SM19 Sock Madness .... again

 

This year I seem to be free of any impediment to my competing in Sock Madness 19. Last year, I was busy with the solo exhibition, which seemed to eat up my time. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

The Warm up socks for this year are the Gansey Adventure Socks. I just picked out some stash yarn to knit with. It wasn't a particulary successful choice, but they are well fitting and a fun colour. What was really interesting about these socks was that many people converted them to fairisle or a mix of fairisle and the original gansey stitches, It was very effective.

The qualifying sock, Conjoined Sock twins, owed it's name to the construction method. A fairly simple looking cable and rib sock turned out to be something a bit more interesting. You started at the toe, knit up, then after a couple of rows of stocking stitch, knit the second sock down, then divided the sock and cast off afterwards.

Before splitting the socks, they looked like this:

And afterwards, like this:

Despite being a fairly simple, but effective pair of socks, they did hold some interest. Obviously, the construction method was novel, but also:

    -  Interesting how a little 1x1 twist in the centre of the cables has such impact

    - Nice to revisit the Judy's Magic Loop cast-on

    - Nice to try Judy’s surprisingly stretchy cast-off

Had to adjust enough of my thinking to do the top down after the top up, how did the designer do it?

A handknit Golf Vest from Rowan

 To start off 2025 I managed to finish my 'golf' vest.

Having played right through my first Winter of golf, I found that a short-sleeved top with a sleeveless vest managed to keep me warm and not too hot. All I had was two of Peter's golf vests, which were fine, but as they were commercially made, I preferred to have one of my own. 

I've been subscribing to the Rowan magazine for only a year previously to the issue where I found my vest.

I wanted to completely stash dive and made this in green tones, including a yarn that was a cardigan I knit when I was a child. It's the lightest green and the mid green was some handspun yarn. I'm very pleased with the result.

I do love my magazines, however, my usual goto magazines have disappeared in various ways. Vogue Knitting (Designer Knitting by the time it reaches Australia) has not published an issue since early 2023. This never arrived in Australia, except, I think for a few subscribers. They've never announced that they're done with, which hardly surprising as they've been difficult to deal with as an overseas subscriber and is the reason I've not had a subscription for quite some time relying on it's delivery to Australia, via the UK after getting a new cover.

 Pom Pom magazine announced it's closure and I got a digital copy of the last issue. This has been my goto for funky young designs and I'll keep using the copies I have as they are really lovely. I'm sorry to see them go, but I understand that two young publishers have finally found it too difficult. They are, however, continuing to work and publish in this space. I do look forward to see what they're doing next.

Then the Crafts Council UK magazine 'CRAFTS' has gone to a model where you join up and receive other benefits of a community. Unfortunately, it is not worthwhile to do this in Australia, as the only real benefit is the magazine and the cost is not suitable. I am bitterly disappointed as this magazine has been an inspiration for a long time. And now I find that they're discontinuing the magazine entirely.

And we come to Rowan magazine from the very famous stable of Rowan Yarn Company. I found, in Vinnies in Wonthaggi, the very first issue, just by chance and bought it without thinking about subscribing. 

I did like the issue and it had quite alot of interesting articles, and the patterns were still interesting after all these years. So when my magazine options ran out I decided to try Rowan. A subscription for a year is only 2 copies and you do become part of their community, so I don't find it too expensive.

I've been very happy with this. It doesn't have as many articles as the first issue, but enough to be interesting. The patterns are lovely and it arrives quickly after being released in the UK, so quickly, in fact that I get the latest copy before the previous copy arrives in Morris & Son in Sydney

So I have continued my subscription and received this next issue (No 76), in which was my pattern for my vest, along with a couple of contenders for inclusion in my wardrobe.

And, yes, I like the cover jumper!

Sock Madness....yet again

Sock Madness 18 has started. This is my ninth sock madness and this year I've made a vow to make sure I get gauge and fit correct.

So, in February, when you register, you get a pattern for a Warm up sock. This year it was 'In the Twilight', a twisty cable pattern. I used Naturally NZ – Waikiwi – Shade 420 which might end up being a present for someone else as they are too small.

Here, I played around getting the gauge correct. It was interesting as I knit at 7sts per 2.5cm in the round and 8sts per 2.5cm flat. However, my row count stayed at 10 rows per 2.5cm on 2.25mm needles. 

I obviously knit looser in the round, so I tried going down to 2.00mm needles for equivalent correct gauge.

It took me 9 days of gentle knitting to complete these socks while we all waited for the Qualifying 

So the Qualifying socks are Hydra Scales by Clair Wyvern. I got the correct gauge on the 2.00mm needles.  I Knit the Large and added a 16 row repeat to both socks. Did not adjust for my different foot length which didn't really a compromise on fit.

