Catching Up - the Knitting Chapter

Well, it has been a few weeks since I last posted (Gosh! It sounds like I'm in confession!) and thank-you to those who inquired about my well being. I am fine - I just lost my dressmaking and blogging mojo. Most strange as it seemed to leave a gap that was quickly filled with knitting and patchwork/quilting! I have been a little loathe to share this diversion with you as I have read many blogs were people say they are put off by posts about quilting/cats/children etc., and then I reminded myself that it is my blog and my journey, so I hope that you will read on and who knows - maybe open your thoughts to other projects that you may find fun!

I am going to start off with a couple of knitting projects - both socks, so no surprise there, but also a little tale about how this has leaked into work.

The first pair of socks are made from my Billy Basic sock pattern (free on Ravelry)

I remember years ago - probably in the early-mid ‘80’s reading about Kaffe Fassett. It was a magazine article and he was photographed sitting on the floor with baskets of yarn around him and he was knitting a jumper or cardigan.

Each basket had a different color of yarn in it - and not all the yarns were the same weight, and some of the lengths of yarn were only a metre or so. He would pull out a piece of yarn in the color he wanted, and would just knit, using many different shades (yellow springs to mind) and it gave such fabulous depth to his knitting. To me, it seemed such a ‘way out’ way of knitting - so liberating to knit with what you had (including leftovers) rather than buying X balls to complete a project, and although I never knit like this myself, he has always been an inspiration - the first knitter that I had read about who broke to rules.

Fast forward 30 years (has it really been that long?) I came across some of his yarn in my local yarn shop, and all those happy memories came flooding back. So I knit some plain socks to show off the lovely yarn. And this is them!

Second up was a pair for Mr. SDSC.  Plain brown in colour but a fabulous pattern that makes clever use of  contrasting knitting and purling to get great results.

I am so pleased with both of these pairs as I have not been able to knit for the best part of 2 years now as I have 'thing' called De Quervains Syndrome that effects my left (non-dominant) wrist.  It has been excruciatingly painful and meant wearing a brace, lots of physio and finally . . . . . a steroid injection.  Oh boy - that injection was fabulous and means that I can now knit quite happily.  Woohoo!

So, a couple of my colleagues at work commented that they wanted to learn to knit and had contemplated signing up at a local yarn shop.  I volunteered my services and for two lunchtimes a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) we gather in our lunch room to knit and chat  no work conversation allowed.  It has really been fun - I have taught four or five ladies to knit, and it has really helped in the workplace (not that we have tough jobs or anything like that, but we do have to deal with quite volatile situations and angry people on the phone and in person).  One of things that I found interesting was that having taught someone to knit - they wanted to go and purchase fancy yarn to actually make something - rather than practice, practice and lose interest.  As a result, there are a number of finished fancy ribbon/fluffy scarves, booties, cowls, infinity scarves etc., and the feeling is that this is 'their time' in a busy workplace, a time when they can relax and clear their minds.  It certainly makes my week a lot happier being able to knit at work!

How about you - any sock knitters out there?  And what are your thoughts on blogs that cover a number of different topics/crafts?