FO Friday: Captain Nemo socks (Knit Picks Felici review)

Over the two and a half years since I learnt to knit socks, I have learnt that my favourite socks to knit and wear are vanilla socks (socks knitted in stocking stitch with no additional patterning). Vanilla socks really are the ultimate portable project: 100g of yarn and a single set of needles and you have a project that you can take anywhere with you, with long stretches of straight-forward knitting that can be done in waiting rooms, on the bus or while chatting with friends; you only have to pay attention for the heels and toes, and once you've done a few of those, even they don't pose much of a challenge. For ultimate portability, afterthought heels leave the heels to the end, so you don't even have to worry about those halfway through the sock.

Vanilla socks are made even better with the addition of self-patterning yarn. Self-patterning yarn, as the name suggests, does the hard work for you, by being coloured in such a way that it stripes or patterns as you knit. You can get striped yarns, fairisle-effect yarns, animal print yarns, even yarns that create pictures as you knit!

One of the yarns I was most excited about trying when I got confident knitting socks was Felici, a merino-nylon blend produced by Knit Picks, which comes in a wide variety of self-striping colourways. Only one drawback: Knit Picks are based in the US and, when I first heard about them, only shipped to selected countries, and those countries did not include the UK.

And then, late in 2015, Knit Picks started shipping to the UK and I got my hands on some Felici. I bought three colourways* and set about knitting some lovely stripey socks.

Felici collection: clockwise from top left: Spring Blooms, Coutness, Rainbow, Captain Nemo

Felici is released in batches once or twice a year, and when it's gone it's gone. I managed to get two colourways in the last release: Captain Nemo and Spring Blooms. I cast on the Captain Nemo colourway at the start of the summer and finally finished the socks last weekend.

The first thing to say about this yarn is that it is so soft. The yarn is made of a blend of merino (75%) and nylon (25%) - the nylon strengthens the yarn, making for quite durable socks. I would say though that I find the yarn knits up slightly looser than I would expect on my standard needle size (2 mm) - every pair of socks I have knitted with Felici has come out the tiniest bit bigger than expected, so consider going down a needle size or casting on slightly fewer stitches than you usually would.

The yarn comes in an amazing selection of bright colours, however, the colours are varied seasonally, and are not often repeated, so you should always buy as much as you need when you see it, as you may not be able to find the right colourway again. There are a couple of downsides to the colours: sometimes the colours have inconsistent stripe widths between colours in the the sequence, which can look a little odd when knitted up; often the contrast between adjacent colours is not great enough, so it looks like you have one giant stripe in one colour; and sometimes the colour changes are not the cleanest.

So here they are, my latest Felici socks. The colours are fab, and I really do love them. I knitted them from the toe up and added an afterthought heel. I had fun doing the heel of the first sock - I had left my scissors and darning needle at home, but managed to improvise with a fork to snip the stitch for the heel, and did the Kitchener stitch with my circular needle.

Ravelry project page

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici (currently unavailable)

*Two balls of each - the balls are 50 g each, so unless you're knitting small children's socks, you'll need two balls.

Yarning Along: Coffee and cake

There's a theme to this week's Yarning Along, and that theme is coffee and cake.

I'm writing this post in a cafe while I wait for the garage to finish with my car (it's having something replaced under warranty), and making the most of a couple of hours peace, relaxing with a coffee (black, no sugar, thank you) and the latest issue of The Simple Things magazine, which is always lovely (and I am clearly the target demographic as there are often adverts for yarn shops in there, even though it's not a yarn magazine). Some knitting may also happen, or not, I'll see where the mood takes me!

This weekend I spent a lovely evening at Lucy Locket Land for her Macmillan Coffee Morning, which was actually a 12 hour knitathon with coffee, cake and a grand raffle. The evening was perfect, with excellent company, raffle excitement (I didn't win anything), and I picked up a beautiful sock blank in shades of pink and purple that will one day become socks, but for now can be admired, or, at a push, used as a scarf!

