zaubernuss - witchhazel

socks #33

This is pair #251. I made it for my sister. She chose the yarn at Christmas, knowing that I wouldn't make them immediately. (When I gave them to her she was actually surprised that I got them done "that soon" - haha!)
The yarn was in my May '22 Opal box but will be part of the "Crazy Waters" collection, available in late July '22. The pattern is Tennarisukka, one of my favourites. 

Pair #252 is a pair of Mojos for my husband. He chose the yarn, surprising me with his choice, as usual. 
The yarn was in my March '22 Opal box but it is part of the "Sweet Kiss" collection which is currently available. 

This is pair #253 and I love it so much! The yarn was part of my March '20 Opal box but was part of the "Gutenachtgeschichten" (= bed time stories) collection. I don't know if it's still available. 
I had this in my stash for a while. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but curiosity won and I cast on a pair of sock simply because I had to know what it looked like. (Googling images isn't always enough.) To my surprise I absolutely loved it and flew through the first sock in less than two days. I'm not normally one to go for pastels but somehow I got totally addicted to the colours and the pattern they create. They reminded me of pastries with apricots, raspberry jam and custard cream, sprinkled with chopped pistachios. 
Generally the yarn I use doesn't spark instant associations like that but some do and I always enjoy it a lot when it does... 

This is pair #254. I made it using a ball of grey-blue yarn from my March '22 Opal box and a ball of rainbow yarn from my December '21 box. The grey-blue was also part of the "Sweet Kiss" collection, the rainbow seems to have been a subscription box exclusive. (I had the two sitting in my self next to each other and thought they looked just like the sky did though most of April and May - but with more rainbow.)
It doesn't show a lot in the pictures - or even when I'm wearing the socks - but the rainbow stripes start narrow, get wider up to the middle of the foot and then narrower again towards the toe. (You can see it most at the toe.) I tried to emulate the arch of a rainbow.
How successful that was I don't really know.
There was a lot of counting and calculating involved to get the stripes to work out. Maybe I'll write up a separate post about how I did that with charts and details on how to calculate the right number of rounds.

I still have plenty of both yarns left and I want to make some more Rainy Day Socks with different stripe designs. 

Pair #255 is a funny one. The yarn I used is by gründl; Hot Socks "Simila", nr. 585. It doesn't look particularly fancy but this yarn is actually for making two identical socks with long, patterned legs, plain speckled feet and then, if the feet are big enough, stripy, patterned toes. Like this: 

I bought all the colourways of this yarn when I had the chance - they were on sale at a local store - because I really like them...

... but I've noticed that I don't really like to wear socks with very long legs. Don't ask me why, I can't really explain it, I just don't; not even in the winter. 

So I came up with a way to use the nice yarn anyway: I re-wound it into individual little balls, separating the patterned section and the speckled section. Then I used the speckled yarn for the cuff and the heel and the patterned yarn for the foot. I had planned to use the speckled yarn for the toe as well but I wanted to have more stripes on my feet. 
I love how it worked out and maybe I'll do that again with another one of the colourways. 

This is pair #256. I made it for my sister's partner with the yarn he chose at Christmas. (Yay! for men who like funky socks!)
I used my Caterpillar Sock pattern but extended the pattern part on top of the foot to give the sock some more texture. 
The yarn was in my September '22 Opal box but the design will be part of the "Knuddelbande" 6-ply collection available in late September '23. 

For pair #257 I used yarn from my March '23 Opal box. My daughter chose it for a new pair of socks and I used the Tennarisukka pattern again because it works well for this kind of self-patterning yarn and it knits up very quickly (which was good because I'm not crazy about the colours and the pattern the yarn creates). 

This is pair #258. I can't really get over the fact that my son now wears bigger socks than I do...
The yarn was in the September '22 box but it's part of the "Regenwald/rain forest 19" collection and will be available in 4-ply as well as 6-ply in early and late July '23 respectively. 

