FO Friday: Twinkle, twinkle little star

Last December (or maybe the one before!), in the midst of my frenzied gift knitting, I decided that I wanted to make something for me. Earlier this year, my husband picked up a new sideboard with glass-fronted cabinets in the top half for our living room, and as soon as I saw them I knew that during the Christmas period they would look lovely with a simple garland of stars hung across the fronts.

I considered knitting the stars, but I’m not a big fan of knitting small fiddly things, especially when you have to make several of them; as far as I’m concerned, projects like these are what crochet is made for. After browsing many, many patterns (both for stars and snowflakes) on Ravelry, I stumbled across One Dog Woof’s crocheted star ornament pattern via Instagram, where someone had crocheted individual stars to put on Christmas cards (a lovely idea, and one I would consider copying if I ever have time!).

The pattern is nice and straightforward, and I worked up the first star pretty quickly (definitely under half an hour). I even managed to work a magic loop for the first time (I have tried before, but it has always eluded me). Within a couple of hours I had quite a pile of stars. I’m not going to claim they are all perfect, they are absolutely not - I kept misreading the pattern, or not quite putting the hook in the right place, but once they’re all displayed en masse, you really can’t tell. After about seven, I had memorised the pattern, and I’m sure that a proficient crocheter could memorise the pattern much faster! I ended up with 13 stars, which I threaded onto thin silver ribbon, looping the ribbon back on itself at the joins between the stars so they didn’t slip.

What yarn did I use? Paintbox Yarns Metallic DK in the colourway Martini.* Paintbox Yarns launched this yarn at the end of the summer/early autumn, and it immediately made me think of Christmas decorations, even though it’s marketed as a summer yarn. The yarn has a chainette construction, which is lovely and smooth, and half the yarn is metallic and the other half plain (white in the Martini colourway). The yarn has a shimmer to it rather than a full-on sparkle, but I really liked that. I held the yarn double for my stars, and while it crocheted smoothly, I did have to use quite a lot of moisturiser on my hands otherwise the dry bits of my skin would catch on the plies within the chains. Overall I was pleased with the yarn, and holding it double gave a subtly marled effect that is festive without being too blingy.

I finished my garland of stars in plenty of time for Christmas, but what with one thing and another I never quite got round to hanging them properly, so instead they were laid across the front of the sideboard for the whole of Christmas. I’ve put them away now, along with the hooks I bought to hang them (then mislaid repeatedly...), so hopefully the stars will occupy their proper position next year!

Pattern: One Dog Woof’s crocheted star ornament pattern

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Metallic DK*
Ravelry project page**

*Supplied for review purposes. Affiliate link.

**Ravelry link. May cause issues for people with photosensitivity.

The FO reel: April-June 2020

I do a lot of crafting. Sometimes I make things that take a few hours, and some projects take years, but I am definitely guilty of finishing projects, then not thinking of them again, so I thought I'd put together a few finished object (FO) posts showcasing the projects I've finished so far this year. I'm going to focus on my yarn-related projects for the first couple of posts, but there might also be a sewing post if there is enough demand - the Covid lockdown inspired me to get that sewing machine out of the cupboard! This is the April-June 2020 installement, you can find the January-March 2020 installment here.

The FO-reel: April-June 2020

 Rainbow banners - one day all this will pass

Remember April? That strange month when we were indoors all the time. The lockdown has now eased, and it seems surreal to think that we were ever in that deep lockdown. These knits were my antidote to the lockdown: bright rainbow banners to hang in windows and let everyone know that we were still here and that we could make it through.

Ravelry project pages:*

• THANK YOU banner
• HAPPY banner
• Rainbow Heart banner
• Rainbow banner

Ravelry pattern page* (at the time of writing, the pattern is only available on Love Crafts, but I will be adding it to all my other places to purchase in the next week or so; Ravelry will list all the places you can get the pattern).

Hiding in the Bamboo socks - perfect for pandas as well as humans!

 I was sent some sock yarn by the lovely people at Love Crafts, and the colour inspired me to knit these socks inspired by bamboo - the colour reminded me of the stalks at our local boanic gardens, where the kids love to play hide and seek. The ribbed textre gives the socks lots of stretch too, which makes for a great fit.

