EQUATION: Chunky wool plus chunky cable plus chunky woman do not mix. Trust me. And you'll have to be content with the photo of what I call my Roman tunic without me in it. Just take my word for it - it didn't look good. Not even remotely.
Despite the dismal failure of said tunic - and the discovery that it looked awful was just another disappointment in a long line of disappointments starting with the wool not coming even close to the tension/gauge I wanted despite the lady in the shop assuring me it would - I have had some success with other knitting projects.
After completing these socks I then went on to complete another pair using recycled wool and smaller sized needles. I'm even more pleased with these. And just in case you're wondering, yes I have begun yet another pair. (I'm not sure which is the most fun: buying the wool; deciding on a pattern; knitting the socks; or wearing them?)
I've also knitted socks for The Most Adorable Granddaughters in the World after The Most Adorable Granddaughter#1 asked me to knit a pair for her. Despite turning up her nose at the ones that I had on and which I'd knitted, she still wanted a pair and we went shopping together to buy wool. To no one's surprise she chose a pink yarn and a purple yarn (don't tell her but I've swapped the purple yarn she chose for a similar coloured merino yarn which I think will knit up far better and be warmer as well).
I finished both pink pairs yesterday and The Most Adorable Granddaughter#1 eagerly tried hers on and then paraded around for everyone to admire. Even though they fit fine I think I'll use a smaller needle size next time just to get a more snug fit. However when it came to The Most Adorable Granddaughter#2's socks something had gone very very wrong. She started laughing as soon as I started to put them on her feet and you can see why:
They're far too big. Oh well, I'll do better next time. Hopefully.
Comments
Jen, I remember that you had a knitting pattern you were going to try a while back. How did it turn out? The sock pattern that I linked to is a great one for beginners as it's knit on two straight needles. I've tried some other patterns since then (knit in the round on 4 needles, knit from the cuff down) but keep coming back to this one because it's so easy and so much fun and you can easily change the stitch pattern. Worth trying if you want to try socks.