That's it with the socks for now. I have another finished pair that I haven't taken pictures of yet and then I have to get out some of my son's - too small but otherwise perfectly fine - sneaker socks and make them longer so he can wear them again... 

 

Lots of love! xxx

 

If you're wondering about the Opal boxes I keep mentioning: I get these as a gift from my wonderfully indulgent husband and I explain all about this subscription and how it works in this post.
I don't get paid or free products for mentioning them here. (That goes for all the other brands I mention as well. If I was sponsored I'd let you know.)

Opal box May 2023

This lovely box arrived the day before yesterday. Apparently it got a little squashed somewhere on the way. Good thing the content is soft and squishy and doesn't break...

I like all of the colours in this box. The grey maybe least, which isn't a big surprise, but I've come to the point where I'm willing to admit that having boring grey yarn does have its uses - haha! 

The blue-green looks similar to the one in last month's box but I'm not complaining! The colours are lovely and perfectly match the season. 
These two might be the same design but I can't be sure until I've knitted them.

I'm very sure these are the same design. I really like the jade green and teal one and I'm really curious to see what it looks like knitted up but I have some other projects to finish first... 

These are my favourites from the box. I totally love them both! One looks like a camp fire and I can't wait to knit some cozy autumn socks with it when the leaves start to turn and the other looks like a day by the lake filled with popsicles, bathing suits, beach balls and reading easy-going fiction in the shade. 
(I have to admit that I look forward to autumn a tad more than to days by the lake - mostly because I'm really not very fond of wearing my bathing suit...)

 

If you don't know what the above pictures are about, I've explained about the Opal subscription box in this post and you can find all the posts I've written about my boxes so far in the relevant category. 
As always I'd like to mention that this is not a sponsored post - I don't get paid or receive free products for writing this.

 

Lots of love! xxx

socks #32

For pair #240 I used yarn from the May '21 Opal box which is a variation of the "Black Dragon 2" collection (Sprechende Blumen, 11130). The "Black Dragon" collections have a black thread plied into the yarn which makes the colours appear much darker and creates an interesting effect. For the subscription boxes they dyed two colourways on regular yarn. 

For these, pair #241, I used Opal Memories "Zeit für mich" 11006 and a solid blue by supergarne, Aktiv 2551. It's the third pair I've made with this split short-row heel. I found the inspiration for these on pinterest but I have no idea where the pattern originally came from. 
It's easy enough to do though: simply do 30-40 rounds of [k2-p2] ribbing and half a short-row heel in a solid colour, change to a self-patterning yarn and do the other half of the heel and the foot. Change back to the solid colour for the toe. 
As you can see I went for the solid blue because it's almost exactly the same as the narrow stripes in the stripy yarn. I could have gone for the darker navy blue but I didn't have any in my stash and the berry colour wasn't enough contrast for me. Using yellow, orange or bright red wouldn't have worked for me either because getting an exact colour match is not easy when you mix different brands of yarn, and a slight difference in tone is very obvious if you have lots of both colours. 

This is pair #242. I used Aktiv "Peru" 3830 by supergarne and my favourite Tennarisukka pattern. 
The stripe pattern of the yarn is rather wild and might not lend itself to doing heavily textured socks but I've used this texture pattern in combination with rather wild stripes before and I quite like it. The combination of knit and purl stitches seems to make the colours blend. 

Pair #243 is the only pair of Christmas socks I finished last year. I used Woll Butt "Tannenbaum" 82228, from a few years ago. (I did make half a sock with another sparkly Christmas yarn but didn't get it done for Christmas. And since I usually lose my Christmas sock mojo quite quickly after the holidays it will have to wait until next year...)

