2 at a time lounge socks

I haven't been here for a while, but I have now left my (very) full time job and so I now have plenty more time to make wonderful things.  Something I've been wanting to have a go at for ages is 2 at a time socks. I've always thought it looked very complicated though so was a bit scared to start off with.  Thankfully I found this amazing video which helped me no end.  A pattern can be bought to go along with the video from verypink.com too, I highly recommend using both the video and the pattern together.  I used two 4.5mm 80cm circular needles and 100g of Patons Wool Blend Aran yarn.

So the first step, and what I thought was the hardest step, was casting on.  If you get this right then you will be sorted for the rest of the socks I think.  It took me 4 attempts to get it right, but then there was actually that EUREKA! moment.  I was overwhelmed by pride!  :) 

So I happily knitted away at the cuff.  As you can see, these are rather chunky socks not really suitable for wearing with shoes, this is why I have called them lounge socks, good for lounging around in your PJs on a Sunday (or whatever day for that matter).  The next thing I had to do was knit the heel flap, which is done in the same way you would normally knit a heel flap.  Then I got scared as the next step was to turn the heel.  Duh, duh, DUHHHHH!

However, if you follow the pattern and the video carefully and calmly, and don't do anything until you are 100% sure of what you are meant to be doing, then this step is also quite simple.  It can feel a bit tight because there are so many stitches on the needles, but at this point you will start to decrease the number of stitches anyway, so again things start to feel easier.  When I turned the heel I just sat there and stared at them for a while as I was in awe of myself and kept thinking I had made the most amazing things.

So you just decrease as you would with a normal 1 at a time sock and then knit straight for as long as you need the foot to be.  These socks were for my daughter so they were quite diddy.  You may have noticed that I haven't used any stitch markers on these socks at all, that's because they're not needed.  You then decrease at the toe, like a normal 1 at a time sock and then you use Kitchener stitch to cast off.

This is the finished article!  Fabulous, fabulous socks.

To be honest 99% of this project I have found to be far, far simpler than knitting one sock at a time.  I just need to master the cast on and I will be very happy.  There is no second sock syndrome and you can be 100% sure that both socks are the same.  I will definitely be doing this again with the lighter weight yarn and 2.5mm needles.  However I am now doing something very simple as a break and making some lovely face cloths to go in my shop on Folksy.  See you all soon!

Patchwork cushion

I have been asked to make a patchwork quilt for a new baby arriving soon and thought I had best practise my patchworking skills.  I decided to choose a simple pattern, the Balkan Puzzle Block which is made up of half square triangles.  I had a look at some of the fat quarters I had a decided on these three fabrics.  I needed to cut 2 5.5in squares out of the patterned pieces and 4 5.5in squares out of the plain piece.

I then pinned a plain square to each patterned square and sewed around all four sides.

I then cut the square from corner to corner on the diagonal and this produces 4 half square triangles. 

 Ironed out this is what they look like.  I then trimmed off the little corner triangles so that they end up square.

 I then place them in the pattern that they will end up in.  I took a photo for reference.

 I then sewed along each row, and then I sewed each row together.

 This is the final block.

 And the back.

 With one of the patterned fabrics I made the backing and tada!  I have a Balkan Puzzle Block cushion.

Carding

I got my carders the other day and have slowly started to card my fleece.  This process not only makes the fleece ready for spinning but you can all get any unwanted grass that is still left in there out.  It is very simple, you catch some fleece onto one carders bristles, you then brush the other carder onto the first. 

  This gets all the fibres running in the same direction.

 Once you've finished carding you roll the fibre off the carders and this creates a rolag which is ready to spin

Here you can see the before and after carding.

Next I get to actually spin this stuff! 

Fleece cleaning

So after a very hot work out at the gym and a coffee at Waterstones I came home to wash my fleece.  As I said earlier it is unbelievably hot today so getting it dry should not be a problem.

I have never bought or washed fleece before and a few weeks ago I went to Cotswold Farm Park for a day out.  It just so happened that they had a sheep shearing demonstration going on and they were selling the fleeces that they sheared.  I decided I'd like the Castlemilk Moorit fleece as it was brown.  I am sure there are far more technical ways of choosing a fleece, but as yet I don't know them.  Trial and error is an interesting way to learn.  Also it was very cheap, £3 for a potato sack of fleece.  When I got home I read about and watched many videos on how to wash a fleece, I decided to go for the hand wash method as it is less likely to felt.

So first of all here is the unwashed 'raw' fleece.  It is extremely greasy which is why I kept a bit to make a pin cushion.  Apparently the lanolin will keep needles and pins in good condition.  Not only is it full of lanolin it also just has lots and lots of dirt in it, so it's got to come out.

 To stop the fleece from taking over the bath I put it in a washing net.  I filled the bath with hot, hot, HOT water and just a little detergent.  I placed the bag in the bath and then I just left it.  Within seconds the water was changing colour to a lovely shade of mud.

 I left the fleece in the water for 10 minutes and then changed the water.  This is what came out after the first soak!

 This after the second soak.

 This was it during the third soak with no detergent.  Each time it was soaked in the hottest water possible and just left there, no agitation, no scrubbing.

Then I put it outside to dry (still in the net bag) sopping wet and then went off to wash another bag load.

It has reached 30 degrees C here today so the fleece did not take long to dry.

The next thing to do will be to card the fleece, which I'll do when I get my carders this week.

Fleece

A few weeks ago I bought a fleece from a local farm.  It is the fleece from a Castlemilk Moorit sheep so it is naturally brown.  Today I aim to wash it and get it ready for carding.  I have never done this before so it will be nerve wrecking for me.  It is set to be the hottest day of the year so far so I will hopefully be able to let it dry naturally in the sun.  But first, gym!

Practise run

Been having a go at making some bags.  Watched a video on Craftsy and off I went.

This is my first bag

This is the inside of my first bag

A little pencil case/make-up bag

The two together

Over the weekend I shall be having a go at some other styles, but the tote bag is really nice.  Very spacious and comfy in the hand.  I gave the pencil case to a friend who is about to start college and she loves it.

Having a trip to an amazing looking fabric shop in a couple of weeks so watch this space.  It could end up full of bags!