Yippee, I made it through the twelve days of Christmas crafting. Today on day 12 I’m modelling my tall hibernating socks. Knit from a uneek sock kit, in colourway 60. I will be lounging in these socks over the holidays.
Have a very Merry Christmas!
socks
Twelve days of Christmas – Day Eight
Eight years ago my youngest son was 4 months old I decided that I would learn to knit while on maternity leave because of these tiny trees. I didn’t know how to knit but I knew I had to make these.
They were the first pattern I pinned years before I knew about Ravelry. It has taken me eight years to make them so they are fitting for the eighth day of Christmas.
They tie together my 2 hobbies (wine drinking and knitting) using waste from both to make something new.
Here is the pattern in case you are inspired too.
Yoga Socks
With every new year comes resolutions and I seem to make at least one similar resolution every year. Last year I resolved to listen to more music, and be more active. These resolutions went well together, and I did become more active while listening to music. This year I resolved to become a better listener, and to continue to be more active.
My resolution to be more active required the making of Yoga socks. I have been doing yoga in my living room but I end up with little people crawling under my downward dog. They also like to participate with me (really really close) by holding hands or sitting on me. My workout space is in my garage and it’s chilly, so I am thinking that if I wear socks maybe it won’t be so bad, and I won’t get interrupted by my little people. If you happen to have the same issues here is a pattern for yoga socks.
I was asked “what are yoga socks and why would I want them” by a follower the other day. In case you don’t know what, they are, they are socks designed to do yoga in. They come in a variety of forms but the main objective is allowing your toes to separate, and prevent you from slipping. You might want some if you are doing yoga in a cold space, or you really like to wear socks. I have a little issue in that my toes are attached, and the toe version of yoga socks will not work for me, so this is my solution.
Materials:
- Fingerling weight #1 yarn – 3 stitches per inch
- set of 4 double points and or 22″ circular needles – US 3/3.25 mm
- large needle
Pattern:
- ROW 1: CO64
- ROW 2: Join and K2 P2* repeat to end of row
- ROW 3-15: Repeat ROW 2
- ROW 16-38: Knit desired length depending on the size of your feet (24 rows for my size 10 feet)
- ROW 39: K2 P2* repeat for 32 stitches, K32
- ROW 40-45: repeat row 39 5 times
- ROW 46: K32, Cast off 32 (heel opening)
- ROW 47: K32, Cast on 32
- ROW 48: K64
- ROW 49-63 : K64 – 15 times
- ROW 64 : K2 P2* repeat to end of row
- ROW 65-103: repeat row 64 38 times or desired length
- ROW 104 – Cast off
- Cut yarn leaving a long enough tail to weave in ends with a needle
This pattern is intended for personal use only. I offer this pattern for free but I request that you do not sell it or any product made from it.
Remembrance Day
As I was making Christmas Sock monkeys (on a Saturday night after most of a bottle of wine) I got to thinking that if the socks had meaning the monkey would be more than just a decoration. My mind went on a bit of a spiral and I ended up thinking about the family from my son’s class that lost their dad & husband. The father was a member of the Canadian military and died on leave on the way home to see his family.
Before I sound like a complete nutter, we see this family everywhere, our kids are the same age, they go to school together, our youngest go to a play group together and our kids have swimming lessons together. So in the school yard bright and early Monday morning I approached the mom. I told her that I was thinking about them on the weekend and I explained my idea about turning her late husbands socks into sock monkeys for her kids. It was a slightly awkward conversation because I was asking for her late husbands socks and I have no idea how that conversation can be anything but awkward, but she brought me the socks a couple of days later.
When I started working on the sock monkeys I was in tears because one of the socks had pink paint on the toe and heel which I later confirmed came from painting their daughter’s room. As I worked on these monkeys I thought about my own family and how I can’t imagine the pain of this family and the strength of the mom. It’s my hope that these monkeys bring them comfort. I know that she was going to save them and give them to the kids for Christmas which made me very happy.
In addition to my own Grandfather who we affectionately called Poppy, I will be thinking about this family and all of the others that serve and have served our country on Remembrance Day.
Soc-tober
October is the month that the wool socks come out. I don’t like wearing socks, I am convinced that it’s genetic. My dad has gone so far as buying a place in Florida so that he doesn’t have to wear socks year round. I don’t blame him. My youngest doesn’t like socks either, he wears them only when leaving the house and even that varies. We got to preschool the other day and he was wearing one lonely sock. His version of a compromise I am sure.
Hiatus
Every once in a while it’s important to take a break. A break from things you love (like writing this blog) and things that you don’t. Recently I went on vacation and took a break from many things including parenting. My husband and I went away for a few days together because it’s important for our marriage. I love my kids but I love my husband too, and sometimes we need to be together without the kids. Thankfully my parents are happy to step in and have let us escape more than once.
We contemplated going on a cruise but I have in the past struggled with motion, and given that my brain is still healing we opted for a land based adventure. I may have been fine on a cruise but when someone was meddling around in the part of my brain that controls balance I am going to air on the side of caution for the next 6 months or so.