These four pairs were all gifted - in installments - to one of the carers/caregivers at Kindergarten. When my youngest started Kindergarten last September I spent a few mornings sitting in the changing room while he was inside playing, getting used to everyone and being away from me for a while (while I was still at hand in case he got sad).
I sat there and knitted a sock.
This carer had already looked after my two big ones and we're on a friendly basis and chat for a minute or two on occasion when she can spare the time. She immediately remembered me knitting in the same way and in the same place when my daughter started kindergarten (my eldest was already there when she came to take over from someone who was retiring). She was a little amused because I still do this and after watching for a few stitches asked almost shyly if I would consider making her a pair as well... I immediately asked what size she wears and what sort of colours she likes and then I got a little carried away - haha! I did make other things while I worked on these and it took about 4 months; but she is such a lovely person and takes such good care of the kids. I just had to show my appreciation. I do that by showering people in socks. Also, she's retiring next year and by then I want to make her a pair of socks for each year she has taken care of one of my kids. That makes 8.5. I guess the last "pair" will contain three socks made exactly the same way (length of cuff, leg, style of heel, etc.) but be made of left over yarn so each one is unique and she can wear them mix-and-match style... 

Pair #244 is another pair of Mojos for my husband. He chose the yarn from my September '22 Opal box but this design will be available with the Regenwald 19 4-ply and 6-ply collection in early and late July '23 respectively. 

Pair #245 was for T. He outgrows his socks quite fast these days. He's even outgrown mine already. I've been lengthening a few pairs as well as making him new ones but even some of the newer ones need longer feet already. 
This yarn was in my September '22 Opal box as well but it will be part of the "Knuddelbande" 6-ply collection, available by late September '23. The solid is an unknown turquoise from my stash that went well with the narrow turquoise stripes in the pattern. 

Pair #246 was for T again. I've been wanting to make him some Gryffindor socks for a while and the first one was actually close to finished for almost a year before I made the second one. I used Aktiv 2532 (red) and 2522 (yellow).
I'm also currently working on a pair of Ravenclaw socks for R but I accidentally cast on too many stitches so they probably won't fit her for another year or maybe even two (and constantly changing the colours is too much work to start over).

Pair #247, of which there should be a picture here, can be seen partly done in the picture that actually is here. It's a simple pair of little-girl-socks in white and cherry blossom pink candy-stripes (as in spirals! Yay!). Despite the Yay! for the spirals it took me aaages to finish this pair because it did get very boring very quickly and I'm like a squirrel when it comes to sock yarn.
The yarn was in my December '21 Opal box.

Pair #248 is another pair of little-girl-socks (although she is not so little any more and neither are her socks). This lovely yarn was in the December '22 Opal box but it will be part of the "Schafpate 15" collection, available at the end of August '23. The pattern is Tennarisukka again and I still have enough of the yarn left to make a pair of sneaker socks for myself. 

This pair, #249, is another one for T. The yarn was from the December '22 Opal box as well. (When it arrived I asked T and R which ones they liked best and I'm glad they didn't want the same.) T keeps surprising me with his choices, just like my husband does... 

Pair #250 was gifted away again. The pattern is Hermione's Everyday Socks and I used yarn from the May '22 Opal box.
I actually edited this yarn: it had a weird mustard-yellow stripe with dark blue speckles (that took on an odd olive-green tint because of the yellow) between two thin blue-white stripes. That yellow was so terribly out of place among all the soft spring colours that I simply cut that section out and re-joined the yarn, creating a wider blue-white stripe. 
I've only done this once before with a yarn from a different brand and it's not something I would get in the habit of doing; a colour has to be really remarkably unfitting for me to do this, but it's nice to know that it's an option. Your yarn is your yarn and you may handle it as you see fit. It's a tool for you to create something you like. Make it work for you, not the other way round. 

I still have two more finished pairs (one still unwashed on the sofa table and one on my husband's feet) that I haven't photographed yet. Another pair is almost done and I have three or four ideas for more. I often feel like I need a few more pairs of arms to make all the things I'd like to make at once.

