CoopKnits Socks Volume 2 Review

Last year I met the lovely Rachel Coopey at Yarndale in Skipton. I'd read about her love of sock knitting and designing patterns in knitting magazines but not having felt the urge to knit socks myself I hadn't taken much notice. Yet when I saw her stand, the intricacy of her sock designs and the sheer fun that she's had with pattern and colour, I decided not to write off sock knitting per se.

A few years ago I knitted a pair of long socks for my brother for Christmas, a slightly dull job because I was rushing to meet the December 25th deadline and hadn't learned how to graft properly. I still haven't. Needless to say I wasn't inspired to knit any more pairs. The socks for my brother were knitted in DK on two needles - at that point in my knitting history I hadn't yet ventured into knitting on DPNs.

Dave socks

Now I'm keen to dip my toes (excuse the pun) into the world of sock knitting again. Previously I thought why go to the effort of knitting socks when you can buy a cheap five pack from M&S? Seeing Rachel Coopey's samples with my own eyes, however, persuaded me how desirable and quirky handknitted socks can be. I choose to knit jumpers, cardigans, gloves, scarves and hats instead of buy commercially-made ones so why should my socks be any different? Hopefully too, as with my other knitted items, I'll look after socks I've made myself much better than the lone chain store version found at the back of the washing machine.

Coopey published her Socks Volume 2 pattern collection back in February. Its cover, shown above, shows a selection of her designs for women - and men given that the leg above the green sock is rather hairy! There are 12 patterns in the book, with all but one being knitted in one colour. As a beginner sock knitter that's an advantage for me not having to worry about yarn changes as well as DPNs and a cable needle.

The first pattern is the one I'll be starting with. It's called Dave and is a 'no fuss' sock pattern that introduces the knitter to the techniques involved in sock making. Despite the fact that it's all stocking stitch the socks in the book's photo look stunning thanks to the variegated 'Another Crafty Girl Merino Sock Yarn' they are knitted in.

The other sock patterns look wonderfully comfortable to wear on your feet and play with cable, rib and texture. Otis is the design that uses mini skeins to create a striking, shades of orange pattern.

At the back of the book there's a section of tips and techniques for knitting socks with advice on casting on, tension, sizing to the length of your foot and using charts. I can't wait to get started on knitting 'Dave', but first I need some sock yarn to knit the pair with. In my next blog post I'll hunt for a variety of desirable British sock yarns to choose from.

Knitting stash update - I've finally finished knitting Susan Crawford's Perfect Christmas Jumper, albeit over three months too late! Now it just needs to be sewn up ...

The Shetland Trader Book Two

The Shetland Trader Book Two

My lovely husband, at my behest, bought me a copy of The Shetland Trader Book Two for my birthday. I'm slightly late to the party, the book having been published at the end of last year, and it was difficult to track down a print copy. No doubt a second print run will take place soon and in the meantime a digital download of the book is available at Ravelry. For me though the pleasure of knitting books comes from leafing through them, admiring the photography and reading the patterns to see which I'd knit first. With its beautiful pictures of the designs shot in Shetland, The Shetland Trader Book Two exceeded my knitting porn expectations.

When I was around aged eight my mum, dad brother and I went to Shetland for a week's holiday. We stayed with my mum's best friend and her family who were living there for a few years whilst mum's best friend's husband worked as an engineer out on the oil rigs. It was a magical week - the first time I'd been on a plane and seen a landscape that wasn't Yorkshire or our usual holiday spot of Bournemouth. The week was sunny and bright, showing Shetland off in its best light. I remember picnics on the beach, boat trips and buying some wonderful Shetland wool fingerless gloves (this was the 1980s!) Perhaps my love of yarn began there? As an adult I'd love to go back and I follow Shetland Wool Week on the internet. My only reservation about returning is that now I'm a wheelchair user, which may be a barrier to finding accommodation and exploring outside of Lerwick.

Gudrun Johnston, aka The Shetland Trader, was born in Shetland in the 1970s and her mum ran a design company on the island. Whilst Gudrun now lives in the US her heart is still in Shetland and her homeland inspires her designs. Book Two contains an amazing fair isle jumper called Northdale and the design on the book's front cover, Nikka Vord, has an intricately-patterned yoke.

