Sock/ yarn clubs

Hi, how are you all? I was lying in bed last night about midnight planning what I was going to write here. I'd been at Stitching Group and had come home all hyped up with looking at everyone's work and thinking about my own. Love going to my various groups but I often can't sleep afterwards.

Stell asked about my sock clubs. Actually one of them is a sock club and the other is really a yarn club. I have just got the first posting from the Rockin Sock Club 2008.

I was thrilled because red has got to be my favourite colour. The pattern is a little bit lacey. You'll see it when I have made some progress but I have already cast on and am a little past the cuff ribbing. Love knitting around and around to see how the colours develop on the sock. I think this one is pooling rather than striping but I like that. This sock club is a yearly one with 5 postings. I had to pay the whole amount for the year upfront which was a bit of a blip on the Visa. The wool yarn is lovely and soft although I have heard it doesn't wear very well might have to strengthen the heels.

The other club I belong to is the Spunky Club. Here are most of the yarns I have received over the past year.
There is a mix of sport, DK and fingering weight yarns. Some are pure wool, others are a mix of nylon and wool or tencel and wool. Each is enough to knit a pair of socks, a hat or scarf. I like this club because there is no pattern that I feel I should knit and I can pay monthly not for the whole year.

There are lots of other clubs out there here are some of shops which have them:

Simply Socks Yarn Company
The Loopy Ewe
The Wool Girl
The Art Walk Sock Yarn Club
The Tvyarn Sock Club
Sockamania
Harmony Semi-Solid Sock Yarn Club
Hipknits Project Club
The Yarn Tree Sock Club
The Zen String Sock Yarn Club
Joslyn's Fiber Farm

Well that's enough for now. I'm sure there are lots more out there. There are also clubs for roving for spinners as well.

Have to go. Work calls.

Cheers

Finished Objects

I finished the lacy cardigan from the Cleckheaton Vintage Hues pattern book. I love it and its quite warm and cozy. It took 8 skeins of Cleckheaton Vintage Hues which I got half price at Spotlight. Love this colour combination but have not yet found the right pin for the cardigan. I knitted the pattern as written and it went very fast on 6 mm needles and the bulky wool. The size is 12-14.

I also finished my sidewinder socks. I found these really fun to knit and the hand-painted yarn looks so good knitted sideways. The yarn was the Celebration colourway from the Spunky Yarn Club in Tough Sock. I knitted the largest size and the socks are too big but they can stay that way. Probably shrink a bit anyway.

I have also finished these recently. They are made from Patons Patonyle in colourway 4309 which is very pretty. I used the On-Your_Toes sock pattern from Interweave Knits Summer 2007. I found the Turkish cast on with the pattern used left a bit of a hole in the toe which I had to darn up later. Probably my inexperience with the cast on.

I also went to a really great class last weekend. It was a experimental knitting class with Prudence Mapstone. I've been aware of her work for some time but was thrilled when Nancy's, one of our local embroidery and quilt shops offered a class. I found it was a lot of fun and came away with a couple of small pieces from a day's work. Think it would take a while to make something larger but I thought I might incorporate these into one of my quilts.

Friday again and sunny

Look what arrived today in the post, Romantic Hand Knits by Annie Modesitt and the latest offering from the Spunky Yarn Club. I will be pouring through the book this afternoon and thinking about what to make with the Spunky yarn. Lovely to get "surprises" in the mail box.

Finished Juno from Rowan 40 except for sewing on the buttons so next time you might see a photo if it looks okay. Colour is good anyway - a lovely greeny-blue (teal perhaps) in Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran, which is discontinued but which I got from Jannette's Rare Yarns on Ebay. The original pattern called for Rowan Wool-Cotton doubled - a bit costly.

Went to a new knitting group last night - well, I was new not the group. They had been going for 5 years. Great to talk to people about knitting and have them interested. Also went to my stitching group this week which has been going about 10 years we think. I think we meet up now for a good natter as much as for stitching. The other night we spent most of the night looking at the lunar eclipse - absolutely amazing! No pictures sorry but Just Jussi has some on her blog.

Well, have to go an make some pikelets for hungry children who will be home shortly.