Used Katia United Sock, Queensland Collection Perth and yarn from an Indie dyer. The entire effect was all green. Took me another 9 days of easy knitting.

                                                 

It all now starts in earnest as we are allocated to Teams. This year the theme is pastries and I'm in Team Qatayef. Now we can get dropped. The first round is from 48 people down to 42. The pattern is I walk the line by Shuyi Wu

Took me 5 days to knit and it was passed and I'm into Round 2, not without a hitch, however.

I used the leftover Queensland Collection Perth yarn from the Qualifier and some Bendigo Sock yarn. I had a leftover ball which did most of the two socks which I was very happy with only to find that the whole ball I thought was the same wasn't. Fortunately, you are allowed to 'run out of yarn' provided you do used all the yarn and join in the new yarn for the rest. All I can say is that you won't see it when I'm wearing them!

Moving and Spinning

 

This was another project to take along to my Sit and Knit group, SNB Rosanna. But it did take a long time to finish. Originally, I was going to block it before sewing it together and finishing the neckline and cuffs. However, it sat there unable to find space, as I spent the year, getting our house ready for sale, and, eventually, selling and moving. Currently, I don't have the space to block, either, and despite the fact that it's Summer and I don't really need it, I decided to finish it off, and, wear it.

For the past couple of years, I've been spinning up the fleeces and tops that I had in my stash. These are natural colours and I have lots of different colours, but not enough of one for a whole jumper. So, I have been searching for patterns that have multiple colours.

This pattern is from 'The Knitter'. It's knitted in two pieces, bottom up and include the sleeves. 

It was pretty easy to knit as most of the rows were either stocking stitch or garter stitch. There's one row where you do short row knitting to get the bobble. This row takes ages!

Fortunately, the yarn fit to the pattern pretty well. 

Sock Madness has started....again....for the 17th time

 Yes, indeed, Sock Madness has started again. Registration is up until the 14th February. If you want all the details about Sock Madness, it's on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/groups/sock-madness-forever. If you're not on the worldwide knitting community that is Ravelry, perhaps you should have a look and see if it's for you.

Anyway, Sock Madness is, basically, a sock knitting competition, where everyone knits the same sock in two weeks. Over the 7 rounds there are fewer and fewer knitters as the time frame shortens and shortens. The patterns are amazing and you learn alot about knitting and yourself, and, you get a drawer full of beautiful handknit socks.

But I do have to ask myself why I keep doing it. I have an overwhelming number of handknit socks. My first Sock Madness was SM9 where my first socks were the Stroop Stroop socks, which were the warmup sock pattern for that year.

I've just finished this years warmup sock, which was one of three!

I continue to look forward to the challenge. It can be challenging, there are difficult patterns to interpret and knit fast. There are invariably, a new or nearly new technique to look up on Youtube, or figure out, along with fellow competitors. Again, the designs are amazing and done especially for the Madness. I love that people do this for free, they are so generous. We get a veritable library of patterns. 

I also like the competition. It's friendly and in many ways, collaborative as we help people with their difficulties, knowing that there will be someone to help us. But it's still a competition and that deadline, whether it's time based or numbers based motivates you to knit faster.

It's going to be interesting this year with one pattern apparently having a main colour and 34 different bits of colour.

I have bought myself a set of sock blockers, not so much to block the socks, but to be able to photograph them without have to get my feet in all sorts of positions. I hope it helps the moderators to view my finished socks also.

I've downloaded the other warmup socks, but don't have the time to knit them, I may never, but I have them. So, now, I wait impatiently for the 14th and the drop of the first pattern, the qualifying pattern. 

Finished - first for 2023

 

I started this simple t-shirt as an easy project to take to my sit and knit group (SNB Rosanna - on Ravelry-  for more info).

It's basically a stocking stitch t-shirt, however, the asymmetrical neckline gives it a twist. I do love asymmetry. It was lovely to knit and looks good on. Very happy with the result.

The pattern is 'Dora' from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2022.

The yarn is Papyrus 8ply by Fibra Natura, a lovely combination of 78% cotton, 22% silk. I purchased from Wonthaggi Fabric and Yarns, a great place to shop. Small but a great range. 

So glad I finished this in time for Summer. Now I have to find another mindless knit.

The Best Colourwork Pattern book I've ever seen

 I found a reference to a beautiful sweater by Kirsti Braein and found it on Ravelry where I discovered I could on get the pattern in a book....so I bought it...

There are so many interesting patterns. The problem with the book is that while the photographs are beautiful they don't always give you the best view of the jumper. 