The beautiful prize table at Lucy Locket Land

October is officially Socktober for all the social-media-knitters out there, and while I am focusing on commissions this month, I hope to get a couple of pairs off the needles. The Pairfect socks from last week have made a little progress, and I have some Halloween-striped yarn waiting to be knitted up.

Halloween self-striping yarn from Strawberry Fields Yarn

I have now finished reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and while I found the ending pretty much perfect, the book as a whole felt a bit predictable and I did find myself getting bored in places as not much happened. But it was nicely written, and I got through it quite quickly, which I think marks it as a reasonable read. I've moved on to Autumn by Ali Smith, which I selected purely because it's been nominated for The Man Booker Prize (one year I managed to read the whole shortlist before the winner was announced!). I am finding the writing style tricky in places - it is very literary - but the plot and characters are intriguing enough that I am persevering. 

What are you reading and knitting this week? As ever, I'm linking up with Rachel for Yarning Along - head to her blog to see what other people are reading and crafting.

New design: Susurration socks

Today I am delighted to announce the release of my new pattern: Susurration socks.

This pattern came about as a collaboration between me and my friend Fay (Bea and Rose), an indie dyer local to me who creates beautiful colourways: think deep saturated colours with plenty of speckles. A few months ago Fay suggested we work on a collaboration together, and this is what we came up with: the Susurration socks. Fay has dyed up amazing rich autumnal shades that echo the colours of wheat fields, a theme that is reflected in the lacy wheat stitch pattern that makes up the central panel of the socks. I came across the slipped-stitch textured stitch pattern in a stitch dictionary under the name grass stitch, which tied in so beautifully with the theme I couldn't not include it!

Why Susurration? Susurration means 'whispering or rustling', which makes me think of the sound of wheat ears rustling in the wind.

The Susurration socks are knitted using my favourite toe-up construction with a gusset and heel flap shaped with short rows. The socks have a pattern on the instep and around the leg, while the sole is knitted in stocking stitch. The gusset length is affected by your row/round gauge, so a table of gauge-dependent lengths is included to help you achieve the perfect fit.

I've written the pattern in three sizes (finished sock circumferences, 16 (20, 23.5) cm [6.5 (8, 9.25) in]), to ensure you can make perfectly fitting socks. When choosing which size to knit, choose the size that is approximately 2.5 cm [1 in] smaller than your foot circumference – socks are stretchy and negative ease helps the socks to fit properly. The pattern is needle-neutral and can be knitted on any of DPNs, short circulars or long circulars using the magic loop technique.

The socks are shown in a sample of Fay's 4 ply sock base (4 ply; 425 m [463 yds] per 100g skein; 75% merino wool, 25% nylon). The yarn is a merino/nylon blend that is perfect for socks with the softness of the merino yarn being strengthened and stabilised by the addition of nylon. The sample socks shown are the medium size for a UK size 6 foot (foot length 24 cm/9.5 in) and used 330 m [357 yds] of the suggested yarn.

If you buy the pattern direct from my Ravelry store, you will get a 15% discount code for Fay's shop.* Fay has dyed up several colourways especially for this pattern: Braciaca (top left), By the Fireside (top right), Cornucopia (bottom left) and Gather (bottom right).**

As ever, if you'd like to share your progress, create a project page on Ravelry, or post a photo to Instagram and tag me (@vikkibirddesigns). In addition, Fay will be running a knitalong for these socks in her Ravelry group until the 1st November 2017. Head over to the thread to join in the fun and be in with a chance of winning a skein of her hand dyed yarn and a project bag.

*Your discount code will be included on the final page of the pattern. Just open the pattern pdf when it arrives to find your code. Codes will be valid until 11.59pm BST, Tuesday 17th October 2017. Fay ships internationally and has a beautiful selection of yarn. Some colours have been specially dyed for the socks but the discount can be used on any product (excluding yarn clubs).

