Footwear

I’ve started something new – socks. The last pair I knit was for my Tudor clothes a few years ago. As the socks in Rutt’s book are shaped to the leg, that’s what I did with some fetching blue two-ply Shetland yarn bought from Uppingham Yarns a few years previous. Then I just had to knit and dye yarn for another pair. Some Leicester Longwool roving was lovely to work with, but disappointingly didn’t take a very strong red when I dyed it with madder. As I have produced redder shades on other wool I realised the reasonably tightly worsted type of spinning affected the colour take-up. The red socks are lovely, and were much admired but alas no longer fit. Or rather one still fits but one of my ankles is now larger than the other due to an accident last year (tore my Achilles tendon dancing the gay Gordons, like you do). There are two possible routes – take out the foot of one and re-knit, or knit an entire new sock. I’ve opted to do nothing for the moment, as both choices depend on me finding the spare yarn in the stash.

The current work-in-progress will not be worn on Tudor days as the yarn is mottled pink – dyed by me flicking dry powder in a stockpot. As toe-up socks make sense for an unknown quantity of yarn that’s what I’m doing, and am enjoying it so far.

As I have nothing planned for this weekend I will try and complete the middle stripes of my jumper for dad. I’m knitting all four jumper pieces at once so the stripes match as I have unknown quantities of yarn in the three shades of grey.

There is a theme here for random lengths of yarn.