These are some of the beautiful patterns, that have reasonable pictures. Many have very elaborate trims like peplums which can be removed and the main body extended, making very wearable garments.

The big issue with them for me, or perhaps the challenge, is that many of them use steeking for necks and armholes. (Steek: knit a tube and CUT holes for the neck and armholes!!!) I've never done this before, so I might do a simpler one first, using up some of my red wool.

Unfinished projects

So many unfinished projects, I seem to start and stop losing my mojo....until now. 

Have finally caught up with Stuart and Shannon in the park with an afternoon picnic lunch with all the others also picnicing. I remembered the jumper I started, having done the back and one sleeve. Because of the rib, I couldn't decide if it was too big or too small......All's good, it fits exactly as he would like it.

It's a pattern from 'The Knitter' magazine. (Issue 150) One of the magazines I bought during 2020 to add to the pile. That's how I passed the time, buying magazines. Now they sit at the front door, ready to take to my local knitting group to give away, when we can meet again. I didn't really want them all. At least I found this jumper for Stuart.

I did have to make several adjustments. The main adjustment was not to use the 10ply yarn recommended and select an 8 ply from the Bendigo Woollen Mills range. 10ply is just to hot for our climate and for my hot running boys.

It's a simple calculation if you do a tension swatch and have all the measurements.

I'm happy to be back knitting for Stuart. After that's finished there's an exciting challenge for Michael's next jumper.

Sock Madness 2020

Sock Madness came at just the right moment this year. I suspect for many people this was true. Most of us around the world were in various forms of lockdown, and in various forms of shock, as COVID-19 became a pandemic and restructured everyone's lives. Sock Madness gave me a structure and a goal and resulted in a terrific set of socks. 

I know the moderators plan the socks well ahead and couldn't have known what was ahead, but they do seem to be a particularly good set of socks with challenges and beautiful outcomes.

The socks are (from right to left):

    Qualifying Round : Wohin?

    Round 2: Echoes from a Transylvanian Forest

    Round 3: Lacy not Lazy Madness Socks

    Round 4: Adament Hears

    Round 1: Diamond Duality

    Round 5: Mobius Madness (this was my dropping out point but I decided to continue, especially, as it turned out, because round seven was written by Adrienne Fong who passed away. Such a lovely tribute.)

    Round 6: Lampropeltis

    Round 7: Suky

For me it was a bit more of a challenge than usual. Early on I made a mistake, picked up by the moderators and had to reknit a toe. Then later I completely misread the instructions and unfortunately the fix was too difficult and as I was in Round 6 I knew there was little time left, so I quit. A bit unhappily, but I'd never got two so wrong before, so a lesson learnt.

Can't wait for next year.

 

I need a pair of mittens

4th June, 2020

I decided yesterday afternoon to knit me a pair of mittens.

Well, it wasn't quite that sudden. I had decided that the pair of mittens that I had knit with yarn from Hawaii should be reknit and teamed with some hard wearing handspun yarn. The mittens had developed a hole which I didn't want to repair, as the mittens were quite flimsy.

However, between Round 6 and Round 7 of Sock Madness I had about 2 days. I'm no longer in the competition but was interested in knitting the socks with the beads which turn out to be the Round 7 socks. (192 beads is tantalising!) So I needed something quick.

I used my favourite basic pattern book: Winter Warmers from Patons. (Book 483) It has lots of hats, scarves and mittens in different weight yarns and it is an essential item in my pattern collection.

This is them...

Happy and warm.

So enjoyable, I did some more. Now I have a pair for the beach and one for the city.

The Round the World Trip blanket

I'm trying to do a series of posts that catch up with this year. The first post is all about my trip blanket. I finally finished it in January, way after our return in September.

The idea was to get a ball of yarn everywhere we stayed. This didn't always work out, but in the major cities where we stayed, I managed to find a yarn shop and often some yarn that was from the local area. I used the 10 stitch blanket pattern as I could do the yarns in order, which sometimes gave odd results, but that was the point for me, to keep it in order. See: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ten-stitch-blanket

These are the shops I managed to find yarn:

San Francisco - Atelier Yarns, 1945 Divisadero St., San Francisco

Bellingham - Northwest Yarns, 1401 Commercial St., Bellingham

Haines - Dalton City Yarn, 312 Main St., Haines

Anchorage - Wooly Mammoth Alaska, 416 G Street, Anchorage

Talkeetna – The Patchwork Moose, 22262 Talkeetna Spur Road, Talkeetna, Alaska

I don't think I took a picture of the tiny bit of Quviut yarn I bought here!

