just another pair of socks

Gosh I am fed-up with being stuck at home. The other day I walked to the nearest M&S just to see some different faces. I bought peppers, snacks and daffodils, absolutely essential. Our lives are spectacularly boring, it numbs my mind. Bored-out instead of burned-out? Everybody is busy with one thing or another so not that kind of thumb twiddling boredom but that mind crushing kind that freezes the brain. I find the lack of stimulation suffocating. I blame this for my lack of creativity. That and the Royal Mail for not delivering a package that was posted a week ago. It contains notions for a dress that is waiting to be sewn, something I was looking forward to making.

Anyway, while my brain tries to remember snippets of interest for my February ...ing post, I thought I'd share with you my latest pair of knitted socks. I didn't fancy creating my own pattern so trawled Ravelry for one. I found the Vapour Socks by Helen Stewart. I think I was drawn to it by the poetic description and the pretty lace pattern. It was quite pricey for a sock patterns (£5) but I don't mind paying someone else for the creative process. 

I used Drops Nord in an antique rose shade for these socks. I haven't used this yarn for socks before but I am sure it will wash and wear well. All Drops yarns do. I am a die hard fan of Drops yarns, good value for money and good quality, too. I love natural fibres and Drops make them affordable. Of course sock yarn is best with a percentage of polyamide for durability. Drops Nord is 25% Peruvian Highland sheep wool, 45% alpaca and 30% polyamide. It is soft and squishy and I love it. 

The pattern was easy to knit with a pattern repeat over 12 rows. No fancy or tricky stitches and therefore perfectly suitable for the beginner knitter. But (and it is a big but), the pattern write up is so confusing and clumsy! There are 28 pages of pattern. This includes a front page, two general instructions pages and one final page describing finishing touches. There are three sizes to choose from, with eight pages of instructions for each size. I am not joking! Every single round is written out in full, with the exception of the 15 rib rows for the cuffs. What was I supposed to do? Print out 8 pages and tick each round off? I think not. At first I thought there is no pattern repeat because why on earth would you write up each round separately if there was a pattern repeat? It was by sheer accident that I scrolled to the very last page to find a pattern chart, which placated me somewhat. Once I found this, the knitting was easy peasy. 

Can you tell that I was annoyed by this pattern? Such a shame really because this designer has a few more patterns that are really pretty. I won't buy any of them because I like instructions to be clear and concise.

Anyway, I am delighted with the result and I realise that it is a waste of energy to get annoyed about a silly pattern. I am already knitting another pair of socks (different pattern). Knitting socks is quite soothing and perfect for long dark evenings. It doesn't require much thinking, which is good, too. 

Thanks for visiting. Have a great week!