 

Lots of love! xxx

 

If you're wondering about the Opal boxes I keep mentioning: I get these as a gift from my wonderfully indulgent husband and I explain all about this subscription and how it works in this post.
I don't get paid or free products for mentioning them here. (That goes for all the other brands I mention as well. If I was sponsored I'd let you know.)

socks #31

For pair #222 I used Schoppel Crazy Zauberball "Tapetenwechsel" 2429. "Tapetenwechsel" is a German word for a desperately needed change of scenery. 
I love the colours of this yarn, they are absolutely wonderful. Crazy Zauberbälle ("Bälle" being the German plural for "ball") are still one of my favourite yarns to knit with. 
The pattern I used for these is called "Amazonas Socken" by Regia which is a free ravelry download. It's really easy to do, a simple texture pattern made of knit and purl stitches and the resulting socks are very cozy and fluffy. 

Pair #223 is a pair of mojo socks for my husband. Mojos are his favourite style of sock. They just fit him very well and in true style he chose a funky yarn I wouldn't have thought he'd go for. The yarn was in my March '21 Opal box, it was a subscription box exclusive and very boring to knit, if I am honest. 

Pair #224 was for my son. He chose the yarn - Opal "Herbstmelodie - Waldpilze" 11126. This colourway was a joy to knit, I really loved it.
I finished this pair just over a year ago (yes, that's how behind I am on posting about my socks) and I actually have to lengthen them again because the boy just won't stop growing. (He's 12.5 years old, I suppose the growing will go on for a while but if he keeps this up I'll have to admit defeat and start buying his socks for the sake of my hands...)

One of the reasons I'm so behind on my sock posts is that kept forgetting to take pictures of my husband's socks once they were finished. Then they were in and out of the wash, on his feet, in the drawer, ... and I whenever I thought of it I couldn't find them all and then put it off again. The other day, after a big yarn washing day, I grabbed them all and simply took pictures of them spread out like this. I prefer photographing them on feet but I didn't want to put it off again... 

This is pair #225. The yarn is Schoppel Crazy Zauberball "Jacke wie Hose" 2250. Mojo socks again. 

This is pair #226. The yarn was in my March '20 Opal box. I finished them almost exactly one year ago and have worn them a lot since. The picture somehow doesn't do the colours justice. I've only just noticed. It's hard to describe the odd shade of green that's almost grey. It's the sort of colour that changes depending on what's next to/around it. I guess that's why they looks so different: the weathered wood of my deck makes the look more grey than green. 
The pattern is Tennarisukka, one of my favourites and go-to patterns if I want quick results as it's rather addictive and grows quickly. 

"There is an art even to mis-matching socks." (by me - haha!) 
But seriously: I'm rather amazed at how well I managed to make the yellow stripes match up while offsetting the blue and purple. 
This is pair #227 and I gave it to my sister for her birthday last year along with a pair of shoes from a brand I'm totally in love with. 
The pattern is Tennarisukka again and the yarn was from my December '19 Opal box but the colourway later came out with their 8-ply winter collection: "Schneeglöckchen x-large - Polarduft" 9882. 

Pair #228 was for my son T. again. His choice of yarn again and I have to make these longer already as well.
The yarn was from the December '21 Opal box.

This is pair #229 and it's for my not-so-little girl this time. I made a sneaker version of my junior mojo pattern with yarn she chose from my September '20 Opal box. It was later released with the "Memories" collection: "Meine 1. große Liebe" 11007. (For some reason I ended up owning 6 of the 8 colourways in this collection.)

Pair #230. Next pair of mojos for my husband. (He did get a lot of socks last year...)
The yarn was from the May '21 Opal box but the colourway was part of the "Black Dragon 2" collection: "Mystischer Wald" 11132. For the "Black Dragon" yarns they used a yarn that has a black strand plied in to make the whole design more muted. This bright version was a subscription box exclusive. 

Pair #231 is a very quick pair of sneaker socks. I love making these in between, especially out of yarn I like a lot because it means there's more left over and I can make a second pair either for myself at some point or for my daughter or to give away to someone special (like my mum or my sister or my aunt).
The yarn was in my December '21 Opal box.

Pair #232 is another pair of mojos for the man of the house. The yarn is by gründl - hot socks "Simila" 305, one of these perfect match yarns with a leader thread in a contrasting colour to make sure both socks are exactly the same. 

