What I made, by Sharon

For sOctober I have the broadest definition of socks, so let me present to you thrummed slippers for my mother:
I remember when I knit the first pair of these, I was quite concerned becasue they are a strange item: inches of fleece in the bottom, fluff everywhere, but she loved them.

I like this colour so much more than the brown ones I made last time, which is not suprising, since last time I knit from stash, and this time I bought the yarn specifically for the project. Something satisfying about buying yarn for a specific project, and then knitting it up immediately.

The only change I made to the pattern was to carry along some of Kate Davies Millorachy Tweed when knitting the sole. I'm hoping that adding a yarn with mohair will make these soles more resistant to wear.

I love knee high socks. I normally wear them around the house, in winter over leggings or in cross seasons with a house dress or shorts. My favourite pair was knit in 2009, with left over yarn from the first jumper I ever made Leon. The are very comfortable, stay up, fit perfectly, but the toes always had holes where the decreases are. 

I had already decided to make Kate Davies Lord of the Isles socks (don't judge me, I haven't knit a Kate Davies pattern since September)when I found that this:




Yes, a whole lot of hole. I will  darn it, but I'm pretty glad that I'm halfway through the stunning replacement pair. 

The other week my mother requested new thrummed slippers, because her's had worn through, and she'd already darned them once. They are knit in chunky yarn, and I started going through my stash in my head - I could hold together three strands of fingering weight, I could... and then I realised, I could buy the right yarn for the project.
So I did. The chuunky yarn on the left, and the fibre for the thrums to the right. So that was fine. While I was on the Knit picks website I saw the felici was on special. I've always wanted to try this self stripping yarn, and resisted, because I have so much sock yarn alread - and so many socks. But I was in a shopping mood, so three balls of that fell into my basket:
 For baby jumpers? sneaker liners? Who knows.


I also bought a skein of sparkle yarn, because I love sparkle yarn. a couplde of my friedns have knititng machines, so I might make a sock blank and dye it, or I might use it for heels in sneaker liners. Or I could make a baby jump…

In January Kris destashed some yarn. I took some, because it was right there. I have actually managed to knit all that yarn (except the mint "cashmere") which is on my needles right now. Then she moved house and has less storage space, so she did another destash. Now Kris has exquisite taste, so even the yarn she is getting rid of is stunning. I wish I'd taken a picture of the pile.
Initially I took these two "boy coloured" lots of yarn for socks for Leon.
And then these climbed into my bag: I keep saying "for baby jumpers" but who knows what they will be.

And then some self striping Regia, because Regia, and it was sitting on the table, and no one else wanted it, and I know it will make something nice. Like a baby jumper. I know I only need three baby jumpers right now, and I've got yarn for all of them already, but it never hurts to plan ahead, right?



Also, there 'may" be a couple more balls of yarn coming in the mail. More on that, and a to…

I finished my first socks for sock knitting season - the Audrey sock yarn I was talking about earlier in the week.

It's marvelous yarn, and the rumour is that Dani will be dying us a colourway for Christmas this year too, so I look forward to that too.

The pattern uses a "strong" heel, which I think works quite well with self stripping yarn - the trick is that the heel turn is knitted in other yarn, which means the striping is not interrupted.

It also seems quite comfortable, although I'm not one of those people who finds trouble with the fit of most heels. Additionally, its pretty:

These socks used just over 60 grams of yarn - which means I have enough left over to make a pair of shorties, although I think some other yarn. Stay tuned - but first, I'm off to start some slippers for my mother.

Socktober, Socktober, the funnest month of the year...specially if you are an incorrigible sock knitter, like me. Last month I made two pairs of socks - a pair of shorties, where Iearned Kat Borhdi's Sweet Tomato Heel and  marvelous pair for Leon which were a test knit for our very own Katherine of Fiber and Sustenance.




This month it's going to be all socks all the time. I'm currently knitting some Black is the New Vanilla socks in "Audrey" a colourway dyed last Christmas specially for my knit group by  HalfBakedHandDyed, who is also a member of the Richmond Knitters. So far so good - a top down heel, without picking up stitches. Interesting.
Then I've got planned a pair of knee high socks with the yarn than Kris destashed in January. Kate Davies, or course, I don't think a month goes by when I don't knit a Kate Davies pattern.
her slippers had worn through, and the darns she has put in had also worn through, and it's her birthday next month, so sli…