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Friday 21 November 2014

A slow(ish) week in November ... delicately seasoned with a half-knitted sock

I've been really hard pushed to get things done this week. I've been distracted. All week.

You see it started with a sock. Yes, I'm serious: a single, lonely, little sock!  My old gran used to be the sock-knitting queen, but the sad thing was that none of us paid too much attention to how she did it. We all enjoyed her fabulous, snuggly footwear, which she used to love knitting in front of the television as she watched her favourite programmes, but no one ever sat down and said Gran, how on earth do you turn the yarn into these wonderful socks?

She passed away 10 years' ago. We all miss her tonnes, and her legacy of lovely, woolly socks now have holes in them. This week I've been desperately trying to figure out how she did it. I started off with half an idea of how to make it work, but I've been battling to get it right - all week - like a determined little terrier who just won't give up. And, as a result, nothing else has got done. Oops!

I thought I'd have a go with a smallish pair for Emi's smallish feet. I figured out how to turn the heel without any difficulty but I've had a bit of a struggle to get those toes into place. This, ta-dah, is where I've got to:


Maybe I could just leave them like that. How do toeless socks grab you as a concept? Inbuilt ventilation: the perfect antidote to smelly feet. I mean we've got fingerless gloves, which people who mess around doing stuff outdoors love to wear, so why not toeless socks that leave your toes free for ... well ... um ... <searches for ideas> ... scratching your legs with? No? OK, OK, you're right: that's a ship that may be hard to launch.

I even bought a pattern book, but it was written in such an infuriatingly, unhelpful way that it had me turning to the author's bio page to tell her photo that her instructions were worse than hopeless every time I've tried to use it. Yes, I was that demented. What is it with people who do technical things and then can't explain them to us normal mortals? I had a physics teacher like that once. He used to drive us all mental, walking us round in circles and tying us up in knots with the most complicated, long-winded explanations imaginable for concepts that could have been explained simply in a few sentences. Luckily my dad's good at maths and physics so I used to figure it out at home with his help. At the end of year we said that we'd passed our physics exams despite our teachers's input!

Happily I did manage to finish off my  Sparkly Party Wrap on Monday before I fell victim to my sock obsession.


And I've been busy out in the garden with Maxi, the Wonder Dog, at my heels. We've been doing a much needed autumn tidy-up. Well I have, and the Wonder Dog has been digging holes - everywhere - and hasn't really helped at all. I don't know what's got into him, but he's keen as mustard on digging holes these days. He has also got a sock fetish (I think there's something in the water over here), which means that, in addition to messy paw prints all over my floors, I also have the added delight of a mud monster for a pooch and the daily excitement of unearthing badly buried socks beneath my rose bushes. Happy Days!

And talking or roses, as I've mentioned in the past (check out my how to make pot pourri and more about how to make pot pourri posts)  I'm an enthusiastic maker of pot pourri. This week I've bought a lovely new rose that promises to be perfect for this purpose. Here's what I'm hoping it will look like come the springtime:



Isn't it a beauty?

It's called Munstead Wood by the wonderful David Austin. It's named after Gertrude Jekyll's private garden at Munstead Wood, her home designed by her chum, Edwin Lutyens. To be very honest I was sold on the name and the association with the great doyenne of the Arts and Crafts Movement, but once I'd got over my swoon the rest of the details sounded pretty spot on. It's a wonderful dark, dark red. Light coloured roses tend to discolour as they dry. It's also a vigorous repeat flowerer with a strong, heavy olde worlde fragrance. Tick, tick, tick: it's got all the attributes of a perfect pot pourri rose.

Inside I've been scattering around poinsettias. My local flower shop took a delivery of these cheeky little chaps earlier in the week, and I just couldn't walk home without them. Now my challenge is to not kill them before Christmas. I'm a bit rubbish with indoor plants, so that's a big challenge for me - maybe even bigger than getting those toes to go in the right place in Emi's socks <sigh!>.


Emi's busy practising for his Christmas play at school. It's about the Christmas Day ceasefire back in 1914. He's Tommy number 5 from somewhere down the line, and we've had our usual, seasonal dash to get him kitted out for his dress rehearsals.

He's also discovered a how-to guide for making the best paper aeroplane in the world, by the chap who holds the world record for flying a paper aeroplane further than anyone else has ever done. No, I didn't know that particular record category existed either. Anyway, this has given young Emi a focus on all things aeronautical this week, which has kept him busy with his Lego bricks and some torn-out pages from his maths homework book.


If you've got a little person at home who might be interested in this paper aeroplane technology you can find the link for the how-to guide here: Paper aeroplanes by the Paper Aeroplane Guy. I was very sceptical about his boasts, and his special construction tools, but his design does work well. The broad wings get a lot of lift, especially if you stand on top of the stairs and launch it down into the hallway.

