Sock obsessed and a Competition
Personally I blame Lorena. While she was my SP9 she made me my first pair of handknit socks. She also gifted sock yarn - Socks that Rock no less (and Cherry Tree Hill) and I knit my first pair of socks. Since then I made a pair in a weekend for Sock Wars and then forgot about it. Recently though being tempted by some Colinette Jitterbug I made myself another pair of socks and haven't looked back. I finished the Opal Socks I started for Keith (click for other views).
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I then decided to try 2 toe up socks using the magic loop. I used Silvers excellent tutorial.
I even finished them!
There was enough yarn left so that I could make another pair and I have finished one of them. Now he doesn't want to wear any other socks!
While perusing my novices sock yarn stash I was admiring this colourway when I realised it was just the thing for the Woodland Shawl that Emm blogged about a couple of weeks ago. It is a nice repetitive pattern and I've hardly had to tink at all. The pattern follows well from the line before.
A close up of the stitch pattern.
I said in the last but one post that I was up to my eyes in novelty yarn. Here is Marge trying to look pretty amongst it all. I have had an occasional stand at fairs but it seems like all everyone wants to buy is novelty yarn for scarves. I am pretty fed up with it now though and I think the craze is about to decline (we are about 2 years behind here). Well the most popular type at the moment is a large skein made up of a few metres of lots of different yarns tied together. So I have pooled all the novelty yarns and am skeining up lots of this type of yarn - much better value than the shop ones. I am hoping to be able to recoup my capital on these this Christmas and reinvest in more white yarn to dye for next year.
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Like Woolly Wormhead I have been buying bamboo needles on Ebay. I got 12 sets of 5 Dpns of various sizes in 9inches and the same 12 sets in 5 inches. Considering I only paid 99p plus £9.50 p and p for the lot I think the quality is pretty good. The tips are nice and there are no snags on them. I think with usage they will get even smoother. The thing is I quite like 5 inch dpns for fingers on gloves etc but by no stretch of the imagination could I envisage using them in any size larger than 5.5mm.
So does anyone want the surplus needles? There are 5 inch dpns in 6mm, 6.5mm, and 8mm and a set of 9 inch dpns in 8mm. Just leave a comment with any use you can think of for very short fat needles (try to keep it clean) by Halloween and I will draw a name from the commenters to see who I will send them to. I will include some handspun and any other goodies I have lying around too.
I will also be updating my Etsy shop soon with Opal yarn and Tofutsies. When I have done that I will run another contest (sock yarn as prizes obviously). So keep an eye out.
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I then decided to try 2 toe up socks using the magic loop. I used Silvers excellent tutorial.
I even finished them!
There was enough yarn left so that I could make another pair and I have finished one of them. Now he doesn't want to wear any other socks!
While perusing my novices sock yarn stash I was admiring this colourway when I realised it was just the thing for the Woodland Shawl that Emm blogged about a couple of weeks ago. It is a nice repetitive pattern and I've hardly had to tink at all. The pattern follows well from the line before.
A close up of the stitch pattern.
I said in the last but one post that I was up to my eyes in novelty yarn. Here is Marge trying to look pretty amongst it all. I have had an occasional stand at fairs but it seems like all everyone wants to buy is novelty yarn for scarves. I am pretty fed up with it now though and I think the craze is about to decline (we are about 2 years behind here). Well the most popular type at the moment is a large skein made up of a few metres of lots of different yarns tied together. So I have pooled all the novelty yarns and am skeining up lots of this type of yarn - much better value than the shop ones. I am hoping to be able to recoup my capital on these this Christmas and reinvest in more white yarn to dye for next year.
Powered by GoodWidgets.com
Like Woolly Wormhead I have been buying bamboo needles on Ebay. I got 12 sets of 5 Dpns of various sizes in 9inches and the same 12 sets in 5 inches. Considering I only paid 99p plus £9.50 p and p for the lot I think the quality is pretty good. The tips are nice and there are no snags on them. I think with usage they will get even smoother. The thing is I quite like 5 inch dpns for fingers on gloves etc but by no stretch of the imagination could I envisage using them in any size larger than 5.5mm.
So does anyone want the surplus needles? There are 5 inch dpns in 6mm, 6.5mm, and 8mm and a set of 9 inch dpns in 8mm. Just leave a comment with any use you can think of for very short fat needles (try to keep it clean) by Halloween and I will draw a name from the commenters to see who I will send them to. I will include some handspun and any other goodies I have lying around too.
I will also be updating my Etsy shop soon with Opal yarn and Tofutsies. When I have done that I will run another contest (sock yarn as prizes obviously). So keep an eye out.
posted by maylin at 5:58 PM
26 Comments:
shawl pins? make a beaded or polymer clay bead for one end. Or hair ornaments??