This is pair #233 and I made these socks for a dear family friend. I gave her a pair two or three years ago and I thought she deserved another one. The pattern is Tennarisukka again and I made them exactly the same as the first pair because I had forgotten to count the rounds for the length of the foot on the first one. But since I wrote down exactly how many pattern repeats I had done and where I had placed the heel within the pattern I could replicate them and make a note of how many rounds I need for her size. That way I can make other patterns for her in the future. (I know, I'm a nerd...)
The yarn was in my December '20 Opal box but came out with the "Paradise" 6-ply collection: "Fluss der Liebe" 11025. 

This is pair #234 and I made these for a friend. I really love this yarn, which was part of my December '21 Opal box. looking at the ball I didn't think I would like it much but knitted up I really do. The pattern is actually the same as #231 (three pictures up). It always amazes me how just changing the colours makes a stripy design look completely different. 

I made pair #235 for my sister's partner who has proven himself to be very knit-worthy; I really must make him some more... 
The pattern is my sneaker mojo and the yarn was from my December '20 Opal box. The design was part of the "Freche Freunde 2" collection: "Forever together" 9945. 

Pair #236 was made using the rest of a ball of Opal Hundertwasser - "Die Straße zum Sozialismus" 833 - which I had used for another pair of sneaker socks in 2019. Sometimes I can't bring myself to use up yarn I like right away... The solid orange is AKTIV 2404 by supergarne. I absolutely love their range of solid coloured sock yarn! (Sometimes they update a shade of colour, retire the number and give the new shade a new number but in the one case I've experienced so far the difference wasn't noticeable at all.)

Pair #237 is another pair of sneaker socks I made using yarn from my March '22 Opal box. I made these in high summer and they make me think of the sea, sandy beaches and stripy parasols. 

I was on a roll with the sneaker socks. This is another pair of sneaker mojos, #238. The yarn is by Atelier Zitron, Trekking XXL 686. I don't know if this is still available... I remember jumping at it when I saw it was stocked at an online store (sadly I don't have any good yarn stores anywhere close). I love the jewel toes of this yarn and it is very soft. 

Pair #239 is another pair for my friend (who received #234). I used Opal Herbstmelodie "Drachensteigen" 11127 and I made sneaker mojos again. (When I make big man socks I often "cheat" by making sneaker socks and/or using a pattern that grows quickly - big man socks are so boring!)

Usually there are previews of upcoming collections in the Opal boxes and sometimes, once I've knitted and identified them with the help of the preview page on the Opal website, I like them so much that I end up buying more colours of that collection once it came out (like I did with "Herbstmelodie" or "Memories".)

I have some more socks to show until I'm up to date with over a year's worth of socks but I think this post is long enough as it is. 

 

Lots of love! xxx

 

If you're wondering about the Opal boxes I keep mentioning: I get these as a gift from my wonderfully indulgent husband and I explain all about this subscription and how it works in this post.
I don't get paid or free products for mentioning them here. (That goes for all the other brands I mention as well. If I was sponsored I'd let you know.)

socks #30

This is pair #217. I've used yarn from the September 2019 Opal box but the colourway was part of the "Lifestyle" collection: Die Modebewusste 9873. The pattern I used is called "Tennarisukka" which is a free ravelry download. It's actually for short sneaker socks but you can do as many pattern repeats on the leg as you like to make them longer. This has to be one of my favourite patters yet. It's very easy to make - just a combination of knit and purl stitches to create the texture, it's fairly addictive and therefore grows quickly - just one more repeat! - and the socks feel particularly cozy and fluffy. 

Pair #218 is a pair of super thick slipper socks for my mum. She got really excited about the custom order slipper socks I made in November 2021 so I made her a pair. They are too big for me which is why they look a little odd. These are made using two strands of 4-ply sock yarn held together on 3,5mm needles and they are great to use up left overs or colourways and designs you're not that fond of. 

