Sunday 6 March 2016

Sock Ta-Dah!

Morning all. I'm so excited about this post as, after nearly a year of procrastination, I have actually managed to knit a pair of socks - yes, all by myself and everything!
I bought the yarn and a set of bamboo DPNs from a shop in Oxford sometime last year and what with one craft project and another (you know how it is), along with a dose of sock knitting anxiety, the yarn sat there looking at me reproachfully for the next 12 months.
I finally finished E's Dorset Blankie and rather than immediately starting another project to use up the leftover yarn, I decided to dust off my DPNs and give some socks a whirl.
Well, let me tell you that I am thrilled skinny to have finished them. They are by no means perfect but, for my first pair, they're not too shabby.
The pattern I followed was a free one that came with the yarn, along with a sock making book and a few internet sites to show me photos when I needed to visualize something a little better.
Anyway, enough of the wittering, here they are:


 I found sock yarn to be quite brilliant: the way you just knit away and these amazing stripes appear as if by magic.The yarn was a 'British Birds yarn'  and this particular one was 'Pheasant'. Here's Fergus posing in the garden, showing off his colours. What do you think? Does it look similar?
 
I hope so, because the next ones up (I've got the sock bug now!) are 'Blue Tit' socks!
 Other happies this week:
The view from the kitchen window - believe it or not, it was actually snowing at the time but it doesn't really show up; it just looks like any other rainy day in the UK, but the ducks and I got excited anyway:
 
The start of my Folk Art wall hanging:


.... and one extra bit of news this week: E resat her driving test. She is full of a cold at the moment and hadn't slept much the night before, so off she went  ill and exhausted to take her test. Apparently, it worked in her favour because she felt so awful that she just wanted it to be over and wasn't at all nervous ..... and she passed! We were so pleased.  So, no more lessons - Hurrah!

That's all for this week. Can I wish all the mummies out there a very happy Mothers' Day - I still don't know if that's Mother's singular or Mothers' collective, but have a happy one anyway!

Toodle Pip for now. x

16 comments:

  1. Well done, they look great and very warm. Knitting socks is one of those things I've always wanted to try (like making a soufflé, there's another one) but never got around to doing. I think it's using DPNs that scares me, I don't know why xx

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  2. I love your socks! Several striping yarn is marvellous isn't it. Congratulations on passing the driving test!

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  3. Whoop, whoop for those gorgeous socks! Clever you. They look just like fergus, too :-). And well done E!!!! Great news xx

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  4. Congratulations to E , I bet she's pleased. Your socks look great. Just as well you have more wool lined up cos you can't stop at one pair! Have a good week. B x

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  5. Congratulations on your first pair of socks! I love them! You will be knitting them for all your family before you know it! I don't wear anything other than handknit socks these days! Congratulations to your daughter on passing her driving test too!

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  6. Well done E on the driving test success, that's brilliant. I hope she's feeling better now. The socks are fab, and I love the phrase "thrilled skinny", I'm storing that one up for a rainy day. Fantastic how the yarn makes stripes isn't it. CJ xx

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  7. hurray for the socks and the driving test xxx

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  8. Double congratulations! You for the wonderful socks, and to your daughter for her driving test!! I passed my test (third go) after coming out of the test centre, driving through a small lake of a puddle and then figuring that I had failed so I just relaxed, I think that it is the relaxing thing that we need! Love your stitching too by the way! xx

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  9. Congratulations on your first pair of socks, they look fab but be warned they are addictive and can become something of an obsession. Congratulations also to your daughter on passing her driving test. xx

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  10. Struth! I wish I could knit, never mind knit a pair of socks!I do love yours, and Fergus, yes, I can see where pheasant yarn comes from, and blue tit. I did enjoy your folk art hangings. Ahhhh, congrats to E!xxx

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  11. Those socks are fabulous! I am sure they keep your toes lovely and warm, and yes, they do look a lot like Fergus :)

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  12. You deserve to be proud! Socks are the fiddliest, devilish and most contrary things to make and yours are fantastic. Mine, as you may have surmised, did not fare so well.
    Amalia
    xo

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  13. I am very impressed by your socks - they look amazing, and are Fergus-themed as well! I like to think that I'll try making socks one day. Congratulations to E on passing her test - a relief to teenager and parents alike. Your wall hanging looks very good - well done. Have a lovely week.
    Cathy x

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  14. I love the socks I was perusing the very same yarn this morning so I enjoyed seeing socks made up from it. Congrats to E on passing her test xx

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  15. Er what are DPNs? Total non - knitter here! Congrats on the driving test! It's so much more serious than it was in my day.

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    1. 'DPNs' stands for double pointed needles. I split the stitches between 4 of them and then use a 5th to knit with. It does take some getting used to - it's a bit like trying to knit with a porcupine at first but I'm slowly getting there. xx

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