Where There's Muck There's Brass

By -
I've recently finished two pairs of socks.

The first was intended as a Christmas present for Mr but it's very hard to try and knit a pair of size 11 socks in secret and on a deadline, so it was after Christmas that they were finished.

His favourite colours are black and burnt orange together. So when I saw the yarn on The Knitting Goddess stand at Yarndale, it just had to be bought. The colour name is just great too, "Where There's Muck There's Brass".



The pattern is Paper Moon by AnneLena Mattison.  My ravelry project page. The pattern didn't go up large enough, so I had to alter it. The largest size went up to 70 sts, mine were 77 sts; I added the extra stitches within the garter stitch bands.

I worked them two at a time on circulars from the toe up. I'm a toe down kind of girl but I tried them for a change. Though I did manage to use up every yard of yarn this way, which definitely gets a tick in the pro column.

They look all wrinkled on the sock blockers, but they fit fine on Mr's feet.


The other pair of socks was for me. The pattern is Budleigh by Rachel Coopey. A beautiful pattern and I modified it to try and fit me better but I'm not hugely happy with the modifications.

The yarn is a pretty hand dyed sock yarn from Ring a Rosie at Whitley Bay (bought on holiday last year). The name for this is nice too, "Paddleboat on the Thames".



I cast on for the medium size and went down to the small size for the foot but I had to use the large heel to keep the sock in pattern. Perhaps there was a better way. It did fit well after I'd finished and I ended up re-doing the toes and taking an inch or so off the length. They fit a lot better now but they do look a bit stunt. At least I learnt how not to do something! I'm not sure the yarn is robust enough to wear with shoes all day long so they may be special occasion socks. Plus they're pretty and sparkly so they probably should be for parties anyway!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Substituting Yarn in a Project

By -
Image
So you’ve chosen your pattern, but either you don’t want to use the recommended yarn or you can’t find it to buy. This does not mean you are stuck. Many knitters, especially when they are just learning to knit, get stuck on the idea that you can only use the yarn that the pattern is written with. There are, occasionally, a few projects where it can be quite hard to find an alternative but that is very rare. There are a few factors that you want to think about when changing yarn.  Yarn Thickness The main one is the thickness of the yarn. This is the one factor that you absolutely have to consider. Everything else that I discuss below helps to hone your decision down but yarn thickness is at the core of a project. If you use a thicker yarn, it could make the fabric too dense and often make it impossible to match the gauge of the pattern. If you use a thinner yarn, then it will be more open and airy than intended; there’s more scope with this but some projects such as toys and bl
Read more

Photo Tutorial: How to Back a Knitted Blanket

By -
Image
Recently, I was asked to help out with a project. This wonderful blanket (designed by Debbie Abrahams from her book, Blanket and Throws to Knit ) was knitted by Ann. I was asked to piece it together and back it. The finished blanket is being used to raise money for When you Wish Upon a Star. The yarn was donated by A Good Yarn and the fabric and cotton by L & C Fabrics . I thought I’d show you how I went about backing the blanket, I went about it as I would a quilt. Though, I decided tying would be the best way of layering it together, as traditional quilting would be difficult on a knitted fabric. 1. Block the blanket. I pinned it out and spritzed it. Normally, I would wet block, but I was concerned that the red may bleed and it would take some time to dry too. 2. My blanket was too large for a standard width so I pieced the backing. The backing should be a few inches larger than the knitted blanket. Place it right side down on the floor. I then tape it down o
Read more

Photo & Video Tutorial: Magic Loop Cast-On

By -
Image
There are many different techniques for working in the round. One of my favourite techniques is magic loop. Benefits Less joins than DPNs, so less ladders Ladders are less likely to happen The needles are attached to each other, so you can't lose one down the side of a train seat! You just need to ask my friend, Julie, about that one! If the stitch count changes, then nothing needs to change with the needles. Unlike using small circulars or DPNs As the stitches are split in half, this lends itself particularly well to socks, mitts etc. For example, the heel stays on one half and the instep stitches on the other, none of the stitches need to be put on holders or moved about For the same reason, you don't need to use as many stitch markers as the ends of the needles mark the natural halfway points Just move the knitting onto the cables and there's no chance of losing any stitches when it's in your bag You don't get DPNs stuck up your sleeve! Downsides Can take a bit o
Read more