This is pair #219 using Aktiv 4872 by supergarne. T chose this yarn, another surprise choice I have to admit. 
For now I can model T's socks myself as we currently wear roughly the same size. 

This is #220 in a fabulous rainbow. I love this yarn! It's Meilenweit Soja Ministripes 324 by Lana Grossa. It has a soy fiber content, is very soft and lovely to knit with. I used my caterpillar sock pattern and an afterthought heel. A half finished sock had been sitting in the naughty corner for a while because I wasn't happy with the fit of the heel even though I'd made it before and it was fine then. I started searching for a way to fix it and found this wonderful tutorial to insert a mini gusset before starting the actual heel. 

This evergreen blue crescent of knitting in the above picture is the mini gusset. It's created by working a few short rows that get increasingly longer, depending on how big you want the mini gusset to be. You do that on both sides, below the ankles, before following your afterthought heel pattern of choice. It really worked wonderfully - the fit was so much better!

I have only one criticism to make about the yarn - which is a problem most rainbow yarns have in my opinion: there needs to be another, darker shade of yellow to ease the transition between yellow and orange! This yarn has two shades of green, a turquoise to blend blue and green, two shades of red to go between orange and red and a magenta to blend red and purple. While the yarn is clearly striped the section from orange through red and purple to blue and green looks almost blended because the stripes are so narrow and the colours are fairly close together; when you get to yellow, which goes well with the bright, light green before, there's a very harsh break between yellow and orange. There is obviously a colour missing and it would have been so easy to put in a stripe in a nice egg yolk yellow to smooth it out a little. 
But I'm being nit-picky here - it is one of the best rainbow stripes I've seen yet. 

Pair #221 is another one with a half solid - half patterned heel like I've already shown in my previous sock post (3^rd pair; you will find a link to my inspiration there). The yarn I used is Aktiv 2530 by supergarne (the red solid) and Opal Comedy 9837. 

I really like these, I think they look kinda cheeky. The only negative I would find is that the German short row heel isn't the best fitting of heels but it's the only option to achieve exactly that look. I guess I could take the trouble of increasing a few stitches on top of the sock to create a roomier instep without distorting the look of it. It's also very important to make the foot long enough - most socks with short row heels I see photos of jump out to me because the foot is too short and the turn of the heel doesn't sit exactly at the heel of the foot but below that, which is actually the sole already and means the sock is too short. 
I sometimes see people complaining about their socks slipping in their shoes; this is probably the reason why. It doesn't matter if they're store bought or hand knitted, if the foot is too short it might slip down or generally be uncomfortable to wear. I have realized recently that I have socks I never reach for, even though the yarn is really nice and there's nothing wrong with them. But I've been instinctively avoiding them because they are just a little bit too short for my feet and the heel won't stay where it's supposed to. 
There's an easy way to fix that and I'll talk about that more in my next post. 

 

Lots of love! xxx

 

If you're wondering about the Opal boxes I keep mentioning: I get these as a gift from my wonderfully indulgent husband and I explain all about this subscription and how it works in this post.
I don't get paid or free products for mentioning them here.

 

P.S.: I had this post in my drafts for roughly nine months now and never finished it. All of these socks are at least one year old already and I have lots more to show until I'm up to date. I'll really try to catch up! 

 

Opal box September 2022, December 2022 and March 2023

I really don't know why it's so hard for me to keep posting here... It's really not like I don't have anything to post about or no time to do it. 

Anyway, here's a catch-up on my Opal subscription boxes:

This is the September 2022 box. 

There was a good mix of bright and soft colours in this one. 

I've already knitted a pair of socks with the left one of these. The right one is lined up to be gifted. These designs and colourways will be part of Opal's "Knuddelbande" 6-ply collection to be released in September '23. 

I've also used the left one of these already. My husband usually doesn't go for the "boring man sock colours" which is probably why he did...
Both of these will be part of the "Regenwald 19" collection, available in July '23.

I'm not sure about the peachy one to be honest because I'm usually not one to go for pastels but I like the green one. It goes well with my collection of green yarns that will at some point be turned into a jumper/sweater. 

