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Beautiful Sock Yarn & Wool for Your Next Project

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Lucy Anklet Socks

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I have wanted to knit a pair of cuff socks for some time now. I always think they look fun for wearing in the Spring, early Summer and Autumn. Very cute.

Cuff Socks 23

Last year I bought the book “A Cuff Above” containing 23 sock patterns by Cynthia Guggemos.  Several patterns in this book really appeal to me. The first to actually be knit are the Lucy Anklet Socks. In the book, the designer, gives 3 different options for the cuff: a ZigZag Eyelet Cuff, Eyelet Rib Cuff, or Little Fountains Cuff. All of the options give a simple lace cuff.[Read More]

Sweet & Spicy Peach Socks

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These cute socks were knit using Peach 6751 from the original Opal Sweet & Spicy. I really love the colour combination of the peachy orange with the graduating tones of grey.

Sweet and Spicy Socks 8

The socks knit up very quickly because of the slip stitch pattern. You very quickly get into a  rhythm, slipping every 4th stitch. [Read More]

Burra Bears Part 1

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Why do I want to have my own burra bear as a keepsake for our visit to Shetland? Mainly, because they are absolutely the cutest bear I have seen in a very long time.
I’ve been dreaming about my burra bear over the last few months while I’ve been sorting through all the gorgeous shetland wool I brought home with me from Shetland… I emailed Wendy Inkster who makes these gorgeous bears, in early November and then, I had to embark on Christmas present knitting and my Burra Bear project ended up on the back burner. But I have not forgotten this bear.

Burra-Bears-1[Read More]

Modern Fair Isle Knitting on Shetland

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Knitting-Collage-Shetland

If like me, you visit Shetland on the trail of fair isle knitting, you won’t want to just look at the beautiful vintage examples in the museums, you’ll also want to see the modern pieces which you will see everywhere. Many of these are inspired by the vintage fair isle knitting traditions but the knitter’s on Shetland have taken the traditional techniques and patterns in new directions.[Read More]

Kaffe Fassett Shadow Stripe Socks

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Gosh, on a cold winters night is there anything as nice as toasting your toes in front of the fire with a mug of hot tea and a couple of biscuits… yes, this can be improved by adding a pair of warm hand knit socks onto those toes!

Kaffe Fassett Socks Shadow Stripe 3871

Some sock yarns are just perfect for a pair of men’s socks particularly if he prefers socks that are a little more subtle in their colour scheme. One of my favourite sock yarns is Shadow Stripe 3871 from the Regia Kaffe Fassett Design Line. The great thing about Regia sock yarn is that it feels nice to wear but is a machine washable tough hard-wearing sock yarn.[Read More]

Who Owns These Hand Knit Socks?

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I’d draped the newly finished Slip Stitch Socks on the picnic table while on holiday in the Cairngorms in September, as I wanted to take a few photos of them. We soon had a couple of interested visitors.

A few red squirrels were regular visitors, so we gave them nicknames. The two squirrels in this series of photos are Baby Girl and Tufty.

Red Squirrel and Hang Knit Socks

Baby Girl arrived for a snack. “Mmm… what’s this?”[Read More]

Scatness Tam

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I’m not known for travelling lightly… My sister can travel for weeks with everything she needs squashed into a small backpack. So it wasn’t unexpected for me to go on holiday to Shetland and bring pattern books and shetland wool from my yarn collection with me. Of course I returned home to Belfast with even more! I however also had squared paper and marker pens for drafting patterns… you just never know when you’ll be inspired. As knitter’s I think we just like to be prepared.

Scatness Tam

I cast on the Scatness Tam on my 50th birthday after a wonderful day walking around Sumburgh Lighthouse and exploring Jarlshof.[Read More]