Episode 20 - Flappy Socks

Hello my lovelies!

 

Welcome to The Crochet Circle Podcast and the show notes from Episode Twenty - Flappy Socks.

 

In this episode I cover: Old dog, new tricks; FOs; WIPs; Festival of Finishing CrAL; #BackToSchoolSweaterCAL; Feeding the habit; Big up and What's good?

 

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1 - Old dog, new tricks

Having heard lots of radio adverts for the magazine app 'Readly' I was intrigued to see what it was all about.  This was also hot on the heels of me learning from Alyson at the Keep Calm and Carry Yarn Podcast that her local library (Edinburgh) has free subscriptions to libraries through a different app (I have looked into this and very few UK libraries actually offer this service).

 

Already a subscriber to Spotify, I figured that Readly would work in the same way - it doesn't!  You can sign up five more friends or family members to the service and they don't appear to need to live at the same address.  I have offered this out around Woolgathering and my friend Jenny also has one of my five subscription spots.

 

CAVEAT - Having recorded the podcast I went to download the latest Simply Crochet magazine and it wasn't there.  Nor was Mollie Makes...

 

I emailed Readly and they say that those publications are no longer available but that they have lots of other craft titles.  They seem to have started doing Crochet Now instead which is good news but still means that what has gone out in the podcast is a) inaccurate and b) annoying.  I will still subscribe to this because there are so many titles to download, especially if you enable lots of different countries as you can then get magazines from there too.

 

2 - Finished Objects 

There is a bit of a sock theme this month.  Had you noticed?  I have really enjoyed making the Socks Yeah! (shade is 102 Ammolite) version of the Gorman Street Toe-Up Socks from Step Into Crochet.  I can't say the same for the Regia version which is why I have only made one of them.  This yarn split with almost every stitch.  I like the end product, the sock is squishy and warm but the process very frustrating.  I have previously knitted and crocheted socks with a different Regia 4 ply yarn and didn't have these problems.  Tonight I was at Woolgathering Sandbach (the crafting group that I run) and Sam had just finished knitting a pair using Regia 4 ply and had the same issues.

 

 

In advance of a full book review on Step Into Crochet next month, I wanted to set out the rib changes that I made:

Larger ankles - stick to the pattern and keep a turning chain at the top of the rib - this is what I did with the Regia sock on the left and you can see that it is 'flappy'

Medium ankles - try only doing the turning chain on every other rib at the top.  This leads to a tighter rib with good elasticity (see the middle sock) but it was still too loose for me.

 

Thin ankles - don't do a turning chain at the top of the rib at all.  This is how I got a good fit at the top of my socks (see the third sock).

 

I also finished off my Rambling Friends Socks from my Fibre Friends Podcast kit.  The yarn was dyed by Adrienne (Old Oak Yarns), the pattern was created by Louise (Louise Patterson on Ravelry) and I kept it all in my Evertote bag made by Caroline and Kathy.  These were lovely to work on - the yarn was squishy and vibrant, the pattern was great (I loved the simple lace detail at the back) and my project bag had mustard and teal birds on it, a winning combination.

 

 

My final FO is a crocheted shawl of my own design.  It's called Basalt and is 100% inspired by the hexagonal geological features that you get throughout the world.  This version is crocheted with John Arbon Textiles Knit By Numbers 4 ply (2 x 100g skeins and one mini skein).  The pattern is on Ravelry now and if you use the code TCC50% between 1st and 30th September 2017 you will get 50% off making it £1.75.  

 

The pattern covers crocheting this both bottom-up and top-down and has a private YouTube tutorial that is only available to those that have purchased the pattern.

 

 

3 - Works in progress

I only have one WIP this month.  I have been pattern testing a cushion cover for Jo jo Twinkletoes.  I haven't previously tried the basketweave stitch and this was the perfect project for it.  The pattern will be free of charge and go live on Jo's blog the second weekend of September and I should be able to show it off as an FO in the next episode.

 

 

I also talked about the future WIPs that I will be working on in the coming month.  More socks, in the form of the Mordecai Socks from Step Into Crochet but this time using West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 Ply and Lang Yarns Jawoll (with the reinforcement thread because the socks won't last very long without it).   

 

4 - Festival of Finishing

The response to the CAL has been fantastic.  As I type out these notes it is 00:19 on the 1st September and I know that we reached the target of 150 FOs about an hour ago and there are more FOs to be added to the Ravelry thread.  I am so proud of the fact that between us all we have raised a load of money for Knit for Peace.  I will be able to give you a total number of projects and £ raised in the next podcast. Thank you. 

 

I finally finished my Uncia shawl, knitted in John Arbon's Harvest Hues in colourway Blue Spruce.  It was a bit of an effort to get this finished but the sheepy smell of the wool kept me going.  I have just washed and blocked this and it is beautiful and still smells sheepy - lush.

 

  

 

5 - Back to School Sweater CAL

We have lift-off on the CAL.  

 

 

I have finally decided on the garment that I am going to start with.  It's the Aberdeen Castle Cable Sweater by Noelle Stiles and I am using Shilasdair Luxury 4 ply for it which has been naturally dyed with Hawthorn berries.

 

6 - Feeding the habit

I have very little for you this month, just some 4 ply from Green Elephant in colourway Gym Nut.  I love this yarn from Fiona and will be using it in a second version of the Criss-cross shawl which will be a CAL with Olann and magazine later in the year.

 

 

7 - Big up

I have a couple of new podcasts for you to take a look at.  Both are on YouTube.

Charlie has a blog and a new crochet podcast.  She's a designer and seems to be pretty much yarn obsessed with a stash that looks like it could start to rival mine...

The second is Grace from Babbles Travelling Yarn Podcast.  She is great fun to watch even if you aren't a knitter - one of those dafties that can always cheer you up.

 

8 - What's Good

At the beginning of the month, I was vending at Yarnfolk Festival in Whitehead, Northern Ireland.  What a day!  I was up very early in the morning to catch the ferry from close to my Mum and Dad's house in Scotland and talked crochet and crafting all day long with the friendliest people.

I didn't manage to take a single photo while I was there but luckily Lora from Olann and magazine has created a really good vlog of the day showing off the exhibitors.

 

See you all in October.

 

Fay x

 

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