green sock update-heel done!!!

Look at this I've done the heel!!! all thanks to southern summer of socks !!! tinkingbell, rose red and kms gave me CLEAR instructions. Now I've done it I can't believe how simple it is to turn a heel!!! green sock looks longer in the photo than it really is, the length is 26 cm from the top to the bottom of the heel and I have about 5 cm more to knit of the foot before I can start the toe. The plan is to finish before the last day of November!!! then complete second sock by Christmas, I'm hoping that the second sock will knit up faster as all the problems have been ironed out already.

Japanese mulberry paper

Here are two little Japanese paper decorations, I found them at the craft fair in Deloraine. I wish I could have bought one of every type but I'm happy with just two.
I'M STUCK!!! I'm having trouble with the heel of my sock, it started fine then I got to this line of the pattern: TURN HEEL- 1st row- k13, k2tog, k1,Turn. I asked around and was told that it just meant turn as you're not knitting in a "round" any more, sounds simple but why then didn't the other rows of the heel say that???? By luck I've just found an old secondhand Patons yarn craft book and Turn means: Bring yarn to front of work, slip next stitch onto right hand needle, take yarn to back of work, slip stitch back onto left hand needle, then turn and proceed as given in instructions. This is so confusing!!!! is this called a wrap??? if it is why didn't they just say wrap???

Bunnies

A sad day on Saturday, the bunnies we were bunny sitting went home, we had them for over a month and got used to having them around. Dan made a large run for them it had to be divided in the middle otherwise they would fight. Bunnies are rather funny, not quite tame and not wild. They liked to box each other through the chicken wire and eat all my fresh herbs. Black bunny would thump her feet and White bunny would sit up on her back legs sniffing the air. They both liked to toss their food bowls around even when I'd freshly cleaned the hutches, but they were always ready for a cuddle.

First sock update

Green sock update, I'm almost up to the heel!!! all the decreases are finished!!! I just need to knit a few more rounds to make the length 21cm. I had a tiny splurge to celebrate, 1x clover plastic needle holder, 2x sets of needles size 2 and 2-25. On the 19-o9-07 I ordered Favorite Socks by Ann Budd at my local book shop, it's still not here, they didn't send the order until the 10-10-07!!! will it come before Christmas? sometimes living in Tasmania can be annoying, we just don't have enough variety and orders can take forever. I try to buy local rather than large chains, so orders usually take a while but 3 months is so long to wait, it will be a nice little extra present. I'll wrap it and put it under the tree with a card from me to me!!!!

Tasmanian wool

Here are my craft fair splurges!!! Ringrove Collection-natural colour wool, 1x 238g's the colour is lighter than this (top photo) and brushed kid mohair, hand spun by Tasmanian Woolie Crafts 1x100g's, 1x116g's (bottom photo) both are Tasmanian grown and made. They are so soft, I wish I could have bought heaps more but Christmas is just around the corner so I'm saving for lots of presents. No luck finding sock blocks, I'll have to buy some via the net.

El Dia de los Muertos!!!

Today is the first day of the festival "the Day of the Dead" ,"El Dia de los Muertos" so here's a fitting image (by Patrick Murillo for azcentral.com) will I look like this before I ever finish a pair of socks ? I hope not!!! Friday 2-11-07 I'm going to the Deloraine Craft Fair !!! there will be more than 200 stalls, so I should find something to buy, I really want some yarn, knitting bits & pieces also sock blocks, there's going to be some Japanese hand-made mulberry paper and indigo dyed cotton textiles, my fantastic partner Dan will drive me up and drop me off, he'll go for a bush walk, meet me for lunch, go off and do something else then pick me up on the way home. He can't stand slow walking with too many people around, he starts to look like he's about to run the 100 mt. dash!!!

Halloween Cat

spring flowers

Lovely spring flowers!!!, I've joined my first knit-a-long (kal for short) the southern summer of socks. It's great to see so many fantastic sock knitters in one place and heaps of new websites to visit. Plus everyone's really chatty, I'm still shy with comments but I hope by blogging I'll be more outgoing.

first sock

This is the start of my first knitted sock, the wool is 8ply and easy to work with. I did a test square to check tension but when I knitted the rib my tension is looser so I'll have to go down a needle size for the band. The cast on is plain-purl to match the rib. I thought it would be a good idea to do a test sock first to sort out any problems, so far each step has had them.

knitting

I've become totally obsessed with knitting, when I was in school it was totally hopeless, to tight or loose. Mum was a basic knitter, she worked full-time so she didn't have much time to spend on projects, she'd knit something every couple of years or so. I tried again in my 20's but chose the wrong pattern and yarn for a beginner, a sleeveless polo-neck with a tricky stitch and shaping, yarn was a cotton loopy bobble blend in white, what was I thinking? anyway it was a total flop, it stretched and sagged and my flatmates said it looked more like giant sea sponge, this put me off for quite a few years. So back to this year, at the beginning of winter I bought a handmade pair of socks from a local fair ( we called it the granny stall, as all the items were made by granny's) the socks are the warmest, softest I have. I WANT TO KNIT SOCKS !!! when I looked on the net there were so many fantastic blogs, free patterns and tutorials, I never get tired reading them. Something clicked in my brain and I new this time I could do it!!!. It was crochet first, five scarfs later (2'd picture is alpaca scarf,Patons Inca) then I started knitting, lots of practice first, now I've completed my first ever knitted scarf, checker board pattern (first photo). The next step 8ply green socks, Patons pattern. I can now cast on and do basic stitches on 4 needles, the join is still a bit wonky but it's almost right.