Ippikin

I have a million thanks to give to the LYS Search feature on Ravelry. I'm lucky to have the map light up like a little christmas tree in Los Angeles, but around Bridgnorth, it's a slightly rarer sight. So when I found out about Ippikin, I had to sink the £20 travel fare to visit.

Unfortunately it had to rain on the day we set out, but I was determined to travel anyway (and Jason was such a great sport about it too!) The moment we spotted the shop I snapped just one photo and ran inside for shelter. You'll have to see for yourself if you get there--the place is a little yarn haven.

Among local brands carried are Rowan, Lion Brand, Opal, and much more. I had a great time squishing skeins that I've only seen photos of online.

There's also a nice little nook to knit and chat. On the day I visited, a small crochet class was currently in session.

Lesley was a fantastic host and was a tremendous help to me. I let her know I was looking for some local yarns and she showed me big parts of the wall devoted to these gorgeous skeins of soft wool! I chose 4 skeins of Woolyknits' Aran for Bapsicrafts. These skeins will each turn into lovely Condyle wristwarmers that I'll have for sale in the shop. :] Woolyknits' yarn is spun in their mill in Saddleworth, Yorkshire in the valleys of the Pennines in northern England. I'm more than excited to have this part of Britain on my needles and to share it with shoppers of Bapsicrafts. :]

And, of course, I made a rather large personal purchase. I don't allow myself the luxury very often at all, since I'm kind of in practice of not having a personal stash when I can help it.  But these yarns! I've seen sock after sock knit in Regia or Opal yarns and, crap, here's my chance! The Rhubarb colorway, and this variegated bluish shade of the Opal yarn are going to look fantastic as socks.

I'm not going to cast any of those on just yet, since they'd most likely be in progress for a while. I anticipate not being allowed to knit at all on the airplane back, so sparing myself of a sock wip in the suitcase will be the best idea.

As for the DK Knitcol yarns, well..

...my hand slipped.

two coasters (& pattern)

Recently Jason's felt a little uncomfortable with resting his mug right on the dark finish of our new desks. But with my back to back personal sock projects and the Bapsicrafts pieces always on the needles, he's been reluctant to make a request. Now that my Chai Latte Socks are finished, and my traveling Bapsicrafts stash here is dwindling at a morale-boosting rate, I've had the kind of lull in my knitting that must have given him the strength to ask(I was happy to oblige!) I found some leftover wool from this past winter's projects, cast on until the width felt just right, and went to improvising a coaster.

And then--I made one for me, just to match. Like our lens mugs?

The coasters love each others' company! I'd hate to tear them away from each other when I go back to California in just under two weeks' time, so they'll stay to cushion Jason's mugs here in England. I'll look forward to our visits when I have enough saved up to come back. :]

For anyone interested, here's the simple pattern to make your own. It uses less than 25 yards of any leftover worsted weight yarn you have lying around. I worked this with 4.5mm needles.

Cast on 22 stitches.
Work 30 rounds of Seed Stitch.
If you'd like a neat slip stitch edge, slip the first stitch of each row purlwise, and knit the last stitch of each row.
Bind off, and weave in.

fo: chai latte socks

And they're done! I actually finished these about a week sooner than planned. It typically takes about a week and a half to make one fingering weight sock, but the I surprised myself by knitting the first in only 9 days! When I heard about Must Stash holding a Month of Socks KAL contest for knitterly prizes on May 24th, I was determined to try upping my chances to win by finishing and photographing all of my WIPs by the end of the month. This meant casting on and binding off the second Chai Latte sock in only one day, when you consider my time working on the Wellies. I caught up watching Elementary, my hands were on fire, and the sock was finished and woven in one day with just enough time to collapse and wake up in time for photos with Jason's help.

pattern : Vanilla Latte Socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes

yarn : Four Seasons Gründl Hot Socks Country in Shade 33

needle : US 6[4 mm] 

size : 9.5

I didn't win, but the fun in posing outside in socks (and admiring the photographer) made the experience worth it. Also, new socks!

The fit is absolutely perfect! Like, an exact fit. I was a little worried about the dryness of the yarn, but after the first soapy dip, they softened up nicely. And I couldn't have been more impressed with the way this yarn striped up. The pattern is gorgeous.

As mentioned before, I opted for a k2 p2 cuff, and worked the Eye of Partridge heel, which was a lot of fun and very satisfying to see in this color scheme. I also went for a simple Wedge Toe. The other option was a star toe, which would have been a great new thing to learn how to do, if I wasn't so repelled by the look of it! I'm sure there's a pattern out there somewhere that the Star Toe helped make shine, but I don't think this one is it.

All in all, I loved the project. I highly recommend it to beginner and advanced knitters alike. Perfect for a softly stripey or semi-solid sock yarn in your stash. These Chai Latte Socks really flew off the needles for me, and became a welcome addition to my growing pile of hand-knit socks.

fo: wellie socks for two

These two are finally finished--I didn't want to wear mine until Jason's socks were done, so now that the last sock's finally been bound off..

pattern : Irish Wellington Socks by Aileen Cahill

yarn : Garnstudio DROPS Big Fabel in Forest

needle : US 6[4 mm]

size : 9.5

Jason was kind enough to be the photographer for this pair! I think he's done an excellent job. :] I felt it only fitting that I model these socks around the village; it was Highley's mood and color scheme that inspired my choice of colorway for this project. Even on dark or overcast days, the leaves practically glow green--not the most familiar sight to someone born and raised in arid and red socal.

These socks are perfectly warm and comfortable. I'm excited to have this at hand(..foot) later this year, when I'm a little chilly back home. It'll remind me of my taste of real cold in England just a few months ago. Just having a lovingly made project to remember my wonderful time exploring with Jason is enough of a reason to love hand knitting.

While shooting, Jason experimented with sequential mode. I had a little fun in Photoshop with the resulting photos--

I asked Jason to stand on this ancient and interestingly textured wooden floor as a contrast. The idea is to fill his clothes drawers with comfy socks to wear on this unforgiving flooring. I believe he's well armed now.

The knitting wasn't actually as excruciating as I expected! I think the worsted weight yarn and plain stockinette body contributed greatly to that. I worked the ribbed cuffs with the elastic thread, but am not yet sure if they will really make a difference when worn over time. There's a small amount of the thread left over, so I'll try sewing them in the next dark sock project instead of knitting it beside the wool to see if the technique makes much difference. The only change I made from the original pattern was working the leg in 4.0mm instead of 4.5mm needles.

pattern : Irish Wellington Socks by Aileen Cahill

yarn : Garnstudio DROPS Big Fabel in Black

needle : US 6[4 mm], US 7 [4.5mm]

size : 10.5

The idea is to keep the socks snug around his ankles, so they don't sag down as he walks and sleeps. I like when socks bunch up above my feet, but him? Not so much. He comments on its comfort and softness of the yarn, and hasn't stopped wearing it around the house. I haven't seen many holes wearing in (yet), so I have confidence in the strength of this sock yarn. Thanks for your recommendations! With this finished project I've cemented my knowledge of his shoe size and sock-type preference. This will mean handmade socks arriving at his door more frequently than before. :]

Some other bloggers have been kicking ass on the sock-knitting front—

Kaiya of Winterlime Knits is currently working on a beautiful plant-life inspired pair right now too. Susan's sock drawer is growing big and strong as ever, and shared a pattern for Men's vanilla socks. And Kathy uncovered a gorgeous stitch pattern that's perfect for the variegated sock yarn you've got patiently waiting in your stash.