I'm trying here:))Think the yarns will go well Maylin, advertise as one of a kinds and they will sell
I had the same idea as amber, my friend yesterday had her cardi closed with a sock needle. It is her first cardi and she forgot to make buttonholes, but really wanted to wear it. I have seen a rosewood pin with silver bead top somewhere.
I think those multi yarn balls will sell well, can you find cheap biggish needles and package some as kits for kids, I know my friends girls would love that.
I wandered over here from Jeni's blog. We're escapees from the UK too, living in the Gers with our angora goats and Jacob sheep we brought with us.
Love that Woodland lace shawl you're knitting.
Wow, nice scarf, I really love how that yarn is stripeing!
No problem on borrowing LN dvds, but I suspect that we have the same ones :)
I am also buying yarn for dyeing, want to compare prices? I am lucky to be surrounded by lots of natural dye plants and mushrooms, so decided to use them.
I hadn't seen the goodwidgets before. It's a nice idea. What about chunky mitts or hats on the large dpns?
How about ornamental hors d'oeuvres picks? lol, Then your guests could just clean them off and take them home to knit with!
Let's see, what else... you could use some of them to construct a tigers eye. You know, those spiffy little decoration things that kids make all the time with popsicle sticks? Admittedly, it would be a waste of knitting needles, but hey! It could work.
Hah, I'll keep thinking. Good question!
Chopsticks for an Asian-themed dinner party??
Well, sawed in half and inserted in clay, they'd make a nice picket fence for a diorama of the old west.
For knitting, about all I can think of is baby knits in chunky yarn - hats, sweater sleeves, etc. Not sure I'd ever *do* that, though.
Decorate one end with beads or polymer clay and use them for Hair Sticks (for holding buns in place). I ordered some of these same needles and they currently reside unused in my knitting basket. They are unfinished and the yarn doesn't slide on them. Good luck!
I'm thinking a tiny little olive I saw on ravelry...linked to here
Or little baby socks maybe.
They would make fabulous cable stitch holders.
What a great deal you got on all of those needles.
HOw about the game pick up sticks. I am probably really dating myself. But I used pick up sticks back in the 60's for needles so why not needles for sticks.
Corirallen (from Raverlry)
I love that colourway for the shawl!
As for the tiny fat dpns, why not for dk/worsted weight baby socks? I bet some little project like that would knit up in two seconds flat!
Hats, hats, hats. Really big I-cord. Really huge appetizer toothpicks (as in, instead of Vienna sausages.... bratwursts!)
You could decorate one end of the dpn and use them as gardening stakes. (maybe to label the type of plant, etc) If you are into cake decorating, you could use then as dowels to hold together different cake tiers.
For the 9 inch needles, place a clay ball on one end, make them regular straight needles. The 5's maybe hat pins?
I was thinking baby socks or mittens, maybe even a baby hat.
The 9 inch needles could be used for a bulky hat, or you could do as Kenyetta suggested and turn them into straight needles. For the 5 inch needles, the only actual knitting that I think they'd be useful for would be to knit little tubes for bag handles. But I think I like some of the other ideas better.
They would be nice for making a tee-pee for my 2 year olds little dolls. The dolls are about 1.5 inches tall, so I think it would work.
I have been looking to pick up some to make some fun fimo toppers for a few of my daughters friends. They are very emo/punk but i have gotten them into knitting and they would love some retro needles! Also though we have been knitting up some hats with the scarves attached (instead of ear flaps) and the dpns work so well on these with the chunky yarns.So we would gladly put them to good use if our name is picked!
Short fat needles are perfect knitting sleeves in the round--they're just the right size for toddlers' sweaters!
kids toys. they always seem to be little and take dpns. Or the more fun idea of pick up sticks. I remember being way to fond off that game as a kid. I love the rainbow yarn for the shawl.
They'd make great stakes for little plants. Or maybe swizzle sticks!
Bulky Baby Buggy Booties?
heheh Actually the longer ones are just what Ineed this week to make a mini Lucy bag!
And of course you could always use them to make great kitty toys!
I've been looking for a pair of 6 mm 5 inch needles! I'll gladly take them! The longer ones tend to piss me off when I'm rounding the centre of a hat. They're too bulky.
You haul in the next post is incredible. What a great brother you've got! The cotton fleece is dreamy. Gorgeous to knit with and it wears beautifully.
All I have to say is... hee hee hee. I'm such a sock yarn enabler!
Hugs, you!
By the way, that shawl yarn is gorgeous with that pattern and design! and if i am envisioning correctly how you described combining the novelty yarns...that would be really attractive!
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