Vanilla Latte Socks

Today I want to share with you my latest socks! I started these back in January and I probably finished them in February but I have only just got round to blocking them and photographing.

The pattern is Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes which is a free pattern that can be downloaded from Ravelry.  I recommend this pattern as it is a great beginner sock, or a sock to knit when you don't want anything too complicated! It is simple to knit and has just enough detail to keep you interested.

I made the medium size which involved casting on 64 stitches, and the socks were knitted on 2.5 mm needles.  The socks have come out slightly too loose so I think next time I will make the small, casting on 56 stitches.

The pattern is very well written and gives you lots of options. I chose to knit a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing as I think it the best ribbing for socks cuffs, and the stitch pattern for the leg is really easy too, as you alternate plain knit rows with a knit 6, purl 2 rib.

The pattern even offers three heel flap variations and two different toes.

I knitted the standard round wedge toe and then grafted the stitches together with Kitchener Stitch to close the toe

I knit a slip-stitch rib heel.

I've got some other knitting projects on the go which I hope to share soon.  I have not had any time for sewing but I am hoping that I find some time soon.

Catherine x

A project bag and more socks

Hello everyone

Today I have two things to share with you.

The first is a little project bag made using Simplicity 2830 from the It's So Easy range.

I bought this pattern as I have never made any bags before and thought as it was labelled "It's So Easy" it would be a good make for a beginner bag maker.

While I am fairly pleased with the finished make, I think the pattern was quite tricky to follow and it was not that easy really! The instructions were hard to follow at times, particularly when it came to making the strap and the instructions for inserting the zip were practically non-existent.

The pattern is for a bag in two sizes - 9 x 12 inches or 8 x 10 inches.  I decided to make the smaller of the two as I thought it would be a perfect sized project bag for storing my sock knitting.

I made the bag from a cute cotton that I bought at the October 2016 Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I only bought a metre as I bought it with bag making in mind.  Unfortunately I can't remember who I bought it from though, so sorry about that!

The bag is unlined and is seriously floppy. I think that for this bag to work more successfully you would need to choose a material with more structure.  The pattern recommended broadcloth, cotton/blends, damask or canvas, so I thought my material choice was okay at the time.

 I also think a lined bag would be better or one made with fusible interfacing to give it a better structure.

I'm glad I gave this pattern a go but I will not be making it again. I would hesitate to recommend this pattern as I am sure that there are much easier bags out there for beginners to make.

In light of this, I have been looking for a better project bag pattern.  I found this tutorial at Betsy Makes which is a really lovely blog that I have recently discovered.  I think that the instructions are much clearer to follow and the finished bag looks totally cute. I will be trying this one soon, so watch this space.

My second make to share with you is my next sock knitting project.  I wanted to knit an easy pattern that I would not have to concentrate on.  A quick search on Ravelry and I came up with this pattern called Vanilla Latte Socks. This is a free pattern that is really popular on Ravelry, and having nearly finished my first sock I can see why, as the instructions are very clear and detailed and the finished sock is simple but attractive.

I am making the medium size which involved casting on 64 stitches, and I am using 2.5 mm needles this time.  The pattern is very well written and gives you lots of options. I chose to knit a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing as I think it the best ribbing for socks cuffs, and the stitch pattern for the leg is really easy too, as you alternate plain knit rows with a knit 6, purl 2 rib. The pattern even offers three heel flap variations and two different toes.

The yarn I am using is a 4ply self striping yarn by Regia that I bought online from Love Knitting. As soon as sock number one is finished I am going to cast on sock number two so that I don't leave it months between socks.

I am also using my new sock needles that I am totally in love with. I got a set of KnitPro Royale double-ended knitting needles for Christmas and they are an absolute dream to knit with as they feel so warm and lightweight in the hand, but have a nice metal tip.  I would definitely recommend these sock needles.

I have also ordered a new book Toe-Up 2-At-A-Time Socksby Melissa Morgan-Oakes as I thought I would try both knitting toe-up socks which would be new to me and also try the 2 at a time method using one circular needle to see if it combats second sock syndrome.   Once I get the book I might write a review here. I am not convinced I will like this method as I quite like knitting on four needles, but I am willing to give it a go! The advantage in the toe up method seems to be that you will not run out of yarn and you do not need to use Kitchener stitch to graft the toe together.

Until next time

Catherine x

Cosy Cable socks

Hey everyone, popping back after a long absence!  Hopefully I will find more time to post in the New Year!

Unfortunately I have not had much time for sewing, but I have been knitting.

I finally finished the socks that I posted about here. I started these back in April and I've only just finished the second one!

The socks are knitted using  a simple cable pattern that came free with Simply Knitting. The socks are designed by Jane Burns, and are knitted on four needles.

The cuff features a twisted rib and then the main sock is knitted with a cable at the front and the back. The heel is reinforced with slip stitch.

Unfortunately the pattern had some errors so thank god for Ravelry. Luckily another knitter had made these, and had made notes on how to work these correctly as the pattern had me scratching my head.

I did not use the yarn specified in the pattern, Instead I used a funky variegated 4ply from my stash..

The pattern also specified 3mm needles, however if I was to knit these again I think I would size down to 2.5mm as socks should be knit a bit firmer in my opinion. The needles I used were 15 cm Knitpro Zing double-pointed needles which come in a range of funky colours.

All in all I'm pretty pleased with these socks. It's a pity it took me so long to knit the second one. I'm seriously considering investigating how to knit two at a time socks on circular needles to see if this will help with second sock syndrome!

If you knit socks I'd love to know if you are a two at a time knitter or how you combat second sock syndrome!

Catherine x

A finished pair of socks...at last

I've finally got round to finishing a pair of socks that I started a long time ago! I had one knitted and one on the needles this time last year, so it's been pretty slow progress.

The sock pattern is from an excellent book called Favorite Socks. There are twenty five patterns in this book and these are the first pair that I have got round to making

The socks I chose to knit are called Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark.  They are a relatively simple knit and purl pattern made a bit more special by the twisted rib created by knitting through the back of the loops on the knit stitches.

The socks are knitted on four or five needles in the round. The books gives instructions for five needles but I prefer four.

I used 2.5 mm needles and the yarn used was Regia Stretch 4ply (now discontinued) which is a mix of pure new wool, nylon and polyester. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and I think a beginner sock knitter could tackle these socks if they wanted to try something a bit more interesting than a plain stocking stitch sock!

It has taken me about 2 years to finish these socks and I'm quite pleased with the end result!

However I have discovered it is very hard to get a decent photograph of your own feet. Any tips for photographing socks welcome!

On other news, I've now lost a total of six and a half pounds, so feeling pleased with myself.

Have you got any knitting UFOs?

Catherine x