The yarn is MillaMia Naturally Soft sock.**

Ravelry project page: Hiding in the Bamboo*

Want to buy the pattern? You can find it here.*

Easter weekend knit - Sparkle Pony socks

When I first started buying handdyed yarn, I fell in love with Cuddlebums yarn. Cuddlebums specialises in rainbows and I don't think she's ever dyed a colourway I don't like! This yarn was some that I got several years ago, but had never quite made it to the top of the pile. It's sparkly and pastel and rainbow, and I decided to knit it into socks over the Easter weekend.

The pattern is from my head, and I haven't managed to find time to write it up yet, but it's on the list. Hopefully I'll get on to it in the next few weeks.

Ravelry project page: Sparkle Pony socks

Gigantic socks!

My husband really likes hand knit socks, but socks in his size take forever to knit, so don't happen often. When I found this DK weight yarn in my stash, I decided that it would make good socks for him (DK weight = quicker to knit!). I rattled these out pretty quickly as they had roughly the same number of stitches as socks for me. The pair weighs 150 g, which means I should have enough for a second pair if I play around with the stripes...

Ravelry project page: Gigantic socks

Playing with Colourblocking

Image copyright I Like Knitting

 

I've been designing more garments this year, which has been really satsisfying. I'm really pleased with how my Soft Contrast Cardigan (designed for I Like Knitting) turned out. I've bought yarn to make one for myself as I designed it to be exactly the sort of thing I wear - it has pockets for throwing my keys into as I leave the house!

Ravelry project page: Soft Contrast Cardigan*

You can find out all about the pattern here.*

More Black and White - Just Checking In

Image copyright I Like Knitting

 Another pattern for I Like Knitting on the monochrome theme: the Just Checking In socks. These socks were really easy to knit as you add the vertical stripes at the end! So much fun - I think there may be more pairs in the future...

Ravelry project page: Just Checking In socks*

Find out all about the pattern here.*

The 'I meant to finish this in the spring' project - Daffodil socks

I have quite a collection of self-striping yarn, and could probably create my own 'knit through the seasons in stripes' KAL (I might do that next year...). I'd had this ball of yarn for a few years and wanted to knit it up in Spring. I cast these on before Spring, hoping I could wear them by around April 1st when the daffodils were out. Instead they took until June, and only then because I made a concerted effort to finish them one wet weekend. I love them, and can't wait to wear them in the Autumn. Maybe I'll manage a daffodil photo shoot next Spring?

Ravelry project page: Daffodil socks*

While I was finishing up socks... - Halloween socks

 

Speaking of seasonal socks not quite hitting their season: I cast on these Halloween socks in the Autumn. Then lost the project bag in mid-October. The bag finally turned up in a bag of Bags for Life in the Spring, and I got back to the socks in June. I am clearly ready for this Halloween! I knitted these socks as a sock snake (knitting a giant tube, then adding heels, toes and cuffs at the end). I didn't really enjoy the process, so I don't think I'll do it again...

Ravelry project page: Halloween socks*

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The pattern links I have included in this blog post all lead to Ravelry. If you cannot use Ravelry, or would prefer not to, all my patterns can be found on LoveCrafts.**

* Ravelry link. Caution: readers with photosensitivity may be triggered by these pages.

**Affiliate link.

The FO-reel! January-March 2020

I do a lot of crafting. Sometimes I make things that take a few hours, and some projects take years, but I am definitely guilty of finishing projects, then not thinking of them again, so I thought I'd put together a few finished object (FO) posts showcasing the projects I've finished so far this year. I'm going to focus on my yarn-related projects for the first couple of posts, but there might also be a sewing post if there is enough demand - the Covid lockdown inspired me to get that sewing machine out of the cupboard!

The FO-reel: January-March 2020

FestiveSockalong 2019 - stripey Christmas socks in January!

