November review 2020

Stash used this month: 3.75

Total stash used this year: 46.75

Stash remaining: 323.5

Well I felt super productive last month!

I finished up two pairs of Diagon Ally socks, a cowl, an ear warmer, a little headband, a toddler jumper, and one sleeve of the boyfriend’s Flax jumper. Go me.

Don’t be expecting too much from this month though. My wonderful mix of anxiety and depression has been having a field day since the redundancy, and adding Christmas on top is not helping anything.

I’ve already decided that I’m not making any new presents this year. If something in my stash of finishes catches my eye then I may give them as gifts, but otherwise I’m going with Etsy or simply sending a card. The people I love already know that I love them, so they’ll understand.

Hannah

xXx

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FOs all over

Remember that test knit cowl I was doing the other day (or maybe ten years ago. I really can’t tell) with all the cables? Well I finished it.

Then I kept going and made an ear-warmer.

And then there was just a teeny bit of yarn left so I finished up with a headband.

They are SO warm and cosy.

I also managed to finish the jumper in time for posting tomorrow, and I love it.

Although I was mad at myself when I got to the end and realised there were 32 ends to sew in. Single-colour jumpers from now on!

And finally, my Diagon Ally socks are finished. The pattern isn’t as obvious in the darker yarn, but I still love them.

Blocking to follow when I’ve sewn in the ends and we’ll see what effect it has on this cottony sock yarn.

This brings my WIP list down to a slightly more sensible 6. I feel like I might have given myself a case of finish-itis; crossing all these WIPs off the list felt good and I really want some more of that. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 35

I got a bit (by which I mean totally) distracted by knitting cables last week so my socks still aren’t quite finished. I regret nothing.

One solid evening of work and they should be done and dusted.

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 34

These Diagon Ally socks feel like the quickest pair of full length socks I’ve ever made. I can’t wait to get them finished and onto my feet.

Then I’ll be on the lookout for a new pattern to try, does anyone have any suggestions? I’m pretty new to socking, but willing to give anything a go!

Hannah
xXx

Sock it to me Monday 33

Have I mentioned that Diagon Ally is addictive? I started a pair for myself last week and so far I’ve knitted them on the sofa, in bed, in the car, on a park bench, and in a cafe!  All this work means I’m already halfway through the first foot.

I’m using the Schoppel Boots yarn bought in Dunoon, just to see how the cotton content plays along. So far I can’t tell much difference from my usual wool/nylon yarn except that this feels ever so slightly rougher on my fingers as I work with it. It’ll be interesting to see what effect soaking/blocking will have when I’m done.

As for the shortie sock, that has been frogged. I hadn’t worked a stitch on it for weeks and it was on the verge of becoming a UFO so I bit the bullet and pulled it all out. Part of me is sad that my plan for the socks didn’t work out, but mainly I’m relieved that I don’t have to keep working on something that wasn’t making me happy at all.

So that’s my sock news for this week. What’s everyone else working on?

Hannah

xXx

October review 2020

Stash used this month: 0.5

Total stash used this year: 43

Stash added: 2

Stash remaining: 327.25

I’m really not getting through stash mountain as quickly as I hoped. That seems to be what happens when I can’t stop knitting socks; they’re such addictive little things, but not exactly yarn munchers.

All I’ve managed this month is a pair of socks for the boyfriend and two blanket squares.

Of course, stress-buying yarn isn’t helping either. I really am trying to cut down on that.

I’m now starting to think about Christmas presents, as well as a couple of December birthdays, so there should be something other than socks and blankets to show off this month! Even I’m looking forward to that.

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 32

Ooft what a Monday already. It just took five hours and six phone calls for the helpdesk to do a fix on my laptop that took LITERALLY FIVE MINUTES.

The plus side to being unable to work at all is I’ve just finished the boyfriend’s Diagonal Ally socks, ends sewn in and everything!

I cannot recommend this pattern enough. I have mentioned many, many times that I hate to knit ribbing, but for some reason it feels so easy with these that I’m already planning to make another pair. For myself this time.

I just love the way they look!

Hannah
xXx

Sock it to me Monday on a Tuesday

Is it definitely Tuesday? I’m having some trouble with days at the moment. That’s probably why I haven’t got much sock progress to show (it’s nothing to do with playing a lot of Zelda, obviously).