Cordova - The NetLoft, 140 Adams Avenue, Cordova

New York - Purl Soho, 459 Broome St., New York

Boston - Newbury Yarns, Old South Meeting House, 2 Milk Street, Boston

Helsinki - Fiinaneule, Simonkatu 12, Helsinki

Edinburgh - McAree Brothers, 19 Howe Street, Edinburgh

Belfast – The Wicker Man, 18 High Street, Belfast

A great Irish Craft souvenir shop, well worth a visit. Even has yarn!

Cambridge - Sew, Knit, Craft, King St., Cambridge

Stow-on-the-Wold - Bourton Basket, The Old Forge, Moore Road, Bourton-on-the-Water
Maidstone - Hobbycraft Maidstone, St Peters Wharf, St Peter’s St., Maidstone
Faversham – The Yarn Dispensary, 6 Market Pl, Faversham, United Kingdom
Vienna – Meidlinger Knopfkonig, Meidlinger Hauptstrasse 32, 1120 Wien, Austria

My favourite shop was in Cordova. The Net Loft is run by an amazing women who has managed to make this remote, off the tourist track yarn, art, embroidery, souvenier shop, quite a success. Full of amazing yarns, including locally dyed and working on locally produced, as well. She has a program where they knit Ganseys for the local fisherman, so successfully that the author of the book that inspired them, Knitted Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, created a Gansey just for them. For more information: https://thenetloftak.com/pages/cordova-gansey-project

Many birds migrate through Cordova, it is Alaska, and they created an exhibition of knitted birds and continues to get submissions from around the world. Have a look at this:  https://thenetloftak.com/pages/copper-river-delta-birds-by-hand

Asking at a local cafe, it was admitted that they didn't know a women who didn't knit. If only it were true everywhere.

Oh, and here is the blanket...

Gifting the Gnome

This is the third year of making something to give to the 'children' in our family. The first year I gave mittens and last year, bed socks. Coming to the third year I didn't have a clue about what to make. My time was limited as we went overseas and renovated our home kitchen.

All the 'children' are over 18 and several have partners, and I include the partners! Somehow I found a pattern that I'd had for quite a long time and decided to make Yuletide Gnomes.

I had a photocopy of an article from Simply Knitting from a Christmas Crafts Extra in 2005. Yuletide Gnomes by Alan Dart. They're based on Swedish Jultomten.

So thirteen gnomes had to be made from only my stash....not as hard as it sounds. Plenty of materials have been given and I had lots of eyelash yarn, great for beards, stuff that I will never use! I made all the hats in leftover handspun yarn, for those great individual hats.

This is my first attempt and now sits with all my Christmas trees.

This lot are ready to go, there are still three to make, but what a jolly bunch.

And here are the last lot, under the Christmas tree waiting to go to their new homes.

They all seemed to be accepted in the spirit with which they were made, so I'm quite happy. Next year, I will do something a bit more serious!

Getting Ready

Tuesdays are my Stitch 'n Bitch day at Four Leaves Cafe, so armed with my now started top down jumper, courtesy of 'Knitting from the top' by Barbara Walker, I have something to do!

Then, I have to get busy and work on this lovely fleece from Sheila Kempson at Perrynook, that I've washed to get ready for the plying class that I'm giving for the Handweavers and Spinners Guild Spinning Certificate course. 

I have to fill two bobbins and then start plying!

 Any wind the rest of the yarn ready for my jumper.

Starting

Weirdly, at the start of the week, it's all about new work.

Firstly, the sculpture I've been working on, based around the idea of 'no man is an island' has come to the point where I think I've resolved most problems, but I've been working on it so long that I really don't know if it works. So a good photograph of the work-in-progress has put those doubts not quite off to bed, perhaps just getting in their pyjamas!

Sculpture - provisional title 'Island'

 I also need some new knitting to take with me, but swatching was essential! Here it is and I'm using self-generating patterns from the book 'Unexpected Knitting' by Debbie New. With a mix of handspun and commercial yarn, I'm happy with the result.

What do you make from fabric yarn?

So I've found a couple of ways to make yarn from fabric, but "what", I can hear you say, "do you do with it?"

You knit dishcloths from the woven cotton fabric. They work really well, but not so easy to squeeze dry....still working on them!

Knitting dishcloths from fabric yarn.

My first dishcloth!

You stitch and use lazy squaw stitch to make little baskets to hold those errant keys!

Little bowls from fabric yarn and fabric strips.

Lovely little fabric bowl.

And you make coasters from the knit fabric which work really well and you knit more dishcloths.

More dishcloths and stitched coasters.

A finished coaster

And, what is it all for? To start my next sculpture! This is my prototype started!

My next sculpture!