Projects, Projects, Projects!

I realise that I actually have four projects on the go at present.

Firstly and most importantly there is my hexagon blanket.

The main body is almost finished and I am trying to give it priority.

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Then there is my ‘can I really knit a sock?’ project.

The assistant priest in our parish, having seen me first in my spiral scarf and then in my rainbow scarf, realised that I must be a knitter and asked if I would knit him a pair of socks. Not any socks, mind you. He plays the bagpipes and is part of a music group. They have to wear white knee socks, which turn over at the top.  Apparently you can’t buy socks like this and they have to improvise. But if I could knit him a custom made pair!……………………..

Well I have never knitted socks. All these double pointed needles and picking up stitches for the heel had made me feel that I would never knit socks. But I told him I would think about it.

I discovered that socks could be knitted using circular needles, so not so many ends for stitches to fall off, and I even found a pattern  that used wraps to shape the heel, so no picking up stitches. It was getting better.

I decided that I would have to practice before I was finally sure I could do this. I only had DK yarn and circular needles suitable for DK yarn so I decided that would have to do. (At least I had some boring colours I didn’t need at present). I adjusted the number of stitches to suit the yarn and wow! I actually made a sock that fitted my foot. Yes. I can do this!

I couldn’t entirely eliminate the ladders you get, when using a long circular to knit a small circumference but then I discovered really small circular needles and decided to buy one.

Yes they really are that small.

I practised using straight needles and the small circular just to knit the heel part in some odd 4ply wool I had. Yeh! This works too.

Yes and I have even bought myself some gorgeous sock yarn to knit some socks for myself when I have made the knee socks. I am saving a reveal of this for a separate post.

At present, when my hands want a rest from crochet, I am working out how much I might have to increase to fit the sock round the calf. When I have finished the blanket then I start the socks proper.

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I have also been making a bag

similar to Lucy’s. I had so loved the thought of having it to use for holding my yarn, next to me on the settee.

She uses aran yarn and I only had DK so I have increased the number of rows for base and sides. It was useful for using up scraps of DK yarn and it was also good for when I needed some crochet I didn’t need to concentrate too hard on, (well not once I got to the sides). It is quite well advanced really.

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Lastly

I have a project that is really on the back burner and that is to make a Buff®. I saw it advertised in one of these little booklets for online companies you get and thought I could use the pattern I had used for my Scarf/Hat Tube Thingy  as all it is a stretchy tube. I have only done about the first four inches but it won’t take long when I decide to give it time.

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And of course I also manage to fit in the odd project on the side that can be completed quickly like the Cup Cape I made from the pattern at the Wool Hogs blog.

I made it to fit an old white mug I had, as most of my mugs have pictures on that you want to see. But now I have transferred it to my Bodum glass mug that I use for my breakfast green tea. It looks good on there too and fits just as well.