After finishing my sister’s socks last week, my attention naturally turned to the next pair on my knitting queue: Damian’s birthday socks. Keeping this project under wraps is going to be a challenge, but if I can at least keep one key design element a secret, I’ll be happy knowing there’s still a bit of surprise left.
These socks will feature a small colourwork section, which meant I had to buy some extra yarn. “But Sonia, don’t you already have a sock yarn stash for every eventuality?” I hear you ask. Not in 8-ply, I don’t! The additional yarn is due to arrive tomorrow…
In the meantime, I’ve turned my attention back to my Marlene socks. I’m finally back in the groove with them, and I’m keen to get them finished, especially since they were cast on back in February 2025! This would also be the perfect opportunity to make some progress on my Nimue crochet blanket, but with Damian’s sock yarn arriving so soon, there isn’t much time before a new project inevitably jumps onto the needles.
I completed making the pair of (secret) Flamingo socks… this afternoon! About 2 hours before the birthday dinner for my sister Silvia. I’ve never knit so close up to a deadline, let alone wet-block right before gifting, hilarious! And weirdly I was quite calm about it. The socks were handed over a little damp and on sock blockers.
My sister was thrilled, as was I. I feel as though the socks are a perfect representation of Silvia, what a design brief! The flamingos, the tropical themed self-striping yarn (by HodgePodge fibres) and the co-ordinating cuff and heel (Lang Jawoll). Thank you extensive sock yarn collection! The other yarns used included, Advent mini skeins for the Flamingos and flowers and the white is Patons Patonyle.
The Flamboyant Flamingos pattern is by Charlotte Stone. After knitting these socks, I would highly recommend her patterns. I feel other designers don’t tackle the ‘getting the colourwork over the heel’ situation very well. Just going up a needle size, is not going to cut it. Charlotte has you increase your stitch count before the colourwork section (in this case by 8 sts), and then decrease back down after the colourwork. Huzzah! I have the formula for unlocking knitting colourwork socks and can apply these principles to other colourwork sock patterns not necessarily by Charlotte.
The creative juices are flowing for the next surprise pairs. But I’ll need to keep these under wraps until after the gifting, as the recipients are readers of the blog. You know me, I don’t want to spoil a surprise.
We’ve just arrived home after a wonderful weekend at Tarndie (also known as Tarndwarncoort), a working Polwarth sheep farm that also offers cosy accommodation; and is home to lots and lots of sheep. At this time of year, it’s also full of adorable baby lambs. Squee!
If you remember Damian’s surprise birthday gift to me, it was a weekend away at Tarndie where I got to name a baby lamb. It was such a blissful escape. We woke each morning to the sound of baaing sheep, and from our bedroom window all we could see were sheep grazing across the paddocks. It was peaceful, relaxing, and exactly what we needed.
I’m holding ‘Evie’, when she grows up I’m going to spin her fleece. It turns out Damian really loves sheep too…
It’s just as well we were only staying for a couple of nights, any longer and he might have tried to adopt the whole flock!
Tom and Jason are exceptional hosts who make you feel right at home. If you’re looking for a peaceful country escape, I can’t recommend staying at Tarndie highly enough.
The farm made the perfect backdrop for photographing my finished Celeste Sweater. With the Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show now less than three weeks away, I can’t wait to spend another weekend surrounded by sheep, wool, and wonderful friends.
I have finished knitting my Celeste Sweater, hurrah! I’ll endeavour to have some photos taken for next time.
Since then, I’ve cast on for my next pair of secret gift socks. I decided to have another crack at knitting colourwork socks for this pair. I thought of the perfect pattern, for my Flamingo, tropical loving sister. By all accounts Charlotte Stone’s patterns seem to manage the float fit issues that other sock designers have not, so I used her pattern: Flamboyant Flamingos.
I began knitting these on Saturday… I knit all of Sunday… I knit on these at Knit Night on Monday night… then…
I woke up on Tuesday, and all of a sudden, a little voice that I hadn’t heard all weekend… said I have to start again, very, very loudly! But as one last check… I blocked half a sock, I’ve never done that before, smacks of desperation doesn’t it?
The wet blocking only improved my uneven colourwork slightly. The yarn for the background of the colourwork is Lang Yarns Jawoll superwash. It feels like a thinner yarn, and not super soft. I also think the colour contrast between the background and the flamingos was not enough. I love the varigation in the flamingos, so the background colour needed to go.
After much yarn stash pondering, I’ve cast on again. This time I’m going to use Patons Patonyle in white for the background, it blooms nicely when washed, and will be a good contrast with the flamingo colour. I’m also going to make a concerted effort at using 9 inch circulars for the colourwork section. I used magic loop the first time.
I may have been hinting at this a little for a couple of months. Today is the big reveal… (Because I do have one of my sister’s read my blog, hi Suzy! I kind of needed to keep it under wraps until now). I’m knitting socks for my siblings this year! Their birthdays are somewhat spaced out, so I feel as though this is an achievable goal.
My sock drawer is full, I’m drowning (in a good way) in sock yarn; and I love knitting socks. I thought this was a great solution to getting my sock yarn stash down, except I’m still buying sock yarn faster than I’m knitting socks. Nevermind that!
Today we’re catching up as a family for one of my sister’s birthdays, and also for my niece who has turned 19 this month. When I completed my sister’s socks, I thought, maybe I should do a quick pair of 8ply socks for my niece, her feet are probably not going to get any bigger!
So I knit Lily up a pair in Halfbaked hand-dyed yarn in DK rainbow. Who doesn’t love a rainbow on their feet? These are a basic pair of socks with a Partridge heel, super fancy. I hope she loves them.
