WIP: more mystery socks

I love the idea of mystery socks: not knowing what you’re knitting, getting clues every week and seeing the pattern unfold. All good reasons for me to jump into my second mystery KAL with the SolidSocks group on Ravelry.

It’s 2 weeks in, and I am absolutely loving this pattern so far. I am completely enamoured with the heel flap.

I’ve waxed lyrical before about how I love thick cushiony heel flaps, and this one settles itself firmly into that category. 32 rows of alternating twisted stitches results in this fantastic heel, which is a tad more tricksy and time consuming than a slipped stitch heel flap, but it is so pretty and so worth it.

I have to wait until Wednesday now, for the next clue. For the meantime though, this heel flap is truly y u m.

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Thick and thin

A couple of weeks ago, the Boyfriend bought me a lovely Ashford Traditional spinning wheel for a very early combined birthday Christmas present.

I’d forgotten how fun spinning can be, and I’ve been a little obsessed since, trying to spin a little every day. Finally, on Friday I finished plying my first wheel spun yarn!

100% pure merino wool. It’s a little uneven and running thick and thin in places, drifting between a lace weight and a heavy DK, but it’s wonderfully smooshy and I love all 290 yards of it. Strangely, I think the first single I spun was more even than the second. I weighed both singles before plying, and although they were the exact same weight, I had quite a bit of the first single left over.

Overall I think I’ve found it a little easier to spin on a wheel compared to using my drop spindle. I certainly spin faster on the wheel, although I have found it harder to gauge how much twist I’m putting into the fibre with the wheel. I suppose (I hope!) that that’s something that comes with practice. I don’t know what this skein is destined to be yet. I’m a little in love with the natural colour of the wool, so I’m going to leave this undyed, but I’ll be experimenting more with the next one. I haven’t decided whether to dye up some fibre to spin, or spin the undyed fibre and dye the spun skein. I’m leaning towards dye first, then spin. I also want to give navajo plying a try. So much to do!

wheel spun and spindle spun

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