#LooseEndsMAL: Sock WIPs - part two

At the start of the month, I launched the #LooseEndsMAL, a MakeALong (MAL) to encourage you to go and unearth some treasured works in progress (WIPs) and turn them into precious finished objects. If you’re not in love with the WIP any more, now is the time to let it go! You can read all about the MAL here.

It turns out I have *a lot* of sock WIPs, which might explain why I can never find any sock needles. I shared the first four pairs last week (you can read about them here), and here are the next four pairs that had disappeared into various corners of the house.

1. Fruit-tastic stripes!

I cast these watermelon socks on about 18 months ago, and they were an experiment in two ways: 1. The yarn is cotton, so this was going to be my first pair of hand-knitted cotton socks. 2. They are shortie socks, so can be worn in the summer.

I misjudged the row gauge of these ones so they got put to one side as I made the first foot too long. Re-examining them, I have absolutely no enthusiasm for them – in the summer I wear sandals all the time; in the winter, I like my socks to come up nice and high to keep my ankles warm. These are either going into the RIP pile, or I’m going to finish them for someone else.

Yarn: Regia Cotton Tutti Frutti in Wassermelone*

 

2. Candy Cane stripes

I cast these festive socks on in November, but ran out of time to finish them for Christmas, so sourced something else for the original recipient. They’re a UK size 5, which is far to small for me, but I have a few friends who might like them. I am going to play about with the length though – I wanted to do the heel in red, but putting the heel so it fell on a red stripe made the socks either too long or too short. I went with too short, but I think I’ll be happier if I switch to green for the heel, and work it on the green stripe between the two red stripes. Definitely a pair to revisit.

Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply* in Candy Cane and Cayenne Pepper.

 

3. Flamingo

Wow! This abandoned pair is OLD! Possibly summer 2017. I love the yarn, I love the sock, but, I used a really cheap set of needles and I cannot get the gauge to match between sock one and sock two!! One for the frog pile. I will reknit them though as I love the yarn. Those needles should probably go in the bin…

Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply* in Pink Flamingo and Sarsaparilla.

 

4. #gbboknitalong

This WIP is a much more recent one: I cast these socks on this summer to knit along with Great British Bake Off. The yarn is cake-inspired (Birthday Cake by Strawberry Fields Yarns), and the pattern I designed for the socks is also cake-inspired: Swirls and Sprinkles. The yarn is a bit busy for the pattern, and while I’ll finish the socks for myself, I think the design is going back to the drawing board.

Yarn: Birthday Cake by Strawberry Fields Yarns

 

WIP update

In case you were worried that I may never actually finish all these WIPs, have no fear! This week, I have been working on the Bah Humbug and Arcadia socks I shared last week, and they’re both making good progress. I even cast on sock number two in the Arcadia pair, so I should hopefully have a couple of finished objects in the not too distant future.

Bah Humbug sock progress

 

Arcadia sock progress

If you have long-abandoned WIPs that you need a push to get finished, why not join me in the #LooseEndsMAL, either on Instagram or Ravelry,** or let me know in the comments below what WIPs you want to get finished this year. The #LooseEndsMAL runs until the end of February 2021. For full details on how to enter, read this post.

*Affiliate link.

**Ravelry link; may cause issues to people with photosensitivity.

#LooseEndsMAL: Sock WIPs - part one

Earlier this week, I launched the #LooseEndsMAL, a MakeALong (MAL) to encourage you to go and unearth some treasured woks in progress (WIPs) and turn them into precious finished objects. If you’re not in love with the WIP any more, now is the time to let it go! You can read all about the MAL here.

After I posted, I round up all my works in progress, and discovered that there are far too many to share in one go, so I’m going to share them here on the blog over the next few weeks, a few at a time. First, we have a selection of my sock WIPs.

You may know that I really like knitting socks, and always have a few pairs on the go, but even I was surprised by how many sock WIPs I had lying about the house. Here are the first four…

 

1. Bah Humbug!

This pair of grey striped socks was cast on in November for the Stranded Podcast #FestiveSockalong They were meant as a Christmas present for my husband, but I clearly didn’t finish them on time! My husband loves hand-knitted socks, so it’s definitely worth me finishing them.

Yarns: King Cole Zig Zag in Humbug for the main colour, and Novita Venla* in the colourway Charcoal for the contrast.

