sock story

I have knitted many socks.

I have tutored a workshop in knitting socks.

Why, then, can I not knit socks that actually fit me?

I have knitted four pairs of socks for myself.

The first were too big and were frogged.

Online Supersocke Cotton



The second were worn, but they were also too big and were frogged.

Tofutsies yarn













The third were knitted from the yarn from the first pair. The first sock fitted like a dream.



Waving Lace socks from "Favourite Socks"













The second sock, you may remember the saga, was knitted several months later on the same needles, with the same yarn, by the same knitter, and was Way. Too. Big.

The fourth pair of socks have languished for months waiting for the toes to be grafted.

Tidal Wave Socks from "South Seas Trading Company"













Why have they waited so long? I think the legs are too short and I'm not sure that the foot is long enough - it's snug, perhaps a little too snug!

I think I may have to frog back to the heel turning and add another pattern repeat.

As if that wasn't enough; last week I was cleaning up the knitting corner - it's the place where DD and I store UFOs, WIPs and hibernating projects. I found a small drawstring bag.

"What's in that?" I wondered, aloud, to myself.

You guessed it - a lone (knitted for charity) sock, waiting for its mate. *sigh*

I think I'm off to frog and/or knit socks.

Rising from the frog pond

After a week of deliberation, the beret did indeed go swimming in the frog-pond. And up out of it rose... a beret!

The new beret has been knitted on 2.75mm and 3.50mm needles [a smaller size than the smaller size used previously!!] - now, naturally enough, the beret fabric is tighter but the beret is too small for an adult's head - even for an adult's small head. But that's okay - it will fit an older child who will love the pink, mauve and yellow combination of my hand-dyed yarn.

As for the second 50g skein that was in the original; it is resting - waiting for me to realise what it was always meant to become!

So, a win all round - I successfully completed my beret [though I'm not entirely happy with the way the fabric bunches]; and a young lady somewhere will get a beautiful, one-of-a-kind beret.

Clapotis went swimming in the frog pond!

I learnt the reality of knitting with handpainted yarns. Despite both hanks looking very similar, they knitted up very differently. The second hank was a little darker overall than the first but had many more light patches - Clapotis looked like I had knitted two different fabrics and joined them together in the middle. In other words, it had an obvious dark line across the middle and looked terrible. [Anyone who's ever knitted with two different dyelots would know what I mean!] So, at 11 o'clock last night and 80% completed, I frogged the lot! :-(

I'm now about halfway through section #2, knitting two rows from each ball as I should have done in the first place.

Ah well, we live and learn!