Green and Purples!

I finished these today...excuse the really dodgy piccy's this time as the weather today has been totally PANTS!!!

Yarn is my Middle Earth Yarns June sock club yarn... the pattern is by Cazza269. They didn't have a name so I've nicknamed them Green and Purples which is similar to a well known brand of choccy I love.... well yummy socks need a yummy name!

Here's a view on my feet

I love the funky contrasting heels and toes... they are done in Socrates 100% Merino in shade Violet as I was worried about having enough yarn ... and really didn't want to frog right past the heel if I ran out before the toe.

I'm a teeny bit annoyed as I had a fair amount left... but one of these days I've promised myself I will start a Memory Blanket using a different square of each sock yarn I've ever used. Maybe I should get on with it as the oddments are adding up.!

First 'Summer Peaches' sock finished

Here's the first Summer Peaches sock finished. I love the way the cables have worked out :-D. I'm now thinking it's more a slipper sock than a trainer liner as the cables are just too pretty to be hidden under my smelly trainers!

I just love the rustic feel of the socks... the yarn was kind of fluffy and was dyed using natural dyes.. so I wanted to give it a countryside look :-D

Here's a closer view

The cable is a Double Snake which I had to adapt for knitting in the round.

Here's a pic of it on my foot.. excuse the white ankle!

Slipper sock or trainer liner... the choice will be up to you :-D

I have written everything down I did on the first one... so I will use this to proof knit the second one.. and all being well will post the pattern on here. :-D... so watch this space!

New Sock Design... Summer Peaches

Oooo I'm all excited!!!

Here's the start of my second sock design, Summer Peaches. It's a cute little sockette with a roll top and centre cable design. The yarn is Natural Dye Studio.. shade Neville and its an alpaca/silk mix and it's sooo gorgeous to work with!

It's a bit shorter in yardage and slightly thicker than most sock yarns.. it's more like a light sport weight so I'm using 2.75mm dpns.. it will make a cozy slipper sock or trainer liner.

I decided to go with one large cable panel framed either side with moss stitch. I included a roll top to give it a casual rustic feel.

I'm really pleased with how this is progressing, the pattern flows beautifully and although its a 32 row pattern its easy to see whether you should be cabling front or back. It's going to be a quick knit too.

I'm going to do another pair on smaller needles with fingering weight sock yarn, and will publish the pattern for both... it's nice to have a choice of weights :-D. I'm also really tempted to try out some other sizes too.

Looks like I'm going to be one busy fairy!

Here's a close up of the cables

Doesn't it just say walks in the country!

Perfect purples

Got a rude but cool awakening off the posite this morning.. he knocked at 7.20!!!!!... he comes at 11 during the week... well enough of a moan about Royal Mail. He brought me this squishy of yarnly yumminess... my Middle Earth Yarns July sock club yarn :-D


Its called Sloe Gin and a gooorgous plum/purple colour which fades from dark to light.... I just love this yarn, I'm a huuuge fan of purples.. its BFL and sooooo soft and also came with free stitchmarkers made by the dye Wizards own fair hands which are soo little and cute!


Heres a better piccy of them.. it also shows off the different purples well

Well worth getting woken up for!

Oooo how exciting it's just like Secret Santa all over again!!!

Another lot of good post... this time thanks to Jominx :-D

2 goooorgeous balls of Jojoland Quartette in Java Orange Meadow Mauve ( what a cool name).. a bar of Green and Blacks Cherry ( allready tucked into that with my coffee break... sorry couldn't wait) and some Hotel Chocolat mini truffles.... haven't tried Hotel Chocolat.... sooooo looking forward to trying those.

Well not so much secret... I swapped the Jojoland for my Silkwood sock yarn in Aubergine.... I got it to make DH some socks and he didn't like it!!!!! :-0... he reckons he's not a purple bloke.. so going to do him some in boring oatmeal.. my eyes are not up to another black pair!

