Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Little Things




Is the above yarn the most horrid ever? I just can't make my mind up. Anyway, putting that aside, this is one of my easy projects that I can do without having to give my all. The socks will be an ordinary woven stitch, although you can't see that, as the colours are so in your face. I don't think it's just that the combinations of colours are odd, it's the fact that the colours change every couple of stitches and this creates a very busy and overpowering effect. I had some Koigu like that but it wasn't such a problem as the colours were nicer. On the plus side, the yarn is very, very soft (it's Lana Grossa).



The socks in the photos above and below are the Bluebell Rib socks. The ones that took at least ten attempts (with various patterns, needles and stitch-counts). They are very pretty but I've knitted them too small (jinxed from the start?) and so they've not only made my finger numb (it's still slightly numb and that was about six weeks/two months ago) but if I wear them they actually make my feet ache, they're so tight. I've come to the conclusion that the problem is that my ankles are skinnier than the rest of the foot. If I knit the sock to fit the foot comfortably, I get bagginess around the ankle. I read that, in that case, a longer heel flap should do the trick, which I'd been suspecting. Has anyone else had this problem?




The photo below is of Charles in his hat. I had a spare ball of Cashsoft DK and knitted this Odessa the other evening. So satisfying and so lovely and easy. The hardest part was trying to take a photo of a two and a half year old dashing about like a, well, two and a half year old. I tried bribing him but it didn't work. He will wear this hat on our many walks in the woods.

I keep forgetting to mention that one of the first sort-of sentences Charles came out with was "knit. my. sock" in a quite menacing way. He was trying to say he didn't need my interference with his game at that point in time, and that I should just go and knit. I nearly fell over, I was so proud of him and also the fact that he recognised I knitted his socks! That was some time ago. He's a real chatterbox now and makes up the most funny and amusing tall stories. If I think back to six weeks ago, he hardly spoke at all, I mean he had quite a large vocabulary but didn't string anything together.

Now I'm on a roll, I'll tell you about his potty-training. He did it - in one day. Honestly. I'd been putting it off as I didn't want to do it too early, so we'd have less of a risk of him feeling like he'd "failed". And also because I just wasn't looking forward to it. One Monday morning I showed him the potty and the pants and explained the game-plan and he just did it. We had one accident immediately after and then......potty-trained. I still can't get over it. I guess he was just ready.

Got to go. Charlie's waving a parsnip at me from the kitchen and saying "I want dinner. Help me, Mummy". It's too early for dinner. And so arises another series of negotiations......


I've started on the Edwardian Lace thingie and am two pattern-repeats in, with another twenty six to do! Will post all about it in the next few days.

22 comments:

  1. Charles looks great in his Odessa :-) Love that his first sentence involved the word "knit", how amazing is that! I'm seriously impressed with the "potty training in a day" too.

    Can't really offer advice on sockie matters, I haven't had any urges to knit socks yet. Like the Lana Grossa yarn though.

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  2. Alice I hope Emily will be as good with the potty training bit - we are a little way off from that but oh how I dread it! Love the Odessa hat - I really must get aroung to making it - I've 3 balls set aside especially for it! As for socks, well can't help as haven't bitten the bullet yet to try them. Good luck!

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  3. I like your rib socks, and that hat is great!

    I can't wait to see your next shawl - it looks like it's going to be really pretty, especially in black. :)

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  4. I'm impressed with your socks -- love the pink bluebell ones, but I'm sorry they cut off your circulation! As I don't knit socks, I'm sorry that I don't have anything helpful to offer re: fit.

    Charles is very cute! That's wonderful that he likes to wear what you knit for him.

    Thanks again for your post to my blog about the introverts article. I cannot tell you how much better my husband and I feel to be understood. :)

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  5. I like the look of that yarn - for socks anyway. Perfect for certain moods I should think.
    Sorry to hear the Bluebells aren't comfy. I suppose a perfect fit is more important with socks than most other things.
    Charles looks lovely in his hat. And congratulations on the potty training - leaving it till he was good and ready sounds like a good policy.

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  6. Love the bluebell rib socks - even in the lightish pink, usually enough to put me off :-) A beautiful pattern, bummer re size. I've only knitted 2.5 pairs of socks, so not sure about the whole sizing thing yet... the first pair way too big (though I swatched for that pair!)