Panda stitch marker by Jen's Crafty Charms.

 

2. Siren Song

Some socks have lots of lovely memories tied up with them, and that’s definitely true of this pair: I cast on this pair of Siren Song socks (available on Ravelry,** LoveCrafts and PayHip) for the Marathon Sock KAL that I host every year, in yarn by The Wool Kitchen that I picked up at Edinburgh Yarn Festival a few years ago. I miss yarn festivals so much!

 

3. Arcadia

These socks are a very recent cast on – December 2020 in fact! The yarn is Stylecraft Head Over Heels that my mum got me for Christmas. The yarn is really pretty, so I was very keen to cast it on straight away. I grabbed my usual needles, cast on my standard number of stitches, and chose a pattern I’d had in my library for ages (Arcadia by KBJ Designs), and started knitting. Unfortunately, the sock has come out a little snug for my feet, but will fit my sister, so I’m keeping them in the family and giving them to her.

 

4. Rainbow stripes

 

This rainbow tube is an ancient cast-on: I cast this sock on before my toddler was born and stopped working on it when she was a newborn. As she’s now two, that was a while ago! I still have a vision for what I want this WIP to become, so I shall have a think and see if the design will work with what I’ve already knitted.

Yarns: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply* in Rum Paradise (rainbow stripes) and Milk Bottle (cream).

 

I‘ll be back soon to share some more WIPs with you. Do you have long-abandoned WIPs that you need a push to get finished? Why not join me in the #LooseEndsMAL, either on Instagram or Ravelry,** or let me know in the comments below what WIPs you want to get finished this year. The #LooseEndsMAL runs until the end of February 2021. For full details on how to enter, read this post.

 

*Affiliate link.

**Ravelry link; may cause issues to people with photosensitivity.

#LooseEndsMAL

Do you have lots of works in progress lying about? Have some of them been abandoned for so long that they might more accurately be called unfinished objects? I know I do (some of them have even made it to the loft…), and if you do too, I have just the craftalong for you: the Loose Ends MakeALong

The aim of the Loose Ends MakeALong is to unearth some of those hidden treasures, and to either finish them, or to declare them forever unfinishable and get rid of them, either by unravelling, repurposing or, gasp, throwing them away! I know I feel guilty about the number of WIPs I have lying about, and I hope that drawing a line under them will lift that guilt from my shoulders: crafting is meant to be fun, after all!

I’ll primarily be hosting this craftalong on Instagram, where you can use the hashtag #LooseEndsMAL so I can see your projects. There is also a thread in my Ravelry group* where you can chat about your Loose Ends projects. All crafts are welcome.

Your entry needs to fit into one of the following categories:

1. A work in progress (WIP) that you have finished
2. A work in progress that you have unravelled, gifted, or disposed of
3. Stash that you have passed on to a new home
4. Something you have repaired to give it a new lease of life

To count as a WIP or stash, you must have started the project/owned the item in or before 2020.

You need to be able to share a link to a photo of the entry - you can host the photo on Ravelry, Instagram, or a photo hosting site, and the photo must be publicly viewable. Alternatively, you may email the photo to me - vikkibirddesigns @ gmail . com (remove the spaces!) By sharing the photo, you agree to me sharing the photo on my Instagram feed and in my Instagram stories (copyright remains with you and credit will be given); if you share the photo by email, let me know whether or not you give permission for me to share the photo.

Use this form to register entries for the #LooseEndsMAL

Entries close at the end of February 28th 2021, all time zones.

I’ll be providing three physical prizes for the Loose Ends MakeALong, all from my rather extensive stash:

1. Three balls of Willow and Lark Ramble (DK; 175 m per 50 g ball; 50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose; one each in Oxford Navy, Dutchess Blue and Plover Grey)
2. One skein of Owl About Yarn Cuddly Owl Sock (4ply; 425 m per 100 g skein; 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon; Amethyst Obsidian)
3. One skein of Norah George 80% Superwash Merino 20% Nylon High Twist (4ply; 400 m per 100 g skein; Hedwig)

Each of the three winners will also receive one pattern of their choice from my self-published patterns. Winners will be chosen randomly from all entries received, and will be drawn after the closing date.

*Ravelry may cause issues for people with photosensitivity. Proceed with caution.