The chocolate was a surprise.. Green and Blacks is my total favourite choc :-).. and they all came beautifully wrapped up... I didn't wrap mine up... and feel a bit bad about that.

Jo made a lovely pair with the same colourway... and they came out really wacky ... I looooove them!!!..... piccies at http://josknitbits.blogspot.com/

I'm really going do a really wacky pattern for them to show off the yarn at it's best...... better get my thinking head on then!!!

I even have a name for these..... even if I don't have a pattern thought up yet... Jojo's Pogo Socks..... after the yarn.. and of course Jo who supplied it!!

Oh wow good post day.... AGAIN!!!!

My latest load of booty from the Natural Dye Studio.. peachy one is Neville.... its one of their Hogwarts range and its an alpaca/silk mix.... and soft as kittens belly fur. It's a bit short on the yardage (280yrds to 100g).... so it's destined to be a pair of trainer sockies.... cast on last night.. its another Fairynuff own design.... complete with cool cables and a moss stitch heel flap :-D.... and I did my research properly this time, and the pattern flows great!!!
The bluey mix is Tangerine Ocean.. and that's an alpaca/merino mix.... not sure what it wants to be when it grows up..... but there's plenty time yet.

Pattern for first sock pattern by 'me' going to be delayed folks

Started on the second sock of my first design.. and started to write down and chart the pattern.... suddenly it dawned on me that I was making things very complicated for myself... moving stitches amongst other things. and it just didn't flow right.
Out comes my spare dpns and some spare yarn.. and I worked out by altering the way I did the decreases and yo's for the lace panels... how so much better it looked.... the little lace butterflies seemed to be more centred in the stocking stitch squares. It just looked looooads better!!!!.. and better than that the pattern flowed better. I'm just a lot mad with myself that I waited unitl the second sock to work that out!!
!
Catherine who's 10 seems to love them.. and they fit her... so I will make her a present of them :-)

I will still post a piccy when they are finished , but it will be more for learn by your mistakes Fairy.
But the good news is I'm going to redo the socks in the modified pattern then post it.... so its still coming... it's just delayed.

Yay! First ' by Fairynuff ' sock finished

Well here it is my first ever sock designed by me completed.. complete with cute little check pattern and eye of partridge heel

Here's another view on my foot... Eldest daughter took this one.... shes so much better at taking pics than me! Excuse the flabby white calf.... well theres been no summer to get a tan.. most days my wooly socks stay firmly on my feet!

Second sock may take a bit longer to complete because I'm going to write down everything I do.. and if its knitter friendly I will post it on here as a free pattern :-)

They still have no name.. any suggestions are very welcome!

I have a couple of more patterns still in the planning stage... a one with cables and moss stitch panels and a lacy one... I have so many sock ideas that new ideas sometimes keep me awake. I'm thinking of taking some sock yarn on my camping holiday and have a bit of a play with yarn.. well it will save me taking a pattern and with a change of scenenry, I might come up with something really good, after all the whole knittng process is all about being creative and playing about with yarn.

Over at Angel Yarns Tess has most of her new signature range of yarns online. The colours are even better than I imagined.. so rich and vibrant! I neeeeed the Cherry.. and the Teal.. and OHHH the Chocolate it's soooo rich and dark like a 70% cocoa.. well a bit of choccie would brighten up most peoples day!

I had to sit on my hands and hide my credit cards whilst looking.... the baby alpaca 4 ply looks soooo soft and dreamy. I love working with alpaca.. reckon they'd make cosy housesocks :-) ....merino wools and laceweight mohair to tempt me!

But alas.... I have allready spent a small fortune on yarn this month and my Middle Earth Yarns July sock club yarn is due shortly, and I have a huuuuuge stash, plus enough on my to do list to keep my hands busy for the next few years. Well theres always next months yarn budget :-)

I need to knit more.. or become an octopus!

I have been strong and not bought anything.... well today I have.