I have something of a knitting tradition: I cast on festive socks in November, and finally finish them in January... I'm never sure how that happens, but I am a repeat-offender! These are last year's Christmas socks, knitted in sport-weight yarn (yes, they were heavier-weight socks and I still didn't finish them in time for Christmas!). The yarn (Wollgarnspinnerei Ferner Mally Socks III) was gifted to me by @JinyKnits on Instagram as I saw hers and commented how much I loved them!

Ravelry prohect page: FestiveSockalong 2019*

Contorto socks - toe-up, cabled beauties!

Next in my pile of FOs is my Contorto socks sample. A lot of my knits are pattern samples, but they are often in my size, so they drift from the pattern pile into my sock drawer. These socks were knitted toe-up and feature lots of lovely cables. They're knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply, which is my go-to sock yarn as it shows off a pattern well, and wears like iron. If you want to make your own Contorto socks, you can find the pattern here.*

Ravelry project page: Contorto socks*

Effie socks - Malory Towers vibes

My Effie socks were knitted as part of my Midnight Feasts Collection, which all feature a frill at the base of the cuff for a vintage-vibe. I've been watching the BBC's adaptation of Malory Towers recently, and it's inspired the next couple of designs in the collection, so if frilly socks are your thing, keep your eyes peeled!

These socks are also knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Siganture 4-ply, with Drops Fabel for the cream frill.

If you want to knit your own frilly socks, you can find the ebook and individual patterns here.*

Ravelry project page: Effie socks*

Fluffy White Clouds for a new baby

It's been a while since I knitted a Fluffy White Clouds Blanket. The pattern is one of my best-sellers, and it was lovely to be able to revisit it to knit for my new nephew. I tweaked the clouds a little (mostly through laziness - I only wanted to work on one set of clouds at a time, so I didn't start a new row of colouds until I had finished the last). I still love this pattern as much as when I designed it.

Want to knit your own? You can find the pattern page here.* If you prefer crochet, there's also a crochet version available here.*

Ravelry project page: Fluffy White Clouds for G*

Liquorice allsort socks

I was gifted some sock yarn by Paintbox Yarns a while ago, including this fabulous zebra-striping colourway (available here**). I made the socks as a long tube, then added the heels, cuffs and toes at the end. It's not my favourite way of knitting socks, as knitting a really long tube is incredibly boring, so I probably won't be knitting socks that way again, but the finished socks are fabulous. I used scraps for the heels, toes and cuffs, and chose colours that reminded me of liquorice allsorts, which are my favourite sweets. I love these socks now they're finished.

Ravelry project page: Liquorice Allsort socks*

Porteau mitts - everybody needs a pair of mitts

When I went to Yorkshire Yarn Fest in November last year, I cam across Castleview Yarns for the first time. The stall was an absolute treat, with so many amazing rich colourways. I chose DK in Evil Queen to make myself some mitts and I'm so glad I did as I love them, and they have made an excellent replacement for my old mitts that finally disintegrated at the end of last year. The pattern is Porteau by Megan Nodecker.*

Ravelry project page: Porteau Mitts*

Stripe a Pose - for those that like their stripes neon

Here we have the first magazine sample from my FO pile: Stripe a Pose.* This jumper was inspired by all my favourite shop-bought jumpers, which tend to be striped. The jumper was a response to a neons and neutrals call for submission, and while Parchment and Fiesta are not my go-to colours, I love them together (the sample is knitted in Stylecraft Special DK)! The sample is unfortunately not in my size, but I'm hoping to get round to knitting a bigger version for myself soon, probably in a classic Breton colourway. The pattern is published in I Like Knitting magazine; you can find the full details on the Ravelry pattern page.*

Ravelry project page: Stripe a Pose*

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The pattern links I have included in this blog post all lead to Ravelry. If you cannot use Ravelry, or would prefer not to, all my patterns can be found on LoveCrafts.**

* Ravelry link. Caution: readers with photosensitivity may be triggered by these pages.

**Affiliate link.

The December 2019 FO-down!