Anyway, those toes are calling out to me and I know that they're not going to knit themselves any time soon, so I'll wish you all the very best for a truly lovely weekend,

Bonny x

As shared on image-in-ing











24 comments:

  1. My dyslexic eyes read; half-witted sox , which intrigued me even more than the toe-less option :-)
    Glamour still reigns in your household : you in the gorgeous shawl. Sox are such tricky notions, and when I was told [after the first botched pair] to knit the two of a pair at once, side by side so to speak, I decided that was one step too far.

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    1. You may be onto something there: it could be half-knitted sox for half-witted woman who can't get the wretched things finished! But I am making progress. I am confident that we'll be all done on sock number one by tea-time. Knitting the two socks at the same time sounds like something way above my pay-grade ...but I could be wishing I done just that this time next week as I set about re-inventing the wheel with sock number 2. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  2. Have you ever heard of 'flip-flop socks'? The socks actually have the big toe knitted separately and the other toes together, kind of like a mitten for the foot. That way you can wear flip-flops with socks and not have the sock all bunched up between the toes. Your sock could be a new style of flip-flop socks, one that has a little more air circulation. :) Your shawl is beautiful! I am no good with indoor plants either. I just buy the cut flowers now to enjoy. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Nope, I must confess that I have totally missed out on flip-flop socks. My Spanish relatives always tell me to never wear socks with sandals: apparently that look would totally mark me out as a tourist down on the Costas. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  3. I sure hope your rose lives up to expectations because it is a beauty!

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca. Yes, so do I! But I think it's in with a better chance than my poinsettias. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  4. I identify with the socks. I decided to dig out the crochet needles 3 years ago when baby girl was on the way. I had to watch several youtube videos to figure out how to make the booty shoes from a pattern i had purchased and it took three to get it and the size right. This year I want some fingerless gloves. s far as the socks go… turn them into boot cuffs. I might just make some for my 2 1/2 year granddaughter since those booties don't fit any more. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Good luck with the sock-knitting Roxi. I'll think further on the boot-cuff theme. Sounds original, and might even help to keep the water from getting into the wellington boots when I'm out digging in the garden. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  5. Your 'bling' wrap is gorgeous and your sox are creatively colorful and great floral shots!

    Happy Weekend to you,
    artmusedog and carol
    www.acreativeharbor.com

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    1. Thank you, Carol. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  6. I have really enjoyed reading your newsy post…I struggled with making socks until I finally got the hang of it but every time I start to knit a pair of socks I have to study those instructions all over again…..Lovely yarn you have chosen for yours and your wrap is gorgeous….

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    1. Thank you, Nancy. Yes, I suspect you're right: this sock-making business is all very complicated until you finally figure it out. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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    1. All my knitting is super easy, designed for doing with half a brain whilst I'm supervising homework. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  8. I love poinsettias, such cheery plants! No flower says Christmas to me like the beautiful poinsettia.
    You are knitting socks too? Wow, you sure are an amazing lady. :) Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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    1. Oh, yes, I do agree: after the Christmas tree they are the plants that shout "Christmas" to me too. Yes, I have knit a sock and a half by this stage so I think I'm just limping into the plural on the sock-production front. My mission is to come up with the easiest sock pattern possible. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  9. What lovely colors for socks! I always envy those who knit... the many creations you can make. :) I'm not patient enough to learn, though.

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    1. Thank you. Knitting is a bit like meditating. If my hands are busy with the needles my mind seems free to wander and to think. It also helps in a stressful situation (like when someone - not mentioning any names - can't seem to get his head around his homework). All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  10. Sometimes these slow weeks are just what we need. But you seem to have been active nevertheless.

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    1. I totally agree, Vanessa. Sometimes, like when it's grey and miserable outside, we just need to chill. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  11. Hi Bonny -
    I've tried to learn to knit. I can't seem to get the hang of holding the needles properly. The only way I seem to be able to manage is to tuck the needles under my armpits, then scrunch my arms up tight to work the ends of the needles. It's not especially successful.
    You do nice work, though!
    Thanks for sharing at http://www.image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2014/11/moon-view.html

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    1. Hi Sue, maybe your needles were too long, but I love the image you paint of how it felt. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  12. Woow..I always envy those who can kint :)...I really want to learn it but again I haven't got time to do so..pity...But your socks and party wrap look wonderful! good job ...happy WW..

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    1. Thank you. They're all easy patterns so that I can do them whilst I'm supervising my son's homework. It helps me to keep my sanity. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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