Knitting my little cashmerino socks off!

It's another Ta Dah!!!! Can you believe it? I have two sets of wrist warmers waiting in the wings for their photo's to be taken. And I have a crochet blanket that wants to say hello (not finished yet). Anyway, back to the Ta Dahhhhhhh.

I'll start at the beginning. A long time ago I saw Rachel knitting socks and thought to myself, "When I can knit, I will make socks". They looked like total alchemy to me and I didn't really think I'd master it. But at that point I hadn't met Suzie. When I discovered Suzie held Sock Making Workshops I signed up in a jiffy. Not least because it meant I could spend a whole day surrounded by all her beautiful yarns.

On the 5th of February I trotted off with my Belle Mere to learn the Art of the Sock. My Mum was supposed to come along but they'd had snow then rain and then well below freezing temperatures and so she couldn't get her car out and didn't fancy the hour journey to get to me. Rightly so. Luckily for me Mr C's parents were visiting so Granny took my Mum's place. I took my Mum along to see Suzie and buy wool at a later date instead.

Look at the frost on the roof of the car! It was beautiful but it took a
while to clear the windows and my door was stuck!

When we arrived Suzie was wearing her Victorian night gown over a pair of jeans which I was relieved about as I'd said to My Belle Mere, Granny, that she would be and I didn't want to look like a fibber.

I felt bad that we were fifteen minutes late as it was emphasised on the booking info that because a lot of techniques have to be covered we would need to start on time. However one lady arrived over an hour late! She refused to do a shortened version of a sock so that she could learn the skills, she went wrong and needed Suzie to rectify her mistakes every half an hour and when she left she said she didn't feel she could knit a sock. The cheek! She said it like it was Suzie's fault when the rest of us felt very confident about knitting socks and we have all done so since the workshop with no problems at all. Well, apart from Granny but that's because she likes a glass of wine! (Ha, I know you're reading this, Granny!) Suzie is so sweet she said she would go and meet this lady after work to help her if she got stuck and that she would travel to her. What? No! I've told Suzie she mustn't. The lady was LATE. She didn't do a short sock. She was a child hater too and visibly rolled her eye's when we spoke of our children....and not only that, you will not believe this, she told us about her pet cat which she loves with all her heart, a cat that isn't hers to love since she STOLE IT!!!! Oh Em Geeeee! 

Mrs D who has a blog and made a scrummy lunch for us all

That's Granny knitting her sock and Elaine from knit club in the back ground

That's my truncated sock, I've knitted the heel flap and am turning the heel in this photograph. It was like magic. A heel appears from no where! Seriously clever. Honestly sock knitting is so amazing and yet it's not hard to do at all. I was shocked by that. Knowing a few basics is all you need to be able to knit socks.

Granny kept thinking she had gone wrong but she hadn't, Suzie sat over her to give encouragement but I think she sat there because Granny smelt so nice. Jo Malone grapefruit.

It was such a lovely day. I really enjoyed myself. It was a big disappointment that my Mum couldn't come as I know she would have had a lovely time. She would also have been brave enough to give That Lady what for. My Mum used to work in a prison teaching prisoners. Since that's clearly where the cat thief will end up, I think my Mum would have spoken to her in the most perfect manner, the rest of us just bristled and gave each other supportive looks.

When we left, Suzie packed us up with left over cakes and bunches of daffs which she had bought the night before as they were 12p a bunch and she felt sorry for them. Whoever heard of leaving a workshop laden with cake and flowers? Honestly, The Wool Sanctuary is an excellent place and well worth a visit. It's not just knitting either. Those of you who follow Suziebeans on Instagram will see she has fallen into an addiction for crochet. (This post isn't a sponsored post, promise, though it does sound like it!)

When I got home I immediately took my half knitted mini sock off the needles and popped it onto stitch keepers and I started my real sock while it was all still fresh in my head. Amazingly I didn't need to refer to my mini sock. I should have had more faith in Suzie's instructions.

Right....finally.....

  

Ta Dahhhhhhhh!

Why didn't I ruffle these up a bit? The look so daft pulled up like that.

Mastering four needles was a bit tricky for me and you can see above that I hadn't got the placement of the needles right so there's a visible 'ladder' also my colour changes aren't very neat.

Does it really matter that these socks aren't perfection when I am so proud of them and so in love with them. They feel like fairy duvets to wear.

I'm most pleased with the heart which I added by adapting another of Suzie's patterns. My intarsia leaves a lot to be desired but where's the fun if there's no room for improvement?

My first sock was pretty good really and after several attempts at kitchenering (I feel quite big headed even knowing what that is let alone being able to do it) I managed to finish my sock off with an almost perfect toe. Ummmmmm, the second sock wasn't quite as good. I got impatient and lazy (and it was half term so the boys and I were at Granny's and she doesn't like to drink alone, so I joined her).

So there we go. Socks. An ambition fulfilled. I do think it is good to have small achievable ambitions as well as the biggies.

I'm all topsy turvy with my blog posts, I'm way behind and but I'm not keen on doing things out of order so I'll have to just ploddle along and hope you will all ploddle with me.

By the way, I had a comment on my last post, a really sweet comment from Anonymous, that she saw me shopping with Kmmms in Liberty. I've been spotted! It's like blog fame! So, Dear Anonymous, if ever you see me again, please holler "Coo Wee Cuckoo!" and that way I'll stop my argybargy over excited jostling to get at the haberdashery. No seriously, I'd have loved to have met you. To have had the opportunity to say "Thank you for reading my waffle and making my blogging experience as wonderful as it is."

 I'd blog anyway, with out having readers, but it's so nice to not be talking to myself. It's been a surprise and a delight that I have made true and lasting friends through blogging too.

Right, I must go, I have been quite ill for a few days and I'm so tired. I'm laying in my bed with so little energy but feeling like I Must Achieve Something. I have no phone signal nor phone wifi at the moment but luckily the laptop does so I have just popped the finishing touches to this post which I wrote at the beginning of last week. Hurrah for lap tops for I have Achieved Something! (But lets gloss over the fact that I'm behind with all other blogs, commenting......etc.....) Also I hear a baby, pre toddler really, stirring so I must get up up and get the dizzy spell over with before trying to get him out of his cot.

xxx