I completed a lot of projects in December, all of them presents, so I couldn't share them as I finished them. To make up for this, here are all the projects I finished in December!*

1. A Christmas pudding hat

Years ago, I made a Christmas pudding hat for my friend's son. I think I made it when he was 18 months old, and he's now 8. He has worn the hat every December since then. At the start of December, his mum sent me a photo of him wearing his (now rather snug) hat, saying he still enjoyed wearing it, and that he shared it with his younger sister. This is clearly a very knitworthy child, so I immediately offered to knit a new, larger hat that he can wear for future Christmases.

I didn't manage to get the hat finished in time to be worn this Christmas, but I did put it in the post earlier in the week having finished it just before New Year. Obviously I did this (a) so that hat could be appreciated and admired, and (b) so that I was no longer responsible for having to locate that hat in November and making sure it can be worn in December. I know that hat has now arrived at its destination and is much appreciated by its owner.

Christmas pudding hat Ravelry project page

2. Rainbow Puerperium, mark II
 

In Spring last year, one of my friends had a baby boy. She already had two boys, but I decided that I would like to knit something for the new arrival that could be his, rather than a hand me down. While she was pregnant, she didn't know the sex of the baby, so I challenged myself to knit something gender-neutral, and went for a modification of one of my old favourites, the Beyond Puerperium.

Beyond Puerperium is a basic cardigan, with buttons down one edge of the front, rather than down the centre. This allows lots of opportunity for customisation. I decided to knit the cardigan in navy blue, with some cream garter ridges and a little crocheted rainbow motif. The finished cardigan went down so well, that when the baby had grown out of the first cardigan, his mum asked (very nicely) if I would consider making a larger one for him. Obviously I obliged!

The second cardigan is bigger, and the buttons are more widely-spaced. I used a larger crochet hook for the motif than I did for the first cardigan to make the rainbow a tiny bit bigger. I also used a different navy blue yarn, but this was completely down to what I had to hand rather than any preference, and the new cardigan is a little darker than the first. The cream and rainbow yarns were leftovers from assorted baby blankets, and I had about a metre of cream yarn at the end of the cardigan, which was cutting it finer than I had planned! I do like it when I can use up a whole scrap of yarn though.

Beyond Puerperium, mark II Ravelry project page

3. Two Granny's Favourites

Granny's Favourite is one of my most knitted patterns. It's by Australian designer Georgie Nicholson and it is excellent, ranging from baby sizes to age 12, and having lots of different length options for both the body and the sleeves, and as it's knitted from the top down, you can use every last scrap of yarn you have. A friend requested matching cardigans as Christmas presents for her twin nieces, so I decided to knit two Granny's Favourites. I used Stylecraft Special DK in Aspen for one and Lavender for the other, and the cardigans turned out really cute.

I did make one fairly major modification: I removed the lace from the bottoms of the sleeves and tapered the sleeves instead, as I find the cuffs rather loose as written.

I shared these on Instagram a couple of weeks ago to lots of positive reception, and a hint from my sister that my twin nieces would love some matching cardigans, so I fully expect to be returning to this pattern in the near future.

Granny's Favourite 1 Ravelry project page
Granny's Favourite 2 Ravelry project page

4. A Triangulation hat

I made my first Triangulation hat just before my youngest was born, and, as often happens, I shared some preview photos with my friend Amy. Amy said she loved it, so I offered to make one for her. Bearing in mind my daughter has already had her first birthday, this project was a little overdue!

I had intended having this hat ready for Christmas, and the knitting was complete, but we got waylaid by assorted illnesses, and the hat became a New Year present instead.

The hat has gone down well, with Amy's partner borrowing it too, so I'm going to make one for him when he gets back to me with the colours he'd like me to use!

Triangulaton hat Ravelry project page

5. A Ravenclaw scarf

In October or November, I had lunch with a friend who was telling me that her son was really enjoying reading the Harry Potter books. Somehow I found myself offering to knit her son a house scarf, even though I hate knitting scarves!

I didn't follow a pattern for the scarf, instead I grabbed a scarf I'd made for my husband years ago and copied that. 6 feet of 2 x 2 ribbing isn't really my idea of fun, but the stripes made it feel like the scarf was growing quite quickly, and the scarf was finished in under two weeks. While the finished scarf looks great (and is getting a lot of wear), I shan't be offering to knit another in the near future!

