see what Argosy came out like.

We’re currently having “technical difficulties” so if I suddenly disappear, I haven’t gone far and I’m trying to get back.

On Teusday we lost Pip. We knew it was coming but it still hurts like hell. I never realised how upset I’d be.

Needless to say I haven’t done much knitting. Haven’t been in the mood. The thing that gets me the most is seeing how heartbroken my Mam is about the whole thing and knowing there’s nothing I can do to make her feel better.

Not only have I finished my first ever proper decent sock but I’ve only gone and finished its pair.

I was so happy with the way they turned out. I’d been knitting the first stitch from the next needle in an attempt to eliminate the join and it worked perfectly.  Don’t get me wrong they aren’t pristine or anything but as a first attempt I think they’re pretty darn good and I’m keeping them all for myself.

The stripes are almost perfectly matched, save for a few extra rows of blue at the beginning of the second sock, I thought it best to knit a few extra rows before turning the heel as being a few rows behind would have looked a bit silly. Does that make sense? lol.

I can’t believe how comfortable they are, I’m going to have to ration my usage of them so they don’t wear out too quickly.

While knitting my Basic Ribbed Socks I’ve mainly been watching ‘My Name Is Earl’ and ‘Arrested Development’ (I can’t believe they canceled such a good show

I figured it was about time I sort out all of my knitting needles, I didn’t realize quite how many I have and it’s by no means a complete or decent set but I think I’m beginning to learn to check my collection first before buying new ones. I still plan on treating myself to a complete set. I’ll probably wait until after June. I’m living on an extremely tight budget at the moment to pay for everything that needs to be paid for.

(just a few of the pairs I own.)

While finishing off my first sock, I came to the decision that it was best if I cast on for its pair straight away and so I did. I was pretty amazed at how quickly it was knitting up and before I knew it I’d turned the heel. I got thinking about how much sock yarn I have. I have 2 50g skeins of Garnstudio’s Fabel, that I got when I ordered my Kauni and I have a full skein of Opal floating around the house somewhere. I’m pretty sure theres another skein of Opal on some needles somewhere. I also have about 300g of 4ply yarn that I bought for £2.50 at a car boot sale that, in theory, should knit up into some nifty socks. I’ve never really understood it before but I can see why people are so into knitting socks. And I don’t want to jinx myself or the socks by saying that they’re turning out better than I hoped for and that they actually look like a decent pair of socks but that’s the idea thats floating around my head.

I can turn a heel with proper sock yarn and everything!

 

Maybe in another week and a bit I’ll actually have a pair. I was a bit skeptical that they’d actually be able to fit my feet but it looks like they just might! The next hurdle is completing this sock and casting on its pair.

I’m feeling very apathetic towards knitting at the moment and to life in general I suppose. After the whole Kauni Cozy debacle picking up a pair of needles has been the last thing on my mind.

I had planned to start the new year with a different view, to try and be more serious about my knitting. To stick at things and get projects completed. To force myself to work through the boring bits and not be distracted by other projects. Yet here I am with an almost completed Jumper thats sitting waiting for me to sew it together, a bundle of yarn waiting to be made into a fabulous shawl for a friend and various other yarns for projects I’ve either put aside or put off.

So here I am thinking fuck it, I’m fickle. Sometimes I get bored of doing the same thing over and over, sometimes I get interested in the next thing waiting for me. What really is wrong with that? If I want to have 2 or 3 projects on the go then why shouldn’t I? They’ll all get finished eventually so why worry?

Considering I haven’t got a clue what to knit with the Kauni I’ve decided to move on to something else. Socks!

I’ve knit the odd pair of bed socks before, nothing fancy, acrylic yarn. I can grasp the basics but the thought of knitting with proper sock yarn and smaller needles has always scared me a bit. When knitting the bed socks I never really paid attention to having the right needles or gauge or any of that stuff, I just cast on and started knitting.

I think half the trouble has been the fact that sock patterns just look scary and I’d lost the copy I had of the only pattern that’s ever been easy for me to follow. I’d spent ages trying to find the website again, I couldn’t remember exactly where it was or how I’d found it so after countless hours of trawling through Google I gave up. Then along came Ravelry. I was typing in basic sock pattern into the search engine and lo and behold there it was. The answer to my prayers. The basic ribbed socks pattern. I’m comforted by the fact that I know I can actually do this and I’ve done it before, though not on this scale and it isn’t looking half bad.

Notes

• I need a tape measure.
• I need to not lose my tape measure.

Not only have I done no knitting this week, I’ve frogged the knitting I had on my needles. So now I’m left with a ball of Kauni Yarn.

The pattern just didn’t look as good as I had hoped. I’ll try it again some time in the future with a different yarn but for now I’m looking for a new project for the Kauni.

I did spend some time sorting out my yarn stash.

I think the next project I cast on will be ‘Branching Out’ in Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

I just don’t know if I like it anymore.

It looks more like a scarf than a wrap/shawl. Although I liked it at first and then I didn’t and then I did, so maybe if I keep going and finish that little bit extra I might change my mind again. It doesn’t seem wide enough or long enough, I’m bang on with the measurements so maybe I was just expecting too much. I just can’t think what else I could do with the yarn. Maybe I need to frog it and start again. Maybe it just needs to be blocked.

I’m not going to do anything too rash. I shall take some time over my decision. I’ve always disliked the idea of having more than one project on the go but I bought several odd skeins for different projects. Maybe I need to work on one of those instead and then go back to the Cozy. Yes, perhaps a break/distraction is needed.