There is currently much debate on a certain knitting list about the niceties of naming and shaming bad suppliers (dear reader, if you're in the UK, you'll know what I am talking about). The topic has been hotly argued from both sides, with terms such as libel and freedom of speech looming large.

My observations:

1) I have dealt with a number of online suppliers (as well as bricks-and mortar shops) in the UK. Of these, there are two where I have not only experienced poor service but shockingly bad customer relations. I am full of admiration for those brave enough to start their own business, but I will NOT accept lies, misleading information or refusal to communicate. Your poor attitude repels me and ensures I never consider buying from you again.

2) Without wanting to perpetuate the stereotype, knitters and other crafters are positive-minded, supportive people. Our tolerance levels are high. Frankly, I am amazed that it has taken this long for this subject to be discussed in an open forum. But, surely the fact that a significant number of said knitters have voiced their opinions, and thereafter defended their right to do so, surely this is indicative of the extreme and unacceptable frustration felt and the seriousness and longevity of the problem. I am not for one moment advocating rudeness or personal attacks, but factual representation of the position can only help suppliers and customers alike and hopefully identify the steps necessary to improve the situation.

3) I have no desire to give airtime to rubbish suppliers, instead I'd like to list my favourites:

The Woolly Workshop
Laughing Hens
Web of Wool
Get Knitted
Posh Yarns
K1 Yarns

Each of these sites offers a different product, has its own individual identity and outlook, and each is run by talented, hard-working women. Against the backdrop of angry emails and subsequent reprimands, I searched online at the weekend for a particular sock yarn, ordered it from Web of Wool on Saturday, received an order confirmation the same day, a despatch email on Monday and came home on Tuesday to a delightful package. From online search to cast-on = three days (including the weekend).

This is Regia Mini Ringel in 5220 (green and blue), on new bamboo DPNs for socks for B.

In other knitty news, I still have some FOs to show you, but it's all about finding the time to block, photograph (in the right light, heh), and upload. In the meantime, in addition to the Regia socks, I have experimented with some of the patterns from Victorian Lace Today, cast on Eunny's Print o' the Wave stole in tacking thread Jaggerspun Zephyr and Cookie A's Hedera socks in PY Lucia. I'll post about these properly when there is something more substantial to show!

I have also joined Sundara's Petal Collection. There are a lot of sock clubs about, but I love the look of this one, and I'm so looking forward to the first lot of sock yarn.

Finally, a finished pair of socks

I love, love, love these socks. LOVE them.

So, flashing back to a couple of months ago, once I had settled into the hotel, and finished off the OSBS and a present for my secret pal, I began these socks for B as a small thank you for project-managing the move (time, energy, planning and sheer physical labour).

I flew through the first leg pretty quickly, the yarn - Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, bought last year at Ally Pally - is soft and with my Addis, produced a lovely gauge, but to be honest, the colourway knitted up was pretty blah. Also, I clearly remember Gill saying that it would be more than enough for a pair of socks, but when I wound the skein into a large ball, I lost faith, because I was unsure how sock-big B's feet were, because the yarn was new to me, in short, because I am still a sock newbie, I am ashamed to say that I did not believe that the skein would suffice for two man-socks.

I bought a ball of Rowan 4-ply soft in a light olive colour, and boom, the CTH came alive. The Rowan shade matches one of the dyes in the CTH perfectly, and simply allowed all the different browns and greens to reveal themselves. I fell in love.

I chose the 4-ply merino because I was impatient, because I couldn't stop knitting these socks, although I knew that it was not a satisfactory substitute for heels and toes. I wasn't really aware of any solid sock yarn available in the UK, but at some point towards the end I searched online and found Opal solids and more upsettingly, a CTH solid in the exact same olive shade as in the multi. Patience, who's Patience?

These socks were knitted up very quickly (and at one point, from the same ball, not something I shall try again unless absolutely desperate), but were not finished quickly, as I had to keep getting B to try them on for size, before I could finish the toes. The picture to the left shows both socks with only the toe on one sock left to do. As you can see, I had quite a lot of yarn left, so could easily have added an inch to the cuffs.