I also knit 2 pairs for my youngest sister, not sure I’ll be able to knit 2 pairs for all of my siblings, but I felt that I needed to show my appreciation for all that she does.
The neon self-striping Vanilla socks are also in a 4ply yarn by Danni from Halfbaked hand dyed. The varigated socks are in a DK yarn by The Knitting Man Recommends, with the cuff and toe yarn also by Danni. These are the Hibernal Socks by Summer Lee. I think they turned out really pretty and are nice and chunky for the cold weather we’ve been having in Melbourne.
I can’t wait to cast on my next pair of socks, but that birthday is just 1 month away. The colourway I’ve selected, I think suitably matches that sister! So fun.
Melbourne Fibrefest, formally known as The Coburg Market or the HandKnitters Guild Market, was on this weekend!
Now you know, I don’t need anymore yarn, but the Coburg market to me is like an amuse-bouche to the Sheep Show in Bendigo! All the best Melbourne Indy dyers attend and it starts the yarn purchasing juices flowing!
I like to get there early, in case Danni has some one-off self-striping balls of yarn. I was second in the queue… and Danni aka Half-baked hand dyed did not disapoint! She did move spots this year, so I dashed right past her at the start! Picture the Myer Boxing Day Sales of the 90’s 🙂
I also did lots of chatting to friends, and stall holders, it was rather difficult to buy yarn! I got some ideas and saw lots of beautiful yarn… but I’m saving myself for Bendigo.
And then a few of us from the Knitting Group went to lunch afterwards.
The skeins of sock yarn have been photographed and added to my Ravelry stash page. The yarn itself is sitting in the overflowing baskets of sock yarn in my living room. Sock yarn is moving out of my stash (just not at the rate it is coming in).
A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for the My Creative Garage Advent Calendar! I’m super excited about it, not only because it is Japanese themed (Vanessa, the hand-dyer behind My Creative Garage was inspired by the 2(!) trips she took to Japan in the last year) I’m also super excited because if you recall, I took a year off from Yarn Advent Calendars last year, and I really missed it! December 2025 was kind of sad, and then hectic and stressful (mum was in hospital).
So this December, I know is guaranteed to be great! (I know it’s not, but there’s no harm in hoping)
And then on Monday night at Knit Night, Chris mentioned the Skein Advent Calendar was launching this week. And… I guess I signed up for that one as well. What’s better than one Advent Calendar, two Advent Calendars of course. I’m just making sure I have a really happy end to 2026!
I think I already know what I’ll be knitting with both calendars as well, colourful knits are the best knits! I actually get a lot of wear out of the garments I’ve made with previous Advent Calendars. I doubt I’ll be casting on in December, but it is joyous to see the new colours each day, and dream and plan about what they may become.
The Celeste Knit-along with the Richmond Knitters is going pretty well, some people have already finished!
I’m up to the boring bit, but a bit of plain stocking stitch is quite relaxing when things have been super busy at work.
Here’s where I’m up to. I’ve been tapering the body in at the sides, so that it doesn’t end up so oversized. I think it’s looking great when I try it on. So long as I don’t make it too long, it’s going to be a good fit.
Other fun things, Damian bought a hundred Yuzus a couple of weeks ago, that is 100 Yuzus, so funny. He’s really getting into making foods at home. He made Yuzu jam, yuzu butter, yuzu brandy and yuzu salt! No yuzu went to waste! This past weekend he also made Strawberry Jam. I’m supporting him in these fruitful endeavours as much as possible.
I also purchased this very cool Sock Knitting brooch from Erstwilder, and we got Carol (my MIL) the box of pencils, she loves it!
I’ve finished some socks (more on that and pictures next time), and I’ve just cast these ones on. I really hope to finish them in a couple of weeks, as they are a little gift. It’s part of my year of making socks for others.
The funnest month of the year, went by pretty fast. I received some lovely gifts from Damian and my family, all of them sheepy and knitting related.
One of Damian’s gifts made me shed tears! He’s a bugger!!
I’m looking forward to this birthday present… especially since I just watched The Sheep Detectives in an advanced screening today. Baby lambs are just so cute.
Also today, this morning, very early, I went out to the Yarra Valley yarn market. It’s the first time I’ve been to this market, but it has already been running for a few years. The bad weather did not dampen my spirits, and in the 1 hour I had to browse, I got around to most stalls twice.
I pretty much just gave all my money to Danni from Halfbaked Hand dyed. I also bought a special birthday gift for our friend’s daughter who is a crocheter (not pictured, just in case).
A little knitting was done in April, but not enough, it’s never enough!
I’m almost at the end of the colour work portion of my Celeste Sweater for Bendigo. With two and a half months to go before the Sheep show, is it too much to be able to finish this and knit another garment?! And knit another 4 pairs of socks? yeah probably!
Yikes, it’s been a while. Things have been a little busy and distracting lately, but I’m here today to show off my recently finished Poisoned Apple Top by Lily Kate France. I managed to get some photos in yesterday before I lost the sunlight completely.
I think the top is ‘darling’ and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of puff sleeves. The yarn was purchased with a gift voucher from my Melbourne siblings for last year’s birthday. It is La Bien Aimee’s DK and Kumo. The Kumo is an alpaca/silk blend. I thought the alpaca would make it less itchy than the usual mohair/silk blends going around, but I have my suspicions that it is not. It hasn’t had a proper wear test yet, I’m a little afraid.
Not a ton of knitting has been done lately, but I have started swatching for the Celeste jumper my knitting group is making for the Sheep Show this year. I wasn’t going to do a colour swatch, but my friend Nikhil inspired me.
And now I think I need to swap out one of the colours… I’ve placed another order for an alternative colour for one of the pinks. Hopefully I’ll receive the yarn by next weekend for more swatching.
Sonia Knits 