Ravenclaw scarf Ravelry project page

What did you knit in December? Were you cracking on with gift knitting, or did you knit something fabulous for yourself?

*If you want to know more about the patterns and yarns used, etc. I've put links to the Ravelry project pages at the end of each description. You can find full details by following the links.

Welcome to the sock parade!

For the past few weeks I have knitted little but socks. To me they really are the perfect portable project: small enough to be popped into a bag for a day out, easy enough to work on while feeding a baby or holding a conversation, and quick enough that you can get to the end of the project before you lose interest. Somehow, I have finished 10 pairs of socks so far this year,* which has surprised me! So here they are, 10 pairs of socks in all their glory.

1. Fabulous Felici socks
I started these socks a long time ago (2016 to be precise), whizzed through all the sock knitting and stalled at adding the heels. I had planned on these being my first afterthought heel socks, but got intimidated and put them to one side. I've now knitted several pairs with true afterthought heels, so once I stay down to work on them, knitting the heels only took an evening or so.

2. My Christmas Eve 2018 cast-on socks
Every year I cast on a pair of socks on (or around) Christmas Eve to work on over the festive period. Last year's cast-on was a pair of sport-weight socks in yarn from the December 2018 sock crate from Knit Crate. The yarn came as a colour-blocked yarn, which I broke down into its constituent colours and knitted up as tonal stripes with contrast heels and toes. I wasn't certain I'd have enough yarn to make full-length socks, so knitted these from the toe-up having split each shade of yarn into two balls that weighed the same. The socks are the perfect length, and I had just enough of the contrast yarn left for the cast-off.

3. Little rainbow socks
I can't resist a rainbow yarn, and this lovely bright rainbow yarn is no exception, it's just beautiful! My daughter (aged 4) saw it and requested socks for her in it. She has small feet, so in theory these socks should have been quick, but I got sidetracked after I started them last summer once I had knitted the first sock, so they were finished long after they should have been! Fortunately they still fitted when I finally finished them.

4. These socks make me think of cake...
I was given the yarn for these socks in my knitting-group Secret Santa last year, and I love it! There's something so cheery and bright about it, and the combination of pink and sprinkles makes me think of cake. I hadn't used King Cole Zig Zag before, and was pleasantly surprised - the yarn is inexpensive but nice to work with and I think it'll wear really well.

5. Another pair of Felici socks
Felici sock yarn is definitely one of my favourites: it comes in lots of bright, striped colours and is wonderfully soft. Unfortunately Knit Picks release the yarn in batches, and they usually sell out pretty quickly, so I always make sure to stock up when they have some available. I bought this colourway a few years ago, and had been hoarding it. The pink and green seemed perfect for spring, and I really enjoyed knitting these socks. It took me a few attempts to get the heel to look exactly how I wanted it to - the first time I misjudged how much yarn the heel turn would take, the second I used a pink that was just wrong, but I was really pleased with the final choice of green yarn for the heel turn: unobtrusive, and it kept the stripes in order.

6. From the deeper recesses of the WIP pile
I have a collection of long-abandoned sock works in progress (WIPs), and this spring I have been focusing on clearing some of them off the needles. These socks were cast on in 2016, on cheap circulars that I kept arguing with. Inevitably I abandoned the project, and when I picked it up again I switched to some nicer needles. Having looked at the socks, I decided that I needed them to have a few more stitches, so unravelled them and started again. Obviously I was more successful this time, and the finished pair have been sent to my brother.

7. Socks for a knitworthy uncle
I knitted my uncle some socks as a surprise birthday present a couple of years ago; he liked them so much he requested another pair, and this is what I came up with. The colours are more muted than I usually choose, but I enjoyed watching the gentle, soothing stripes appear.

8. I cast on the right number of stitches this time...
Sometimes when I knit socks, I underestimate how much attention I need to pay. Last year, I was knitting these socks to go to Marie Curie to be donated to a cancer patient over the festive period. I knitted the first sock, then ploughed on with the second. I did briefly wonder why the two socks were pooling differently, and it was only when I got to the heel that I realised I had cast on the wrong number of stitches for the second sock. Just before Christmas is not the best time to add extra things to my to-do list, so I put these to one side and came back to them earlier this month. I knitted a good portion of the second sock while watching Avengers: Endgame at the cinema, and these socks seemed to knit themselves once I got past the heel.