Socky WIP's

The first one is my own sock pattern still under construction.... its knitted in Opal Uni shade Turquoise on 2.5mm dpns.... I'm rather pleased with it so far. I love the way that you can incoporate texture and lace into a pattern... inspiration from Cookie A's Monkey socks here... so its sort of a check pattern with the stocking stitch blocks have lace detail.

It is the sock with no name though!!! I'm just not good at that sort of stuff.

Not a very good pic I know but I got all the instep stitches on one needle and it just wouldn't lie right.... better piccies once I finish it and knit its mate.. if I'm totally happy with them once they done... may post the pattern for free.

Second one is my June sock club yarn from Middle Earth Yarns... the pattern is by Cazza269 ( she dyes all the yarns too)..... not sure if the yarn has a shade but its 100% BFL in hues or jade green turquoise and purple.

Clever Wizzy.. I would love to try this pattern on a solid yarn too... think the lacy diamonds would really stand out and look ACE!!!

First lace

This is my first attempt at Lace.... it will have to be for me... will probably have a few mistakes along the way.... but I'm going to make an identical one in a lilac/lavender colour for MIL's christmas prezzie.. minus the mistakes
Pattern is from Fiber Trends.. its the Flower Basket Shawl and its done in Cygnet Wool Rich 4ply.. quite inexpensive and also frogs rather well!! It's photographed on my skully knitting bag... ARRRR swoon Captn Jack.

I can feel the addictive properties of lace knitting drawing me in allready. At first I hated lace and seemed to spend all my time frogging... then suddenly the pattern just sort of clicked!!... Eureka moment

oooohhhh mega yarn P*rn!!

First of all heres this months S.E.X... I'm not a nymphomaniac... it stands for Stash Enhancement Exercise..... I loove yarn shopping...heck you can never have enough yarn!!!

Well heres what I got... Silkwood sock yarn in Aubergine

Middle Earth Yarn in Not Just for Goths

Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock in Happy Valley

Not quite sure what they will turn into..... but thinking the Aubergine could be a pair for DH... mind you I think Silkwood is too good for his caustic feet.... the Lornas Laces could be a small shawl or scarf.... and the Middle Earth Yarns.... well I have been coveting this colourway for ages so going to find a pattern that really does it justice

Mind you they could all be destined for SOCKS!!!, all for me of course.. Oh Dear.... greedy Fairy!

thought Id brighten the place up with few piccies!!!!!!

Well the old place is looking a bit dull so thought I'd brighten it up with a few piccies.

First one is of my favourite socks.... and oh boy will these brighten the place up.... mind you I have a weakness for bright socks... the brighter the better!!!!.

Yarn is Middle Earth Yarns... shade is Brighton Rock Socks.

I think the pattern really suits the yarn.... the pattern is feather and fan from Socks, Socks, Socks 70 winning designs from the Knitters magazine.... or something like that haven't got the book in front of me and I have a memory like a sieve

Gosh hope this works.... I'm such a techno numpty... and will warn you a lot of my pictures are MEGA dodgy... David Baily I aint!!!!!!

look at the time... I got jobs to do..... housework won't finish itself.. may post more later

Squee my first post!!!!

Hi I'm Fairynuff.... I'm a yarn crazed fairy with a passion for knittng ,especially socks. I have also started to do the whole lace thing and have 8 school cardis to finish before September.

I just love knitting socks and now have enough pairs to keep me going even if my washing machine broke for a month.
I also love buying sock yarn.... hey who am I kidding I just love yarn... but sock yarn is my weakness.

I'm looking forward to sharing my WIP's , and FO's ( hopefully no UFO's) and will throw a bit of yarn p*rn in too.... the result of my love of S.E.X..
I also love designing socks too.. have a couple of pairs in the pipeline and will hopefully post the patterns for free on here.... gosh I hope you like them!!!
Bye for now!
Fairynuff xx