Tuesday 26 May 2015

A Lovely Pair of Socks

For some reason the art of sock making has always appealed to me but seemed quite out of my reach mostly because it involves working with Dpns something I have tried on several occasions but could never quite get to grips with.  

I have been in awe of knitters who are quite proficient at this task, they hold the four needles effortlessly and the resultant creation is nothing short of perfect, whereas mine is usually riddled with dropped loops gaping holes and ladders.






When I read about the Sockalong I knew that I just had to give it a try and I'm so pleased that I did because sock making has opened up a whole new world to me, starting with so many amazing sock yarns to drool over, I was quite confused with the huge choice I can tell you but in the end I chose this simply because the colours appealed to me....




and then there's the ultimate decision of what needles to use. 


For these my first pair of adult socks I went along with Christine's advice and I used both Dpns and this cute little circular.  My opinion of Dpns has not changed, I find them awkward to use and I know they will never be the method of choice for me, the small circular was great and didn't take that much getting used to but for the shaping you have to revert back to Dpns.




The actual making of the socks was great, mostly it was just straight knitting and with that tiny circular it was an easy portable project.



It was a bit of  a challenge in places  but Christine has explained it beautifully in her great tutorials and she guides you through each stage step by step and if I did get stuck both Christine and all the other lovely participants were there to give advice.  I would urge you to give it a try if you fancy trying to make socks but feel a little afraid of the process. 



For my second pair of socks I'm using the lovely yarn which Linda sent me I am trying a large 80cm circular and using the magic loop method and I feel as though I have come home! it's amazing and I'm loving it.  The beauty of it is you don't need to use Dpns at all with this method, that of course is still to be proven because I haven't done any shaping yet, I will let you know how I get on. :) 

Linking with Snickerdoodle Sunday
Handmade Monday - Creative Tuesday - Eyeloveknots - Link and share Wednesday - Lunamon Design- hookin on hump day





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17 comments:

  1. Wow Linda! I am in awe - such super socks - love the colours and your perseverence has certainly paid off!
    Congratulations! Hope you wear your sensational stripy socks with pride!
    Looking forward to hearing all about the second pair!
    Ali x

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  2. Wonderful socks. I think one of the attractions of sock knitting for me is the wealth of gorgeous colourful sock yarn. I also love that there are so many interesting free patterns available. I never use to like dpns, like you at first I found them awkward to use. Now, after trying different methods, they are my favourite option, so you just never know. I'm sure you'll soon be an expert sock knitter. They certainly are very portable projects and surprisingly addictive!

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  3. What lovely socks! The colours are fab. Hope you are well on the way to recovery.
    Jacqui xx

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  4. Lovely indeed !!!!
    Have a nice day !
    Anna

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  5. I envy everyone who is addicted to knitting socks. Sock yarns can be very pretty. As for the magic loop method, I really must get my head around that one day. It won't be for knitting socks though, or maybe it will. I knit things now that I never dreamed of when I started.

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  6. Fabulous!!! Well done you. Have fun with the long circulars!! xx

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  7. Congrats on your first pair of socks. They look great.

    Linda

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  8. Wow I love your beautiful socks and so colorful. Enjoy today and the week.
    Julie xo

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  9. Great socks and lovely coloured yarn.

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  10. So beautiful socks!
    Greetings.:*

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  11. Your socks are also perfect!! :) I wanted to make socks for my mother but I don't know knitting and crochet socks doesn't serve the purpose . I know only the basic knitting stitch. What are/is Dpns? See, I don't know even know the basic tools for sock making.

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  12. You've achieved more than me, Linda - I have a single sock lying in the bottom of my knitting bag, but because the foot is too long, I haven't got any enthusiasm to try and make the second. I know I need to rip it back and get the foot the right size, but somehow it doesn't happen. Congratulations on making a lovely pair of socks!

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  13. Hi Linda, I'm sorry to have missed some of your posts lately. I'm trying to catch up. I'm so glad to hear that your surgery went well and that you are recovering well too. It must be good to have it behind you. I hope everything continues so smoothly and you're back to your old self very soon. These socks came out really nicely! I love the colors. They look so good on your feet. Wear them well. :)

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  14. Applause, applause! Super that you've managed your first pair of socks, LInda, they look great. And you've even made identical stripes on both socks, that's perfect! I think it's just a matter of taste if you knit with dpns or circulars. For me dpns are great, I love them for socks, hats, cowls. I do like circulars for bigger pieces like shawls, sweaters etc etc, but I don't get along with the mini ones. One time I tried a 40 cm circular needle but it was too much fiddling because needles and rope both are so short there. Hats off that you get along with them & have fun knitting socks, socks, socks! Happy weekend greetings, Nata

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  15. Thank you for sharing at my link up.
    You are welcome to join this week too

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  16. Your socks are just lovely, Linda, and thank you so much for your glowing write- up of the Winwick Mum Sockalong! It's been lovely to have you in the Facebook group too - it's been great fun seeing all the socks from all over the world appearing on needles! xx

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Thank you for your visit, I will always answer any questions but due to time constraints I'm not always able to reply to your comments, please keep them coming I read and appreciate each and every one. xx