The ball bands for the subscription box yarns changes every September. I particularly love this year's design! Aren't these rainbow mandala cats just wonderful?

This was the December '22 box. As usual it came with an extra one as a Christmas present. 

Lots of lovely colours in this one. My two big ones immediately called dibs on one each. (I've already done both pairs.)

The left one became a pair of socks for T. (I was surprised by his choice yet again.) The right one reminds me a lot of a colourway from Opal's "Hundertwasser" designs; "Winterbild Polyp Wintergeist" in case you'd like to look it up. 

Both of these are very lovely! I've used the left one to make a pair of socks for my daughter (and since her feet aren't that big yet I'll still get a pair of ankle socks out of the rest of the ball for myself), the right one is beautifully autumnal. These will be part of the "Schafpate 15" collection, available by early September '23. 

I'm pretty sure that the right one will be part of the "Laubgeflüster" collection, available by the end of September '23, but while I'm also pretty sure the blue one will create the same pattern the exact same colours aren't in the collection pre-view. 
Since many of the colours and designs in these boxes are exclusive however that's totally possible. I could also just be wrong about the pattern... it's often hard to tell.

Here's the Christmas present ball. It came as a surprise to me that I really like it as I'm normally not that drawn to pale blues and turquoise. But the softness of these colours is really lovely. They don't appear pastelly but rather dusky and vintage (if that's the right word for what I mean?). They have a slight grunge to them... 
This design was part of a previous Opal collection: "Memories". 

This is the March '23 box.

It arrived only last week, at the start of the Easter holidays. There's a good mix of colours in this one again. 
I can't tell you how excited I get when I open these! It's always like Christmas... 

I'm pretty sure these are the same design and I love them both. The orange one for being orange combined with purple and lilac and the green one for being green and looking like a day in a spring meadow. 

These might just be the same design as well but with the colours being so different and the pattern so... aah... undefined? ...it's really hard to tell. 

I love the hot pink-red-magenta one! Not so sure about the speckly white one... Maybe I'll make a little jumper for my baby niece... 

That's it for now with the yarn porn... I hope I'm not boring you to death and I really hope I'm not just making you miserable about things I have and you don't (if that should be the case). I'm really not writing these posts to brag about what I have! 
I like to keep track of my yarn and sock knitting. (You should see the filing system I have for all the photos I take... or maybe better not.)
I also get a lot of pleasure out of looking at the yarn when the boxes arrive, matching up the patterns as best as I can and trying to find out if they are previews of upcoming Opal collections or exclusive box designs. Since you only get a few months preview on the Opal website it's not always easy but I do my best. Sometimes I find matches for patterns and designs from previous boxes.
Maybe that kind of pleasure is weird I don't really care. It's harmless and there are far weirder things to take pleasure in I guess... 

 

If you don't know what the above pictures are about, I've explained about the Opal subscription box in this post and you can find all the posts I've written about my boxes so far in the relevant category. 
As always I'd like to mention that this is not a sponsored post - I don't get paid or receive free products for writing this.

Opal box December 2021, March 2022 and May 2022

I'm terribly late in posting this again. I'm not even going to bother explaining why; because I can't. 

There was some excitement over this box because it was supposed to have arrived by Christmas but it hadn't and then the delivery service wrote to ask if it had arrived yet, which was quite odd. It turned out they had misplaced it. We reported this to Opal. The people there were wonderful about it! They investigated as well and when it turned out that the delivery service had indeed lost the box they sent us another one free of charge. 

It arrived towards the end of January but it did arrive and I was very happy about it.

Aren't these colours wonderful!

I'm pretty sure that at least these two are the same design in different colourways. I'm not sure about the other ones. 

Now that I'm looking at them again I think the green-yellow one and the dark green-purple-red one might be the same design as well but I will only know when I've turned them both into socks. 

The pink-white creates spirals and I'm very much looking forward to knitting the rainbow! 

