i took this photo over a year ago, on march 20th 2017. it was, until just recently, the last time i ordered yarn (as in sock yarn - i think i did re-order some yarn for the blanket i made last year, and now that i think about it i realise i never shared said blanket here on the blog - edit: Bohemian Oasis blanket). i have to say i'm actually rather proud of myself for abstaining from yarn-shopping for so long, sock yarn addict and hoarder that i am...
these arrived in the middle of may. i just had to indulge myself and simply order some of the beautiful yarns that had been on my wishlist for quite a while; and if you are a (sock) knitter i'm sure you know the troubles of not being able to get hold of that specific colourway you've wanted so much any more because you waited too long and it went out of stock. (and in the case of opal yarn: out of production. unfortunately that's what they do. brilliant business model but not so great for customers on a budget. i'm a huge fan of opal yarn and i will keep buying from them despite the passive pressure they put on you... if you're lucky some of the really nice and popular yarns might be re-released though, possibly even sparklyfied...)
since i've been unlucky with a few colourways i really liked before (like this and this and various colourways from the first sweet&spicy collection) - and i think i did get really good at tracking down the last remaining stock in tiny little online stores hardly anyone ever buys from - i didn't want to take any chances with these beauties.
it's odd but i've noticed that some colourways or patterns need a little time to grow on me. i see the relase poster and think "meh... not that great..." and then i see it again and think "the colours are nice and this particular sequence in the patterns it actually quite pretty" and then i see someone's picture of a project using this yarn in a fb-group, a picture taken in proper daylight i might add - because i think the opal release posters actually don't represent the colours and patterns very well - and i think "this yarn is awesome! i need to get it!". but by the time i got to that conclusion it's often extremely hard to get hold of them because they are sold out in most stores i usually buy from (and i have to consider shipping cost very much - i simply refuse to buy from a store where i pay twice as much for shipping as the order costs).
anyway, let's start with the sock-talk now:
i fell into a little scrahappy-sock-addiction again recently. they really are very addictive to make i have to say and i'm always amazed at the outcome because it's so unpredictable and never fails to delight me...
this is pair #140 (can you believe it? i've made over 140 pairs of socks so far!) and these are the 21st and 22nd individual frankensocks i made. i especially love the teal-green-turquoise section right before the toe on the left sock and the first two inches or so on the right one.
this is pair #141. look at all those colours! i just love them...
pair #142 is for T. i had actually completed a tube sock with this yarn and started the second one when i realised that i hated making them and they didn't fit that great either. so i frogged the whole thing and made plain ol' normal boring socks for my son. the yarn is gründl hot socks 409. i've used a few other colourways of this yarn for kids socks already because they are easy to find (in the crafts section of my local office supply store) and i only have to get a 50g ball for a pair of little-feet-socks.
this is pair #143 using opal funny... sparkle "ulkig" (which is a german word for a very specific kind of being funny) nr. 9331. the pattern is Hermione's Everyday Socks and i'm going to give these to a friend.
by the way, i've already knitted a pair of Hermione's socks with this yarn's sister yarn:
this is pair #144 and i have to say that i love this one particularly. i deliberately used a cream coloured yarn for the roll-down edge so i could use some of the beige, cream and brown scraps that i had a hard time using in most of the other scrahappy socks. i think these turned out wonderful.
pair #145 is another pair of scrahappy socks and if you compare this pair with the one above you will notice the amazing difference between the patterns the various yarns created - all without any planning really... this pair is much more "stripy" than most of the others with very little blending or slowly changing colours. i was very surprised at how the first one came out and even more surprised that the second turned out so similar to the first. this is also the first pair of scrahappy socks where i used the same solid yarn for both the roll-down edge and the heel.
this is pair #146. i used opal Schafpate 9 - der Albschäfterweg - Fernweh (which means the yearning to see distant places) nr. 9414. the pattern is called Tennarisukka which is actually a design for ankle socks. it's really easy to just repeat the pattern more often to create a longer leg though. i've made a few pairs using this pattern already - some socklets and another pair of longer ones. i love it! it's quick and easy to make, really effective and lovely to wear. i feel like socks made with this pattern have that extra bit of "flauschfactor"... ("flauschig" means something like "fluffy", "fleecy" or even "cuddly" - the "sch" in german is pronounced like "sh" in english.)
this particular colourway (one of the yarns i just bought - i have another one in different colours) turned out to be just perfect for this pattern. the mixture of knit and purl stitches created a really pleasing and interesting colour play.
i didn't really think of it while i was knitting them but looking at them now the colours remind me of autumn and i know i'll love wearing them once it cools down and the leaves are starting to turn yellow and orange...
thanks for spending time with me and my knitting!
lots of love! xxx