Snarravoe

My favourite sweater is Snarravoe, knitted in Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran. It is knitted top down in one piece, with the sleeves and body separated at the underarm. The jumper is one colour only and has a lovely rib pattern. Knitting it in the round may be a challenge for me but it's certainly one worth rising to!

The book has nine beautifully-photographed patterns, modelled by two Shetland women. The book's foreword tells the reader about the models, location and the yarns featured.

Having now discovered Johnston's work I'll be taking a look at The Shetland Trader Book One. Join her Ravelry group here. Meanwhile I'll be browsing Jamieson & Smith's website to decide which colour to knit Snarravoe in, and armchair chair planning a trip to Shetland. If anyone does have any advice for a wheelchair-friendly holiday in Shetland that involves yarn for me and wildlife for my husband, I'd be very grateful if you could let me know below. Many thanks.

Vintage Gloves & Babylonglegs Yarn

Before Christmas I was thrilled to be the highest bidder for a knitted hat on eBay. Susan Crawford, who specialises in vintage pattern designs, was selling off some of her samples and I am now the proud owner of a lovely 1920s-style knitted hat, adorned with a big, round wooden button.

The beautiful DK yarn is variegated in tones of rusty red and is soft to the touch. I asked Susan what it was so I could buy some and knit matching gloves. It was custom dyed by Babylonglegs, but thankfully Susan had a spare ball to sell to me.

Babylonglegs doesn't appear to be in business at the moment. The Etsy shop is empty. What a shame to discover a wonderful new artisan yarn only to not be able to buy any more! However, all is not lost, because through the wonders of Google, I did come across a blog, which told me that babylonglegs is a busy mum based in Leicestershire. The great news is that she's planning on reopening her yarn shop very soon.

Meanwhile I used my spare ball to knit a pair of gloves based on Susan Crawford's vintage gloves pattern, which I mentioned in a previous post. I confess I broke a big rule in the knitting book. The glove pattern is for 4 ply yarn but instead I used DK and knitted very tightly! The gloves are slightly large but the dense knitting makes them very warm. I'm thrilled with my matching hat and gloves.

Meanwhile I'm following Susan's Finish A Long thread on Ravelry. The thread is to encourage knitters who are well on the way to knitting up one of Susan Crawford's patterns to finish and sew up. The challenge runs until the beginning of April and Susan is posting useful finishing tips and hints along the way.

I'm STILL trying to finish her perfect Christmas jumper and am hoping that the Finish A Long will spur me on to the finishing line. The sleeves are done and I've nearly finished the front. The back shouldn't take too long because it's all one colour - no stranded knitting required. Watch this space ...

Edinburgh Yarn Fest

This weekend sees Scotland's capital city go all woolly at the knees because of Edinburgh Yarn Fest.

The Edinburgh Corn Exchange is the venue for the yarn festival, which takes place on Saturday 14th March from 10am to 5.30pm and on Sunday 15th March from 10am to 5pm. As well as lots and lots of lovely yarn on sale there will be classes, from learning brioche stitch to knitting a fair isle brooch. In the podcast lounge there will be lots of events taking place, with the help of blogger Knit British.

Reading the list of exhibitors was a great source of information for me on Scottish woolly brands that I hadn't heard of before. I love the hand dyed yarn from The Border Tart, Old Maiden Aunt's handpainted Shetland wool, and naturally dyed yarns in The Skye Shilasdair Shop.

Day admission to the the Festival is £8, with a full weekend ticket retailing at £12.

It's my birthday this weekend and I'm hoping to celebrate next year by taking a trip to Edinburgh Yarn Fest, assuming it will take place on the same weekend. I'm already planning a list of yarn I've got my eye on, in the knowledge that my yarn diet will be over by 2016!

Baa Ram Ewe's Harrogate Branch To Close

On Thursday subscribers to baa ram ewe's email newsletter received the shocking news that their Harrogate branch is to close, with its last day of trading being on April 2nd. The Leeds branch, recently located to Chapel Allerton, is not affected.

Baa ram ewe is one of my favourite yarn shops, stocking an edited collection of Yorkshire yarns and other luxurious wool and championing small-scale British designers. Whilst it's not the cheapest place to shop for wool it's certainly the most stylish and up to date, knocking spots off the cliche of the old-fashioned wool store.