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  7. Love the bluebell rib socks - even in the lightish pink, usually enough to put me off :-) A beautiful pattern, bummer re size. I've only knitted 2.5 pairs of socks, so not sure about the whole sizing thing yet... the first pair way too big (though I swatched for that pair!)

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  8. I love the pattern on the Bluebells, I have problems with my ankles being bigger then my feet, so I have the opposite problem. I'm making my first pair of socks I hope will fit...but I'm worried now the feet will be tooo big. I've decided to do a ribbed section (since I'm only using stockingette anyway). I love boughten sockes that have that added support around the instep.

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  9. Hmm. I wouldn't say that's the most horrid yarn ever (I haven't seen it all), but it's not something I'd wear. I think it could be socks to be worn with jeans, though. Perhaps just peeking out above a pair of boots.

    I am so sorry about the Bluebell Rib socks -- they look so beautiful I'd be tempted to wear them and damn the suffering. Perhaps if you wore them wet they'd stretch? A bit like blocking? I haven't noticed my socks sagging around my ankles, but then I'm notorious for not noticing such things. Perhaps I should look next time I wear my socks. I wonder if running some knitting-in elastic around the ankles of existing socks, just roughly stitching it through the inside, would help.

    Congrats to Charles on the potty training, too. I am so glad cats come ready-trained :-)

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  10. I have an opposite problem with my feet - me ankles are quite wide and I have to be careful while knitting to the patterns (I must add stitches above the heel and it's not always possible, depends on the pattern).
    The Koigu yarn is really crazy! ^^
    Show us the new shawl soon. ^-^

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  11. I was going to comment how comfortable and soft the socks looked when I first saw your picture. What a pity that they are too tight. Nevermind I'm sure the next pair will be perfect and if you have any fatter ankled friends you've got a Christmas present sorted!

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  12. The hat is gorgeous on him. I haven't seen many boy versions around, it is really cute; and I love the bluebell socks, what a shame about the fit, it is so disheartening when something like that happens, glad to see it hasn't stopped you knitting socks though.

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  13. The bluebell rib socks look lovely, what a shame they don't fit properly.

    And the odessa looks great on Charles - it's amazing how good it looks for being knit in a "manly" colour.

    My little girl is 2 and a half, and potty training was a mare, so well done on getting rid of the nappies!

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  14. I am so glad you've posted about Mr C, as I've been a smidge worried about Grumbles and her sentences. The only ones she's said so far have been "all gone, no more", but she said that ages ago, with no more sentences following. I'm glad it just comes together with a bang like that!

    As for toilet training, as soon as the weather heats up we're beginning. Wish us luck!

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  15. Did you see that your Glamour Cape was featured in the Stitch Diva Studios newsletter?! First week I've received it and couldn't believe my eyes, how fab :-)

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  16. Thanks for your msg, Dreamcatcher! Yes, they sent me a very nice e-mail, having spotted my cape on a google search. I've been rolling about laughing. It's so funny to see silly old me posing about like that. Ha ha!!

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  17. I Love the little bluebells. they are adorable! too bad too small.
    I don't mind the colorful yarn, as a matter of fact its knid of fun. maybe a very simple stockinet will be best for it.
    potty training is a process...
    :-)

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  18. What a shame about the socks. They look so pretty.

    My boys all toilet trained like that too. We just waited and waited (god it felt like years we waited) and then boom in one fell swoop it was done.

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  19. Love the Charles and telling you to go knit story. Kids are so gorgeous aren't they? I agree that if you can bear to put it off until you're sure it's ok for them then toilet training can be done without any hassle, in the shortest time. I ignored everybody and knew for myself when it would be a one-day job ('scuse the turn of phrase!)

    Sorry about that lovely sock being too small and I'm amazed your finger is still numb!

    I took your advice and bought the Glamour Cape pattern and I'm using some Colinette Skye I've had stashed. Not quite yet though - too many plans confuzzling me all at once! Lovely to see you being all dramatic in the newsletter :D

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  20. Nanatoo, I'm so glad you got the cape pattern. I hope it works out well for you. Well, why shouldn't it? And as I've said before. You can get away with quite a lot if you wear it with confidence.

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  21. Oh what a shame about the socks and I thought they looked lovely , I have yet to try and make some socks so no help form me ; will they stretch with wear ? Charles looks lovely in his hat, so cute

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