Socks

I am jumping with excitement – well hopping actually and you will discover why…

Back in April on a miserable rainy evening I set off to Guthrie and Ghani for my first and only sock knitting lesson. If you remember watching The Sewing Bee, then you’ll know that Lauren was one of the last three contestants in the final and she has since opened her own shop near by in Mosley.

I went for a snoop one Saturday and was beguiled by a window display of handmade socks hanging on a pretty washing line in the window and as I peered at them muttering that fatal comment “I could do that” and trying to decipher their construction, Lauren came over and before I knew it I’d signed up to be taught how to knit a sock one night.

The tutor was Rachel Copey  who calmly introduced us to knitting in the round using circular needles. This looked like an item of torture at first and indeed it has felt like it at times. Took a while to fight wool around this wobbly needle but I got there eventually and can highly recommend these needles – Knit Pro – Nova metal fixed circular needles – nice and sharp and slippery where needed to move those stitches around.

So we knitted the cutest baby sock on the night and then I was raring to go onto a full-sized pair. It started well, loved knitting the ribbing and even knitted the leg on the train like a pro until I hit the Turn The Heel moment and got into a right old mess reading the pattern and counting the stitches. After some swearing and unpicking I got back on track. And then I was in the home straight, foot knitted, shaped and cast off this weekend.

Whoo-hooo – a sock !! I’m so pleased with myself and it even fits!

So just the matching foot to finish which is ready at the Turn The Heel stage because Rachel gave some clever advice – knit two consecutively so that when you’ve finished one, you haven’t got too far to go until you finish the pair. Best advice. And just like childbirth, you forget the pain once you’ve got the end result in your hand. It’s got to be twins so back into labour for me!