**Colourway photos are copyright Bea and Rose.

New designs: Can't Catch Me! and Waddle

Vikki Bird Designs has been in overdrive for the past few months, and today I'm launching two new patterns with a festive theme.*

First we have, Can't Catch Me!; this jumper's star is a smiley gingerbread man. This jumper was inspired by a cuddly ginerbread man towelling bath toy I bought for my son a few years ago, which was a surprise hit. My son loved the cuddly gingerbread man and took him to bed with him every night, so it seemed appropriate that I should design and knit a gingerbread man jumper. I named the pattern Can't Catch Me! after the children's fairy tale The Gingerbread Man.

The jumper is knitted in DK weight yarn, making it perfect as a layering piece over the festive season. The sample is knitted in Stylecraft Life DK** (75% premium acrylic, 25% wool, 298 m [325 yds] per 100 g ball) in Navy (2313, MC), Copper (2312, CC1), Cream (2305, CC2) and Fern (2311, CC3).

Can't Catch Me! is written in six sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12) years, to fit chest sizes 53 cm [20.75 in], 58.5 cm [23 in], 63.5 cm [25 in], 67 cm [26.5 in], 71 cm [28 in], 76 cm [30 in] with 5 cm [2 in] positive ease. The sample shown is knitted in size 4 years.

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Second up is Waddle, an aran weight jumper knitted featuring a cute and cuddly penguin. This jumper was designed for my daughter, who loves to have things knitted for her. Penguins are one of my favourite Christmas motifs, so it seemed obvious to include one on a jumper.

The jumper is knitted in aran weight yarn, and has a casual fit with 7.5 cm [3 in] positive ease, making it perfect as a cosy extra layer over the festive season. The sample is made from MillaMia Naturally Soft Aran** (100% merino wool, 80 m [87 yds] per 50 g ball) in Sky Blue (226, MC, blue version), Ochre (240, CC1), Slate (200, CC2) and Ivory (221, CC3).

Waddle is written for the same six sizes as Can't Catch Me!, but has a more relaxed fit, with 7.5 cm [3 in] positive ease.

Both jumpers are knitted in pieces from the bottom up, and the neckline is knitted on in the round after seaming the shoulders of the jumper. The motifs are added using the intarsia technique; the pattern for the intarsia section is provided both as a chart and as written instructions.

Introductory offer

As a special introductory offer, you can purchase either of these patterns from my Ravelry store with a 15% discount by using the code FESTIVE. This code is valid until 11.59pm BST, Sunday 15th October 2017.

Christmas KAL

Both of these jumpers can be knitted as part of the Vikki Bird Designs' Christmas KAL, which I am hosting in my Ravelry group. If these aren't your cup of tea, why not check out my other festive designs.

*These patterns were originally featured in Knit Now magazine. The self-published versions have a wider size range and some shaping details have been altered.

**Affiliate link.

New design: Scheurich hat and mitts set

Yesterday I showed you the Mr Bump and Little Miss Naughty jumpers that I designed for issue 79 of Knit Now magazine. Today I'm sharing the other pattern set I have in the issue: my Scheurich hat and mitts set.

The set is directly inspired by the onion motif used in Scheurich Keramik pottery. As soon as I saw the pottery, which features highly textured smoothly curved lines that look a little like the layers in an onion, I knew I had to replicate the curves in knitting.

The hat and mitts are both knitted in the round from the bottom up, starting with a 2 x 2 rib cuff and a ribbed-cable panel that starts in the ribbing and continues along the length of the item, on a stocking stitch base.

At the top of the hat, the cable reduces in size, and continues right up into the crown. The mitts have a plain thumb gusset that is worked at the same time as the rest of the mitt, and the thumbs are finished with 2 x 2 ribbing.

Each item comes in three sizes, so you should be able to find a size that fits you perfectly.

The set is knitted in Yarn Stories Fine Merino DK,* which comes in a variety of solid colours. If you fancied making a really special version of the set, I would suggest using a semi-solid such as The Yarn Collective Bloomsbury DK,* which would emulate the glossy glaze in the pottery.