9. I weighed the yarn, and yet...
I cast on a pair of socks for my aunt at the same time as I was knitting socks for my uncle. I thought I'd be clever and use up the leftovers from another pair of socks. I weighed the yarn and got knitting. By the time I got to the heel of the first sock, I realised that I was definitely going to run out of yarn. Oops. Rather than unravel them and start again with something else, I made some slightly smaller socks, and sent them to my sister in law instead.

10. My aunt did get socks in the end!
Having passed the socks for my aunt on to my sister in law, I had to cast on a different pair for my aunt. This Stylecraft Head Over Heels was a yarn I was quite excited about knitting up, but was a little disappointed when it was actually on the needles. The colour changes are a little messy, and there are dye splashes on some of the stripes. Not the end of the world, but not quite what I was aiming for. The finished socks do look nice though, and I didn't run out before the end.

Here's to many more pairs of socks! I'm going to carry on working through the pile of old WIPs, and start knitting through my stash of special yarns - there are quite a lot and they deserve to become socks. Remember, I'll be hosting the Marathon Sock KAL from July 1st if you fancy joining me on a sock adventure.

*Ok, I didn't start them all this year...

Details of the yarns and patterns used can be found via the Ravelry project pages for each project, which are linked in the headings for each pair of socks.

FO Friday: Beatrice baby blanket

Last week some of my close friends had a new baby, which means I can finally properly share the baby blanket I made for them.

As soon as I found out my friends were having a baby, I knew exactly the type of thing I wanted to make for their new arrival - a crochet baby blanket that was airy enough for the summer, but snuggly enough for the autumn too, and in rainbow colours. My friends are not knitters, so I decided to make the blanket from an easy-care yarn, going for Stylecraft Special DK as it comes in lots of bright, bold colours, there are plenty of options for rainbows, and it withstands everything a small child is likely to throw at it really well.

To decide what colours to go for, I did a lot of browsing on Ravelry to see what other people had already done. There were many, many beautiful colourways that stood out, some girly, some very masculine, and some happily in the middle. I eventually found a favourite, then tweaked a couple of the colours for ones that I preferred, and ordered my yarn.

Choosing the pattern was easy: I made a Beatrice by Little Doolally for a different friend's wedding a few years ago and loved making it, so knew that I wanted to do that again. The pattern is lovely to work from, and grows quite quickly. The only slight drawback is that its open nature means it's hard to work over the ends as you go, and you end up having to darn in lots of ends at the end.

The finished blanket is beautiful, and has been well received. Even better there are enough rainbow  leftovers to make a blanket for another friend who is currently expecting a baby - I'm thinking of a Bertie Baby Blanket (also by Little Doolally) using Silver as the neutral colour.

What's your favourite baby blanket pattern?

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Pattern: Beatrice Baby Blanket by Little Dolally
Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK* in Cream, Lipstick, Spice, Saffron, Lime, Aster, Violet and Emperor
Ravelry project page

*Affiliate link.

FO Friday: Double Entrechat

A few weeks ago I spent a lovely day in Whitley Bay, one of my favourite northern coastal towns, at least in part because of the lovely yarn shop there: Ringarosie. A classic yarn shop, filled with haberdashery cabinets, yarns in all colours and weights, and tables displaying the finest wares, it really is a little yarn paradise. While I spent a lovely time browsing, I was aware that I probably didn’t need any more yarn so resisted the beautiful table of hand-dyed gems and the huge array of sock yarn. Is it possible to visit a beautiful yarn shop without leaving with something? I always find it a struggle, so decided that I could justify purchasing a couple of balls of aran weight yarn to knit two of my favourite Entrechat baby cardigans for upcoming arrivals.

The Entrechat cardigan by Lisa Chemery (Frogginette Knits) has to be one of my all-time favourite knitting patterns: I’ve knitted several as they are super-cute, super-quick and the smaller sizes can be knitted using a single 100g ball of aran weight yarn, which makes them pretty much the perfect gift for new baby girls.

