Extreme Knitting Redhead: Sock it to me!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Sock it to me!

I finally did it and I learnt so much on the journey. I love the colours of the yarn, although they don't show up very well in the photos.

The fit around my instep is spot on now and I'll have to remember to fiddle with any future patterns to accommodate my high instep and chunky ankles. I also tried Kitchener stitch to bind off the toe. I've used it on shoulder seams before but not on something knit in the round. It took a couple of goes but I got there in the end.

One thing I will have to get used to, never having had hand knitted socks before, is the feel of the stitches on my sole - they feel kind of lumpy (yeah, I know they're knit stitches so they're bound to but I just hadn't expected it!). Tinker decided to lend a hand in the photography but got bored and left part way through, just staying long enough to demonstrate how well the colours go with his beautiful ginger coat!

Here it is, unblocked. Now, what's the best way to block when you haven't got sock-blockers? Maybe a bent wire coat-hanger? Does it actually need blocking? I shall ponder these questions whilst I continue making some curtains.

At the beginning of the week the weather forecast for Sunday (Steyning marathon) was dire but has now been updated to be brighter. Fingers crossed anyway as last year was truly awful and I have never been so cold and wet.

3 comments:

Heldasland said...: those are truly beautiful,well done susie.god luck with the marathon.Will you be knitting??; February 27, 2008 at 5:28:00 PM PST
Susie Hewer said...: Hi Helda,

Thanks. No, no, no to knitting on the Steyning Stinger marathon - it will be hard enough slogging up those hills without knitting as well! The knitting is reserved for the London marathon in April which is on nice flat (well mostly) tarmac.; February 28, 2008 at 1:54:00 AM PST
monica said...: you are the master of knitting!
good luck with the marathon :-); February 28, 2008 at 1:04:00 PM PST

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.