The Scheurich hat and mitts set is available in issue 79 of Knit Now magazine, which is available in shops now, or you can order a copy online.

All images copyright Practical Publishing. 

*Affiliate links.

New design: Mr Bump and Little Miss Naughty jumpers

This week I have something very exciting to show you all (so exciting that I may actually have let out a little 'squee!' when the proofs came through last month): Mr Men and Little Miss sweaters!

At the start of the year Kate from KnitNow emailed me to say the magazine had a license to publish patterns for two Mr Men jumpers, and asked if I would like to do the designs. I love the Mr Men and Little Miss characters (to the extent that I hand-drew a set of playing cards featuring them when I was younger) so leapt at the chance.

The characters selected were Mr Bump and Little Miss Naughty, two of the classics, and I really enjoyed the design work – the bold lines and bright colours are perfectly suited to intarsia.

The pattern is the same for each jumper, you just choose the chart you want to use and start knitting. The jumpers are knitted flat with 2 x 2 ribbing for the hem and cuffs. The jumper is then seamed and the 2 x 2 ribbing neckline is knitted on in the round at the end. The jumpers are written in five sizes from 2 to 10 years, to fit chests from 53 to 71 cm [21 to 28 in] with 5 cm [2 in] positive ease.

The sweaters are knitted in PatonsMerino Extrafine DK.* The yarn is 100% merino wool and is lovely to knit with; it also comes in a huge array of colours, so if you'd prefer to knit the jumpers with a different colour background you'll have plenty of options. And it's machine washable and can be tumble dried; perfect for children's wear.

If you would like to knit your own Mr Bump and Little Miss Naughty sweaters, the pattern is available as a supplement with Knit Now issue 79, which is on sale now, and will be in shops until October 18th, or while stocks last.**

All images copyright Practical Publishing.

*Affiliate link.

**Owing to the license, the supplement is only available in the UK, and will not be available with the electronic versions of the magazine.

Yarning Along: A top-down challenge

This week's Yarning Along finds me just the tiniest bit tired. On Sunday I went to Yarndale with my friends Sam and Jo and had the best time (yes, there will be a full post about Yarndale in a few days time), but that combined with the usual mild winter lurgies means knitting time has been a bit limited by my need to get a few early nights!

I'm currently working on a lot of top secret projects that will make their appearance in the new year, but there is one project I can share: some top-down socks in Regia Pairfect.* I've used this yarn before and it really appeals to my perfectionist tendencies. The yarn is designed in such a way that it will always result in two perfectly matching socks, and comes with stitch counts for various foot sizes. The one drawback with the yarn is that it forces you to knit the socks top-down, which is unusual for me. I'm using the basic sock pattern from Custom Socks (an excellent comprehensive book, for the sizing charts alone), but I did somehow manage to knit the heel flap over the wrong number of stitches as I hadn't divided the stitches evenly for the ribbing and didn't think to check before working the heel. So I'm now halfway through my second attempt at the heel.

I am still reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and am a little less enthusiastic about it than I was last week. I am finding the writing style very, very readable, and have been making an effort to read when the house is quiet, but the main character is annoying, and I'm finding that certain aspects of the story aren't ringing true for me. I was starting to think that the story might be a little predictable, but the bit I was reading last night had a sudden change of pace, so it's possible this book might be surprising in the end.

One other thing I've been doing a bit more of in the past couple of weeks is baking. I haven't especially enjoyed the current series of Bake Off; I'm finding the editing of this series is making the format more formulaic than it needs to be, and am annoyed that the adverts make the running time of the show excessively long. I wondered whether doing some baking myself might make me more enthusiastic about the show, so last week I baked some blondies with peanut butter** that were amazing (and the kids didn't like them at all, so I didn't have to share), and this week I baked a simple chocolate cake, which was delicious, and I did enjoy last night's episode a little more, so maybe it's working!

Linking up with Rachel for Yarning Along.

*Affiliate link.

**Recipe from Bake by Rachel Allen.