The second heel has been turned on the boyfriend’s socks and I’m now whizzing through the foot section.

The pattern is mirrored from the other sock so I can’t quite coast along already knowing what I’m doing, but I’ve got the gist of it. I’m hoping these will be FOs pretty soon.

As for the shortie sock, I’m STILL undecided so it hasn’t had a single stitch added yet. I just don’t know.

In other news, my recruitment agency has found me a job to start tomorrow. Good news is it’s working from home. Bad news is it’s temporary.

I want to be happy that I’ve got something, but my brain is telling me the rest of my life will be jumping from temp job to temp job, never being secure, always the new girl, renting forever because I’m a bad bet for a mortgage. Isn’t anxiety fun.

I’ve got a video call with them this afternoon and they’ll give me more details, so hopefully that will help ease some of my worry.

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 30

I finished my happy neon socks at last and wore them at the weekend.

These are Hermione’s Every Day Socks (Rav link) using Neon Rainbow sock yarn from Siobhan’s Crafts (I cannot recommend enough).

The first Diagon Ally sock is done and I’m whizzing through the leg of the second one.

And my shortie sock currently looks like this.

But there’s a wee niggle at the back of my mind telling me to frog it all. I’m not sure why, but I’m just not that happy with it. I’ll give it a few days in the naughty corner and see how I feel after that.

What do you guys think, Blogville?

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 29, and a request

Okay, Blogville. I have a job interview tomorrow, which I understand is a good thing from a financial point of view. But.  I still feel like I’m… is grieving too strong a word for a job?  I’ve been made redundant before and it was awful, but this time I thought I’d found my ‘forever’ job and I’d work there and progress until my retirement, so losing it has hit me so much harder. It’s not even been two weeks since the redundancy was confirmed, and going for an interview already feels terribly rushed.   

On the other hand I will need a job at some point, and the sooner I get into one the sooner I’ll be made permanent and will finally be able to apply for that elusive mortgage so we can buy our own place. 

I will go to the interview, but I’m worried that my confused feelings will get in the way of doing my best.  So my request is this: if you have any useful advice, please give it. If you pray then please will you pray for me. If you don’t then please send any happy/peaceful/decisive thoughts and feelings my way. If you can think of any other way to help then I am open to suggestions. Please and thank you.

Now, on to the socks.

I finally found a disadvantage to the integrated heel, when I opted for a contrasting heel colour. Because the gusset increases are knitted in the round (and I’m a fairly noob knitter), I couldn’t use the contrast colour on the heel flap so this is all the contrast I’ve got:

Not very impressive, but there’s no way I’m going all the way back and using a heel flap so I shall just live with it.

Diagon Ally is turning out to be a hugely addictive pattern. I don’t think I’ve ever knit a foot this quickly!

Just look at that gorgeous diagonal line.  

It’s not quite long enough as is, so I’m going to add on a few plain rows before starting the toe. I already can’t wait to cast on the next one!

 

Hannah

xXx

I’m still a bit dim

But at least not imagining things.

It turns out if you keep scrolling through Diagon Ally, past the charts, there are in fact written instructions for each foot. Sigh.

See what I mean about lacking brain power right now?

So the socks have come out of the naughty corner, and as of this morning I can just about see the beginning of the foot pattern emerging.

Hopefully I have enough wits left to follow the written part and I won’t have to frog the whole sock. Do please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hannah

xXx

Sock it to me Monday 28

I am very dim sometimes.

I read all the way through the Diagon Ally pattern before making a start, and I would have bet my redundancy money that it had written instructions for the whole of each sock. I definitely saw them. And yet, at this point of the sock knittage:

The next instruction is simply “work row 1 of the pattern chart”.

Rats.

Yes, I did say I might try something new and use the chart, but that was when things were going somewhat better for me and I had a bit of brain-power spare for such things.

So that sock immediately went into the naughty corner, and I started a wee pair of shortie socks I’ve been planning for a while to use up some partial and mini skeins. There’s not much to see yet, but here they are.

The plan is for these to be sister socks rather than twins, to make sure I can use up as many scraps as possible. Personally, I think they’ll look quite good! But feel free to reserve judgement until they’re finished.

Hannah

xXx