Oh cripes! I just got another Cookie A shipping notification…
I’m 2 pairs of socks behind. And I’m not even knitting all of the patterns. My hope was to finish one of the 2 designs in the club yarn, every second month.
Despite advice to skip to the current sock yarn and pattern/s. I don’t want to. I’ll catch up, I know I can. And if I finish the Tulip socks before the next parcel arrives, then I’m only one behind… I hope the parcel man is slow…
I’m embarrassed to say cast-on for these socks was six months ago. But projects can linger around sometimes. In my case this happens more often than I’d like to admit.
It’s not that they were particularly difficult to knit, they were just a little fussy in places. 8 bobbles in one row, anyone? It’s a good pattern and I’m really happy with the result. My only annoyance with how the pattern is presented (and it took me 4 months to recognise the road-block), is the pattern graphs are really, really small on the A4 page. I’ve purchased a pdf, it doesn’t cost anymore to make a graph fill a page, hmm. So finally, I took a screenshot of my graph and printed it ‘to fit to page’… it made all the difference.
The yarn is BFL sock by Teopea, from one of her very first delicious batches of semi-solid blues. mmmm…
Now onto the next UFO.
Another Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show is over. I had a lovely time this year and only spent a fraction of what I did last year and I still had a wonderful time. Granted, I didn’t go with a shopping list, I didn’t need one, because well, this little squirrel has all the acorns she needs and then some.
I was very happy to be wearing my newly acquired gumboots, the rain and slooshy mud did not worry me at all. I did feel the crowd numbers were down, I don’t know if it was the weather or economic times that have kept people away.
My usual favourite stand-holders were there. It’s kind of nice to return to the show year after year and have a fair idea where the stores are situated. It was very enjoyable to browse and shop and enable with friends.
Here a few treasures I found: Stranded in Oz sock yarn, a ‘yarnie’ by Spindle Woody, a Turkish spindle, some Softrope fluff and a spindle bag from Spun Out. I tried out the spindle as soon as I got back to my room, my goodness how easy is a Turkish Spindle to spin with? Why didn’t anyone tell me? It spins itself!
Did you enjoy Bendigo this year?
I feel quite strange. Tomorrow the annual Sheep and Wool show begins and I feel quite calm…
Whilst I’ve planned for this months in advance, the normally panicky, anticipation I’ve previously experienced is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps this will be a low-key year for me, it’s been well documented that last year, I lost my head. Maybe I’ll do a Pransell, and only buy one skein, or worse, nothing… now that doesn’t seem likely.
The funnest part about Bendigo, is being surrounded by all things fibre and sharing it with friends and the constant squees. Maybe I’m getting a little excited now.
Hooray Still Light is finished!
I washed the tunic on Friday night and laid it flat to dry in the spare room. I went back to check on it a couple of times, gee it looked like it had grown! And then I was too afraid to look at it anymore. Finally today, I summoned up the courage to put it on to see what six months of knitting was worth. It hadn’t really grown, the fabric ‘relaxed’ and it was, well, perfect?!
I’m sure after a few wears I will think it was totally worth the time and effort. But right now, I’m taking pleasure in knitting smaller things.
Like my Anna Jarvis socks; mind you when I picked them up again yesterday, I questioned my sanity in choosing this pattern. Super pretty socks, but talk about complex, cables, bobbles and a starburst of a stitch that I’ve never ever done before and that’s just the leg, the foot on the other hand is a simple basket weave pattern. After finally completing the first leg, I did something I never do. I cast on the other leg before completing the first sock. I was really afraid if I didn’t do this the sheer thought of beginning the second sock after finishing the first sock was not going to happen.
So many things to knit now that I’m free from Still Light, so many socks to catch up on in the Cookie A sock club. I’ve even begun spinning again.
Sonia Knits 