Aug 2023 – My Stash Reduction Quest

I’m really trying to get back into regular blogging, with a few makes lined up for a space on my little bit of the world wide web. I haven’t posted about knitting for a while, so it felt like a good time to introduce a pair of socks that took an absolute age to make!

In reality, the Cliff Walk socks took about 11 months to make, which is quite a long time for me. They travelled to Austria, Scotland and various places in England by plane, train and automobile (80s reference for those in the know!). Admittedly I have knit several other things in tandem, which might be one of the reasons why they took so long.

The pattern is part of the Handmade Sock Society 2, which is a lovely collection of sock patterns inspired by the Cornish Coast. A few years ago, I made the Shell Cottage socks and felt the instructions were laid out really well. The same is true of this pattern, with each round having its own instruction, rather than a pattern and “repeat rows x times” which involves a degree of modulus maths.

Sock 1: Jul 2022 – Dec 2022

The first sock took so long to make and became a bit of a chore. There was something about this pattern that presented a bit of a mental block for me. I still don’t really know why because I like the pattern, it just felt complicated.

A fair proportion of the first sock was knit on trains. One particularly turbulent train resulted in my husband’s fleece sleeve being employed as a yarn holder to stop the ball rolling onto the floor. The last pic also shows many stitch markers because I ended up using them to denote each pattern start/end which helped hugely.

Sock 2: Jan 2022 – Jun 2023

I’m fairly sure I cast the second sock on immediately after I finished the first. “Second sock syndrome” is real and I always try to make sure I have time to both graft a toe and knit a few rounds of a cuff in one sitting.

Whilst the second sock took about the same time, it didn’t feel as much of a slog. Psychologically, I had the upper hand because I knew it was possible to complete a sock , coupled with knowing I would have another wearable pair at the end of the second.

Still, a busy Spring with little opportunities to knit on the go meant I was edging toward the first birthday of this project.

Sock 3: one evening

Both yarns were lovely to work with. The main sock yarn is from a fellow Yorkshire-based knitter, Quack Yarn in Penguin Ice colourway. As a lover of penguins, I was easily swayed by this vibrant blue.

I chose to contrast the cuff and toes with a pink skein that I received as part of Botanical Yarn’s kickstarter campaign. Initially, I discarded this combination when finding something to go with the main colour, but I kept coming back to it. I do really like the combo and think I made a good choice.

After the long haul of the Cliff Walk socks, I whizzed through another mini advent sock in an evening! I’m hoping to finish 24 mini socks before this Christmas so we can use them as our advent calendar, but I committed to only using scrap yarns from projects, rather than using new yarn. Only time will tell, but it’s not looking promising!

Thanks for reading :o)

I’m a big believer in nice nightwear. Everybody’s definition of “nice” will be different. Mine differs depending on mood, season, etc. I love a matching set, but I also have a 2012 London Olympics t-shirt that I can’t part with!

Last summer, I realised that I was lacking in lightweight pjs and embarked on a quest to solve this.

Patterns

I spotted the Reef pjs online and thought they looked like a great set. One of my favourite design features is the racer back, which means the straps don’t fall down and dig into my bicep whilst I’m asleep.

I also made a Lahja robe as a more practical summer dressing gown to my Almada one. My Almada robe is so lovely, but it’s prone to getting caught on door handles! As well as wanting a summer robe that can work whilst moving around the house, I wanted one to pop in a case when we we go away.

Fabrics

I first made a pair of Reef pjs in double gauze pair, inspired by some that I saw online. The pattern lends itself well to colour blocking, and I had fun choosing which pieces to be pink or grey.

I won’t labour my love for double gauze again, but I will say that it’s a great fabric for summer night wear. Cotton and pillowy soft…what more do you need?!

I had the spotty pink and red satin in my stash. Originally, I thought I might make a dress, but also thought it would look great as a coat lining. Then I came up with the idea of a dressing gown and pj set. I had 4m, which is a lot to play with when you’re only 5’2″!

The Reef pjs sewed up really nicely in the satin, but it misbehaved terribly when it came to the robe collar. I ended up hand sewing the collar after unsuccessfully trying to machine sew it twice.

I also had a minor incident when I caught the top of my finger in the needle, effectively incorporating myself into the robe!

Fit

I like roomy pjs, so often size up. The bias cut on the Reef top means it drapes generously, and actually feels a bit too big on my double-gauze pair.

When I cut the satin pair, I sized down but accidentally overlooked cutting on the bias. To add to the problem, I didn’t try on as I went along, having made the pattern before. This meant that when I finished the (extremely neatly sewn) top and tried it on, it was snug! I managed to unpick at the sides and let the seam out just enough, but it was a close call.

Lesson in sewing: watch out for patterns on the bias!

I cut the Lahja in a size Small based on my measurements. When I had traced the pattern pieces, I held the front up against me to check the length. I traced the short version, which finished around my knee, which is where I wanted it.

One thing I didn’t factor was the pocket placement of a robe intended for a taller model! The pockets are quite low for my arms, but I decided the fabric would not appreciate being unpicked and re-stitched, so I’ve left them where they are.

Thanks for reading, happy sleeping :o)

Month: Aug 2023

Cliff Walk Socks