#ilovebooksandsockknittingkal26
I've done a lot more listening to audio books than sock knitting over the past couple of weeks. However, here is my first of a pair of #IHeartSocks that I promised my niece about two years ago. I've got through a good few audio books since I last posted.
'Fair Play' is an exploration of grief with an added helping of a murder-mystery story.
'Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon' is set in Terrigal in the 1980s. It was not my usual reading but was pleasant and entertaining.
'Fable for the End of the World' is a YA dystopian sapphic romance, which is much more my style. I enjoyed the story although I felt most of the characters could have done with more development. I realised early on that I have read an earlier novel by Ava Reid ('A Study In Drowning') which was a dark academia style novel inspired by Welsh mythology.
'Mr Smith to you' is my current audio book, a fictional biography about the real life early 20th century Queensland jockey Bill Smith who was also a successful trans man. (According to Wikipedia, no one realised he was trans until after he died.)
Finally, I've been learning to handspin yarn using a drop spindle. The sixth slide shows my very first attempt at single-ply yarn, the seventh is my first bobbin next to my second bobbin, showing improved consistency, and the third is when I plied both yarns together to give a two-ply.
If anyone's keen to try spinning yarn themselves, I'm following the 'Spin and Dye' online course by Norton Fredericks which you can currently find on Retritus.com but which will only be available until the end of June. You need a drop spindle and 300g Corriedale fibre. All other materials and equipment are everyday household items.
I have not done much knitting over the last few months, but I managed to finish these #DragainMaraSocks for my teenager. The first photo shows front and back, so you can see the whole of one dragon.
I knitted the socks inside out to make sure the floats were not too tight. I then did my Kitchener stitch on the first sock inside out, which means there is a ridge at the end of the toes instead of the usual smooth join. I decided to do the same on the second sock. The recipient has been wearing the socks and has not complained.
The second photo is one of the pandas modelling the socks.
The third pic is the book I have been reading (but still haven't finished). It's a fascinating study of places all around the world that have been abandoned by humans.
Pattern:
Dragain Mara Socks by @stitchydragoncreates
Yarn:
Ashford Tekapo 3 ply in Azure (discontinued); Birdhouse Fibres Squish Sock in Lavender Hill and I think the pink is Ashford merino 4 ply in Flamingo.
Book:
'Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape' by Cal Flynn.
#ILoveBooksAndSockKnittingKAL26
This Oct and Nov I'm taking part in the #SKScrapalong again, organised by @societyknits . I started this #CinnaTop in the summer of 2023/2024 but then shelved it for quite a while. I'm hoping to finish it before this summer.
I'm using two different self-striping sock yarns plus a mini from my 2020 advent calendar. The mini is a white yarn with neon speckles, which may just about be visible in this photo.
It's going to end up looking quite different to my usual tops or blouses. I hope I like it enough to wear it when I'm finished!
For this year's #MonsterKAL25, @smcarn asked us to post a picture of our knitting with something else that we love.
I currently really love playing my trombone. I don't think anyone else in the household loves my playing, but they just have to put up with it.
I first tried the trombone when Kara Hewatt suggested I took one home at Easter last year. I can honestly say it has been tougher than any other instrument I have ever tried to play. It has forced me to think about my breathing, my posture, and what else I am doing with various parts of my body. Sometimes, the sound that comes out is completely different to what I intended. However, I am making just enough progress to find it rewarding, and dare I say I am actually looking forward to our next band concert?
#monstershowandtell #trombonelove
I seem to have had more knitting time than usual this week. Here is my first of two scrappy #SequentialSocks, which I'm knitting for the #MonsterKAL25. It has a Welsh heel and an Elegant toe construction, both of which were new techniques to me.
@barefootcrafter #SaturdayNightCraftAlong
This #ScrappySunday I am arranging my scrap yarn so I can make some #SequentialSocks for #MonsterKAL25.
I'll be alternating these brighter yarns with some purple yarn and brown yarn from my stash. I haven't knitted this pattern before and I'm looking forward to another pair of scrappy socks!
#ScrappySunday
I think my favourite way to knit with scraps is to splice the yarn together, wind into a self-striping ball, then use a simple pattern and watch the stripes emerge. It's certainly the easiest way to use up scraps, and it's fun even though I was the one who chose the colours in the first place.
This is going to become my first pair of #Everything_November_Mitts. If I hurry up, I might even be able to wear them on Thursday for band. That scout hut gets pretty chilly in the winter!
Pattern by @every.thing.shapes.us
It's Friday evening. I'm thinking of doing something with my hands while I catch up on Gardening Australia. Will I be working on one of my WIPs, or making a start on some socks I promised a family member, or making a dent in my mending pile?
No!
I'm rummaging through my leftover yarn thinking of starting another pair of scrappy socks for myself!
I could also do with another pair of fingerless mitts, since my garter-stitch ones have stretched considerably.
It looks like whatever I end up knitting will be rather skewed to the blue/violet end of the spectrum. I'm fine with that.
#monsterkal25 @smcarn
This is the self-drafted jumper I made for my daughter's birthday. It's shaped at the waist and hips as she requested, but I'm not very happy with the neck or shoulders. She wasn't sure if she wanted an off-the-shoulder look or not, but this jumper ended up with a very wide neck and hence can only be worn off-the-shoulder. I'm trying a top-down pattern with the leftover yarn to try for a similar jumper but a different neckline.
However, if I end up watching TV tonight, I might switch to something easier like vanilla socks!
If anyone knows a good bottom-up jumper design I could use just for the high chest and neck of this one, please let me know!
@barefootcrafter
#SaturdayNightCraftAlong #KnittingForFamily
I've almost finished the first of my teen's #DragainMaraSocks (pattern by @stitchydragoncreates ). It has taken me a LONG time to get to this point, but unfortunately I can't knit 8 hours a day, as much as I would love to.
#KnittingForFamily
#SaturdayNightCraftAlong @barefootcrafter
It's Wednesday and it is school holidays here in NSW.
Here is a close up of the first sock from the #DragainMaraSocks pattern by @stitchydragoncreates , which I'm currently working on as a late birthday present for one of my offspring #WIPWednesday.
Also some duplicate stitching on a pair of my socks that were getting quite worn out. #Mendsday
I knitted these socks before I learned to do jogless stripes in the round. It's good to see evidence of my progression with sock knitting.
I always struggle with getting any kind of routine in the school holidays. That's for myself, let alone anyone else in the household. How do other people manage? I'd love to hear your hacks, especially if you are neurodivergent, self-employed, homeschooling, or all of the above!
