Happy Easter…
Don’t eat too much chocolate! We’ll be sharing a Lindt golden bunny later!
Opal Play K3, P1 Ribbed Socks
These socks are knit in a k3, p1 rib pattern which is very comfortable to wear. Ribbed socks are great because they are so stretchy and fit the foot and leg very comfortably. I made these socks for Neil for Christmas and then promptly reclaimed them until I had photographed them. He’ll be pleased to find them neatly folded in his sock drawer!
I adore Opal yarns because the colours in the collections are so beautiful and love how Opal Play knits up into the very striking wide striped pattern. Also, the finished socks take a lot of wear and are an absolute dream to wash.
Wishing you lots of sock knitting fun!
Graft your Sock Toe with Kitchener Stitch
Grafting the Toe
Grafting or Kitchener Stitch is an excellent way of finishing the toe in a smooth neat way. But if you prefer, you can miss out the grafting stage and gather the remaining 8 stitches, pull them tight, and sew in the end firmly.
Set Up for Grafting
To graft you need to do a set up stage first.
Burra Bears Part 1
Why do I want to have my own burra bear as a keepsake for our visit to Shetland? Mainly, because they are absolutely the cutest bear I have seen in a very long time.
I’ve been dreaming about my burra bear over the last few months while I’ve been sorting through all the gorgeous shetland wool I brought home with me from Shetland… I emailed Wendy Inkster who makes these gorgeous bears, in early November and then, I had to embark on Christmas present knitting and my Burra Bear project ended up on the back burner. But I have not forgotten this bear.
Modern Fair Isle Knitting on Shetland
If like me, you visit Shetland on the trail of fair isle knitting, you won’t want to just look at the beautiful vintage examples in the museums, you’ll also want to see the modern pieces which you will see everywhere. Many of these are inspired by the vintage fair isle knitting traditions but the knitter’s on Shetland have taken the traditional techniques and patterns in new directions.[Read More]
Opal Schafpate Hat & Fingerless Mitts
The Opal Schafpate Hat & Fingerless Mitts were knit for my mother-in-law as part of her Christmas present. My mother-in-law loves walking and belongs to a couple of walking groups so I thought this would be a useful present for her. She loves to wear subtle colours so I opted for the Opal Schafpate VII Alpine Flower 8903. Choose your favourite opal Schafpate sock yarn in the yarn shop.
This is my Sock Head Slouch Hat No2. It was knit using the shorter length of the Sock Head Slouch Hat designed by Kelly McClure.[Read More]
Sea Blues Leftover Sock Yarn Socks
The Sea Blues Leftover Sock Yarn Socks used the 4 yarns that were used in the Blue Fair Isle Leftovers Socks with the addition of a 5th yarn. One was a commercial sock yarn and the other four yarns were indie hand dyed yarns. As is often the case with remnants of sock yarn the tags and labels have been lost or mislaid or have ended up in my bag of labels from previous projects. If I’d been sensible, I’d have tied a piece of the yarn around the label or to the tag, but I wasn’t really thinking ahead.
Laced with Magic
Every thing is finally working out for Chloe Hobbs, half sorceress half human and mayor of Sugar Maple, Vermont. That is until her lover’s ex turns up claiming to be haunted by her dead child – in Laced With Magic by Barbara Bretton.
As well as being mayor of Sugar Maple, Chloe is the owner of a celebrated knitting shop. The shop is so popular that at times Chloe has difficulty keeping up with requests for yarn. Chloe sometimes wonders if its popularity is due to some kind of spell that has been cast over it. Yes Sugar Maple is inhabited by supernatural creatures. And after years of waiting, Chloe has finally been able to find her magical powers. She has also managed to keep the residents of the town safe by banishing Isadora, a power hungry fae.[Read More]
Winter Moon Hat & Cochal Cowl
Happy Mother’s Day!
Hot on the heels of knitting my Sockhead Slouch Hats using 4ply sock yarn, I decided that I’d like a thicker DK weight hat for the cold morning walks on the beach with Bene. Even though we’re into March, the morning walks are seldom above 2 degrees celsius and often in driving rain.
I love all the colours in the Opal Winter Moon 8ply sock yarn collection but decided that I’d like to use 8925 Jingle Bells. When I first cast on, I thought it was a straightforward colour combination of tones of blue and red.[Read More]
Tangwick Haa Museum, Northmavine
We were lucky to visit the Tangwick Haa Museum on Northmavine when we visited Shetland in the Autumn. The changing exhibition at the Museum for 2015 was ‘The Way We Did It.’[Read More]