If I’m gift-knitting for newborns I tend to chose machine-washable, easy-care yarns (I am a knitter and am aware how many newborn items I have destroyed by washing them incorrectly...), so decided to use Stylecraft Special Aran,* which comes in a decent array of colours, is machine washable and wears really well. As the cardigan is inherently girly, I decided to go overboard and knit one in purple and one in pink.

I knitted both in the 3-6 month size, and completed each within a few hours. I finished them off with gorgeous daisy buttons that made me think of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters. I cannot wait to see these on their intended recipients!

Each cardigan took 60 g of yarn, so I don’t have enough leftovers to make a second in either colour, but Lisa has a handy blog post about knitting a two-colour version that I’m thinking of making with the leftovers.

If you fancy making your own Entrechat cardigan, Lisa has patterns for an adult version, as well as baby and children’s versions in fingering, DK and aran weights, there’s also a matching bonnet pattern that is adorable (you can find them all in the Frogginette Ravelry store)! Lisa is running a KAL for all her Entrechat patterns over in her Ravelry group until the end of June 2018,** and until June 10th you can get 30% off any of the Entrechat patterns by using the code entrechatKAL

Do you have a go-to baby gift knit?

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Pattern: Entrechat by Lisa Chemery

Yarn: Stylecraft Special Aran* in Lavender (1188) and Magenta (1084)

Ravelry project page 1 (Lavender version)

Ravelry project page 2 (Magenta version)

*Affiliate link.

**You need to be a member of Ravelry to read this thread. Membership is free. 

FO Friday: Witches Brew socks

Over the Easter weekend, my son complained that none of his hand-knitted socks fitted him any more. My son is pretty knit-worthy (he is always first to tell me that his hand-knits need washing so he can wear them again), so I decided that as his feet aren't too enormous (they're about a UK 2), I would cast him on some new socks, as requested.

I was clearly feeling in a decadent mood, and decided to let my son choose what yarn he would like from my stash, so we spent a good half hour rummaging through all my sock yarn, and my son fished out these three beauties (don't worry mum, I don't need all three pairs at once. You can cast-on this yarn first...). These three skeins of yarn also happen to be three of my favourites (he has excellent taste, or maybe I've just trained him well). I did think about saying he couldn't have them as they were resevered for me, then remembered that a lot of the pleasure is in the knitting, so I would get to enjoy them that way, even if I didn't get to wear the finished socks. And I do have a lot of sock yarn.

I had planned another sock cast on for the Easter weekend, but as I already own a lot of socks that fit me, and my feet don't grow, I decided that it would make more sense to cast on the socks for my son immediately.

Rather than working out the measurements for a UK size 2 foot, it's sometimes quicker to draw round the recipient's foot (especially if you have them to hand) and use that as a template for the socks; as an added bonus apparently 6 year olds think having your feet drawn round is highly amusing. I did decline the Sharpie he handed me first - I wasn't sure he'd be amused by having a black line drawn on his actual foot...

To make this a quick and easy project, I used the Fish Lips Kiss pattern, which I have memorised. I don't follow the instructions included in the pattern about getting the foot length right as I find it makes the foot a tiny bit long, instead I measure the length of the toe once it's worked, then add an extra half inch and subtract the total from the length of the foot and start the heel at that point (clear as mud? Good).

I knitted these socks back to back over ten days, but the observant among you will notice that the yarn has pooled differently between the two socks. Somehow between the first and second socks my gauge changed slightly (one sock weighs half a gram more than the other). I have no idea why - I used the same needles throughout - and my son either hasn't noticed or isn't bothered. Variegated yarn is funny!

When I got to the end of the socks I weighed the leftovers, and there is *just* enough yarn left for me to knit some socks for me if I use a contrast yarn for the heels, toes and cuffs! I just need to decide what colour to use for the contrast...

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Witches Brew socks Ravelry project page
Pattern: Fish Lips Kiss by Sox Therapist
Yarn: 75% BLF, 25% nylon 4 ply from Felt Fusion in the colourway Witches Brew