Not all its supporters in Harrogate will be able to travel to Chapel Allerton instead, and indeed that store has two steps up to the entrance, making it inaccessible for wheelchair users, people with walking difficulties, and those with prams. Customers will still be able to buy online, but of course this isn't suitable for people wanting to check the difficultly of patterns and feel yarn before they buy. Plus there's the cost of postage and, if the product isn't exactly what you wanted, return postage to obtain a refund.

So is the Harrogate branch a victim of the recession? Not so says the company:

"Being a small business and running this wonderful company brings us so much joy, but in amongst this there are sometimes difficult choices to make. Although we have had tremendous support from our Harrogate customers we feel that two shops, along with our global travels with our Titus yarn, means we are simply not giving our best to all parts of the business. We are very sad to close the store and it has been a very hard decision to make, but we hope it will make the rest of baa ram ewe an even better experience for everyone."

I've as yet, however, to hear of a company closing a thriving and profitable store. Here's hoping that Harrogate's closure, only a few months after the comparable yarn store Mrs Moon in St Margarets, near Twickenham, shut its doors and went online only, isn't indicative of a downturn in the fortunes of British yarn stores. Whilst online stores have their place, they can't replace a top quality local wool shop that champions local designers and brings the knitting community together.

The Mobile Yarn Shop

With local yarn shops closing at an alarming rate due partly to the recession, to business rates and because of price undercutting on the internet, it's lovely to hear of a woolly business in Essex that's bucking the trend and bringing yarn into the community.

The Woolly Giraffe, based in Southend-On-Sea, is catering for both internet and real-life shoppers, running a monthly show on the second Thursday of each month at Southminster Parish Hall, and also selling online.

The business travels round in its branded van to various shows throughout the year in south east Essex. Run by Kate Strange and Jiona (aka the Woolly Giraffe), the business displays the pair's passion for taking their hobby out into the community.

Could this be a business model to save local yarn stores in the future, having both a virtually business and one that travels out within the community, whilst not having to pay the overheads that come with a high-street store?

Whilst many knitters love to travel to knitting shows and exhibitions, for those who find it harder to get out and about or don't have a weekend to spare the opportunity to browse and buy the latest yarns from your local church hall or community centre is a welcome one.

On a different note I recently came across a wonderful sewing and wool store in the village of Tickhill, South Yorkshire. From Rags To Stitches doesn't have its own website but there is a Facebook page. One half of the shop is dedicated to sewing, with the other half to wool. Whilst there's a small range of budget wool, what really caught my eye is its specialism in Debbie Bliss and Louisa Harding yarns, with the most recent additions to the collection on display just a few weeks after launch.

There were a few knitted up garments on display, for inspiration, with a small but carefully curated collection of pattern books to go with the yarn. I'm currently sworn to not buy any more yarn this year until I've used up my large stash ... but my husband was easily persuaded to buy me a couple of balls of Louisa Harding Noema yarn for my forthcoming birthday. From Rags To Stitches is fabulous store to visit and Tickhill village itself has enough history and charm to make a day trip of it.

Knitting In Hospital

I recently blogged about how knitting isn't so great for your mental wellbeing if you get stuck with the pattern and have to keep pulling rows out. Now I'm looking for for the opposite - a pattern that's quick to knit and simple without being dull.

Tomorrow I'm going to hospital for an exploratory operation and will probably be in for a couple of nights. In the blurb I received about preparing for an operation is this advice:

"You may also want to bring something to do while you wait to go into theatre. For example:

• a book/magazine/newspaper
• crosswords
• knitting."

Toft's giant beanie

The only crosswords I'm any good at are about celebrities and names of TV shows. Anything cryptic and my eyes glaze over. For someone who has the patience to spend hours and hours knitting a complicated pattern, and has a father that does The Daily Telegraph's crossword religiously every day, it's odd that my eyes glaze over at the mention of them.

With regards to books, I'm a voracious reader but what if I get to a cliffhanger and have to put the book down to be wheeled off to theatre? So knitting it is then. 

Looking through my hefty stash of yarn and patterns I wanted to something to knit that's relatively compact and that I could realistically complete during my hospital stay.

What I came up with is Toft's giant beanie. It's knitted with two strands of chunky yarn together in the round, meaning you can put it down at any time and there's no rush to finish a row. I have in my stash enough yarn to knit two, just in case there's a long wait! One will be in brown and the other in cream and these will be, dare I say it, be the first gifts I've knitted for Christmas 2015.

Here's hoping that knitting will work its therepeutic magic and keep the heebie jeebies at bay during my hospital stay!