Our land based adventure involved a fair amount of driving, which for me means a fair amount of knitting. I knit a pair of socks while we were cruising around south Florida. We went to the Florida Keys and Miami. We had a few very relaxing kid free days with lots of time to chat (if you know my husband you understand the humour). Anyway it gave us time to reconnect which is critical to the success of our marriage.
We started just south of Tampa and drove to Homestead where we stayed in a dive (which was a bit of an accident), but we survived the night. We also took the opportunity to hit up Red Lobster. It has been years since I have been to Red Lobster (we don’t have one where we live), and those cheese buns are fantastic.
In the AM we made a quick escape to the Keys and drove all the way to Key West where we spent the day, and evening. We didn’t stay in Key West because it’s pricey, instead we opted to stay in Marathon (another of the keys). In the morning after a trip to IHOP (how can you resist) we drove to Miami Beach. Our hotel was perfectly positioned right on the beach. We walked the beach for hours while I took too many photos. We had dinner on the strip and I drank the biggest margarita I have ever seen, twice.
We spent the following day relaxing poolside before the drive back along alligator alley to life with kids. The kids had an amazing time with their grandparents (pictures below prove it), and we had a great time without them. It’s important for them to spend a little time without us, and for us to spend time without them, we all appreciate each other more after a little time apart.
Sock it to me
My feet are always cold. Even when I am wearing socks my feet are cold sometimes. It’s grey rainy and cold here so I can think of nothing better than colourful wool socks to keep my feet warm. It took me a few weeks to make these. I knit when I watch TV or lectures for school and occasionally when I am out and about. The time invested is totally worth it, as long as I don’t accidentally shrink them in the wash.
These aren’t exactly matching but they are from the same yarn. Matchy, matchy is totally overrated. I think the pattern adds to the fun. I am sure that my sister who never wears matching socks would approve!
On the fourth day of Christmas
On the fourth day of Christmas four little monkeys came to play. I made a batch of these last year to give as gifts, and these little guys stayed to live with us. There are four of us and four monkeys so they kids play family with them. Because I made them all a little different they fight over who has stripes and who has dots.
Here is the full post with instructions to make your own.
A Mustachioed Snake
There are two people in my house that love to wear socks, and there are two of us that don’t. My husband and oldest son are the sock wearers. They seem to go through socks so quickly. I am not a fan of socks, and only put them on with sneakers, or in the winter. The rest of time I am barefoot, as is my youngest. I rarely wear out a pair of socks, usually the elastic goes before I wear holes in them. This is not the case for our resident sock wearers, they are constantly wearing through socks. I have been saving them because it seems such a waste to throw them out.
I am also an avid recycler. Pants, shirts, doors, milk jugs, new socks and now even the holey old socks in our house gotten a new lease on life. Meet our newest house guest, “Sunday” the sock snake. He is constructed of mainly of my husband, and eldest son’s holey socks. He is named Sunday because one of the pairs of socks said Sunday on the bottom, so I though that it was fitting. He is also the only snake that I know that has a mustache, or many mustaches.
If you are interested in giving your old socks a new lease on life, check out this tutorial from Grosgrain. I made a couple of alterations to the tutorial with the main one being using quilting batting instead of stuffing. I learned when making sock monkeys that it’s really hard to get the socks stuffed with out having big lumps, so for the snake I used batting. Here are some pictures of my battle with the batting. It was a full body workout to get Sunday stuffed. Now I will need to make a second one because I still have a pile of holey socks.
Remembering
Life is short and I am reminded of this everyday. A child in my son’s preschool class last year lost her dad. Her father was a member of the Canadian military and died on leave on the way home to see his family. I can’t think of anything worse for a child than to lose a parent.
As I was making the Christmas Sock monkeys (on a Saturday night after most of a bottle of wine) I got to thinking that if the socks had meaning the monkey would be more than just a decoration. My mind went on a bit of a spiral and I ended up thinking about the family from Sasha’s class that lost their dad & husband.
Before I sound like a complete nutter, we see this family everywhere, our kids are the same age, they go to school together, our youngest go to a play group together and our kids have swimming lessons together. So in the school yard bright and early Monday morning I approached the mom. I told her that I was thinking about them on the weekend and I explained my idea about turning her late husbands socks into sock monkeys for her kids. It was a slightly awkward conversation because I was asking for her late husbands socks and I have no idea how that conversation can be anything but awkward, but she brought me the socks a couple of days later.
When I started working on the sock monkeys I was in tears because one of the socks had pink paint on the toe and heel which I later confirmed came from painting their daughter’s room. As I worked on these monkeys I thought about my own family and how I can’t imagine the pain of this family and the strength of the mom. It’s my hope that these monkeys bring them a little joy even for a minute.
For a pattern and tutorial to make sock monkeys please visit Craftpassion.com.
Making A Life 