Friday 21 June 2019

The Marathon Sock KAL 2019: 10 days to go...

It's almost here: the Marathon Sock KAL - a KAL that involves a collective effort to knit a marathon's worth of yarn.*


The KAL will start on July 1st 2019, and run through the summer (prime sock-knitting season) or until we have knitted the full 26 miles of yarn.

Do I have to knit the full 26 miles by myself? No, of course not! All you have to do is knit a pair of adult-sized socks, and add a photo of them to the finished object thread when they're done, noting the amount of yarn used. I'll add up all the yarn lengths from each entry, and we should quite quickly have knitted a marathon's worth of yarn.

The chatter thread is open now in my Ravelry group, so you can start chatting about your plans for the KAL.

Until then, happy knitting.

********

Aim
Knit a Marathon's worth of socks: 26.219 miles of sock yarn converted into socks.

Rules
  • Socks be cast-on on or after July 1st 2019
  • Socks can be knitted or crocheted in any yarn weight
  • All socks must have a proper heel (no yoga or tube socks)
  • The KAL will close once the full 26 miles of yarn have been knitted
  • You must post a photo of your pair of socks to the KAL FO thread, including the exact number of metres of yarn you used (to the nearest metre)
  • I'll keep a running total for the group
  • To be eligible for a prize, you must be a member of the Ravelry group
  • If you're on Instagram, use the hashtag #marathonsockkal2019

Prizes
  • One prize drawn from #marathonsockkal2019 on Instagram
  • One prize drawn from the chatter thread
  • One prize drawn from the FO thread

*26.219 miles = 42 195 m; each of my pairs of socks uses approximately 300 m of yarn (assuming sock weight yarn at 400 m per 100 g)

Friday 14 June 2019

Mellow yellow (Yarn Along: June 2019)

Hello June! I'm a bit late with June's Yarn Along post, but, honestly, I'm working on the same project as last week, and reading the same book, so let's pretend I wrote this last week!

Having started work again after maternity leave, I'm restricting myself to one personal project at a time, with the general intention of casting things on, then actually finishing them. The current project is a cardigan for my smallest daughter. The weather in the UK at the minute is particularly erratic - it's pouring with rain as I write this, in spite of it being 'summer' - so layers are really helpful when dressing a small child. I'm knitting a Granny's Favourite, a cardigan that I have knitted before, several times. I'm knitting it in Bergere de France Ideal* in the colour way Jaune, which is a lovely soft buttery yellow, and will be perfect over summer dresses, assuming we ever get any sunshine. The yarn is listed as a DK weight, but I would say knits up better at 24 sts to 10 cm, so is on the lightweight side. The project is a lovely one, and I am enjoying adding a row here and there - I should be able to cast off the body in the next day or two.


When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is my current read, and it is one of the best things I've read in absolutely ages. Paul is 36 and coming to the end of his surgical training, looking forward to the life he's dreamed of when he finally qualifies, when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He wrote the book between his diagnosis and his death at 37. Kalanithi gained a degree in English Literature before he studied medicine, and his writing style is beautiful. I've recommended this book to everyone I have spoken to in the past few weeks, and so many people have replied that it is a fantastic book that has really stuck with them, so I would definitely recommend it. I would note though, that you shouldn't give it to someone as a 36th birthday present, as it will give them a complex!


What are you currently working on? Read anything good lately?

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along. Head to her post to find out what other people are reading and crafting on.

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