Details
Pattern: basic cuff-down sock
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs for cast-on and 2.5mm Addi Turbo circular needles for body

I love these socks because:
1) they were a dream to knit, I will definitely be using CTH again
2) the addition of the olive toes and heels brought a dull colourway to life (but goodness, the amount of seaming at the end!)
3) they remind me of my long but happy stay in the hotel and knitting them on my longer commute.

Happily, B loves them too, and expressed surprise at the fine knit - not sure what he was expecting, thick cabled aran socks for trekking to the South Pole perhaps?

BTW - that first picture, see my new bathroom floor?

One Oh-So-Beautiful Sock

So, I mentioned that in the midst of all the mayhem, there has been knitting. Yes indeedy.

First up, my Oh So Beautiful Socks. I started this project way back in September, and immediately fell in love with both the pattern and yarn. But, nearing the end of the first sock [above], it became clear that it wouldn't fit over my heel, and I reluctantly put it away in a plastic bag until I felt strong enough to rip it.

I started the second sock and this time, increased the number of stitches to take into account my tight tension and the stitch pattern. But, although the size seemed better, I lost enthusiasm. I'm not sure whether it was Christmas knitting or just other projects that captured my attention, but this sock languished until I arrived at the hotel in late January with a box of yarn, bags of WIPs and lots of knitting time. It was one of the first projects I pulled out, and think it only required an evening or so to finish.

Before grafting and seaming

Unfortunately, the bag with the first sock is missing, and indeed, I think it had already disappeared some time before the whole packing chaos began. The bag had been sitting in the hallway, and it is possible that it was mistaken for rubbish (heh, not by me). Maybe it will turn up sometime. Until then, I present sock no 2 as an FO.

Details
Pattern: Oh So Beautiful Socks by Judy Sumner, designed for Lorna's Laces
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Purple Club
Needles: Sock no 1: 2.5mm DPNs; Sock no 2: 2.5mm Brittany DPNs and Addi Turbo circular needles

Knitting these socks, I learned two new things:

1) Sometime during sock no 2, Stefan taught me magic loop, a method I took to immediately. To be honest, I prefer the look of DPNs, but the Addis win on speed and ease of transportation.

2) Right from the cast-on of the first sock, this project introduced me to on-the-move knitting, and I came to rely on my little sock to entertain me in queues, in the pub, on the tube. For this reason only, I post this picture, of my never-to-be-seen-again half-naked foot, taken while driving a van full of boxes and furniture down the A2 (despite the circumstances, a really fun day out of London). Clearly, I wasn't the one driving the van.



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Edit 24 March: image added

This time I’m really back

It’s March, and I last posted properly in January, eek.

So as not to bore you witless, some bullet points of the past six weeks.

< Sorting and clearing
Days (and nights, sometimes 48-hour shifts) I have toiled, reminisced, cried, packed things for charity, for rubbish and others for storage.

< Boxes
Newly-developed ability to turn flat-pack into a box in nano-seconds

< Gales
Normally not especially noteworthy, in this case however, a crucial element affecting the logistics of my move

< Stress
Fatigue, tears. There has been shouting.

< Hotel
Wonderful hotel room with modern, trendy bathroom You have no idea what a walk-in shower means to me

< Commuting
Hate the early wake-up call, but LOVE the G&T at the bar in the evenings

< My birthday
Dinner here

< Appreciating my friends and family
Nuff said

I am still in the hotel, and much as I am loathe to leave it, I am in all likelihood moving back home next week. Which is not ready and NOWHERE near the state I had envisaged, not even close. All that hope and optimism about a better future in my new year’s post? A long, long, LONG way to go baby.

Still, on the positive side, much progress has been made. I can’t fault the work so far, I just wish there had been more of it. And there is a plan in place for the next stage to keep my sanity.

Right, that’s enough of that. This is a knitting blog and my next posts will be about the knitting.