The hand dyed Christmas skein is in lovely shades of red, orange and yellow. 

This is the March 2022 box. I had totally forgotten to take pictures of it and only realised now as I wanted to sort through my files and finally write the post. I dashed out to the deck just as the first raindrops started to come down; but I managed to get all the photos before it started pouring. 

There are three sets of two in this one I think: 

I have to say I really like the blue one on the left! It makes me think of sandy beaches and the sea. I'm very much looking forward to knitting these - I think the pattern might be similar to the Fresh & Juicy and the Sweet & Spicy collections Opal had a few years ago. 

I don't know what to think of these if I'm honest. I'm not a huge fan of speckly yarns that don't create a pattern and look like the dye has just been splattered on. Maybe I'll start something to see what it looks like and if I don't warm up to it I can always keep them to make some super thick slipper socks in crazy colours. 

I'm pretty sure these are the same design but sometimes it's hard to tell. In any case I love the green one! 

This is the May 2022 box. I had totally forgotten that it was due which made it an extra special surprise.

There are lots of bright, summery colours in this one. 

The blue in the left one is actually more purplish than blue which makes the whole combination rather suitable for Halloween. The right one makes me feel of balmy summer evenings and fruity popsicles. 

I'm fairly sure these are the same design. Can you see it? The electric blue on the left stands for the magenta in the right; the orange for the yellow; the dark grey for the dark blue; the light grey morphes into a black speckled dark grey on the left and the turquoise goes from light to dark with red speckles in the right. 
But I could be wrong.

The right one looks like ice cream but I'm not sure how the bright blue and yellow fit in with the rest. The left one reminds me of watermelon. Not in an I'm-imitating-the-exact-look-of-a-watermelon kind of way but more in an I'm-inspired-by-the-colours-of-a-watermelon-plus-what-else-looks-nice kind of way. I'm interested to see how these knit up. (I might remove the bright blue and yellow though.)

I've made quite a few new pairs of socks during the last few months, mostly for my husband and son and a few to give to other relatives. Sometimes the addiction still strikes and then all I want to do is knit, knit, knit and have ten arms to do five pairs at once. In general the frantic knitting has eased up a bit and I can do other things in between, which is nice. The obsessive-compulsive component (which was pretty bad a few years ago) is giving way to quiet enjoyment and the ability to take my time and let an unfinished pair just sit for a while. I still have to watch out for my hands though and give them rest. 

 

If you don't know what the above pictures are about, I've explained about the Opal subscription box in this post and you can find all the posts I've written about my boxes so far in the according category. 
As always I'd like to mention that this is not a sponsored post - I don't get payed or receive free products for writing this.

 

Lots of love! xxx

super thick slipper socks

Last autumn my sister-in-law asked if I could make her some slipper socks so her guests wouldn't get cold feet. (She lives in an old Vienna town house apartment; those can be a little drafty and usually don't have underfloor heating.) She didn't have anything particular in mind so I suggested I make super thick ones, using two strands of 4-ply yarn held together. I've made socks like that for my grandma already and they knit up quite quickly since there are fewer stitches needed. 

She asked for two pairs EU size 42/42 and two huuge pairs EU size 46/47 (30cm/12" for the foot). The two above are the smaller ones - which were still bigger than most of the socks I usually make. I used five different yarns for each pair; all from my Opal subscription boxes and all colourways I wasn't that crazy about. 

Some of the really boring yarns where easy choices but with the ones I wasn't sure about #opalabo really helped because I could see lots of them knitted up and could decide whether or not I liked the look of them. Even the most boring yarn gets exciting when combined with another boring yarn - two negatives make a positive, right? It would be a great way to use up all the sock yarn scraps that accumulate over time. They could be worn at home, in bed, for snuggling, in wellies when gardening in tough work boots or hiking shoes, etc. And you can use any pattern you'd make in 4-ply as well; lace socks might be a little awkward with two strands though...

The little red-ish/grey ball in the above picture is the only non-Opal yarn I used, just because I wanted something darker and more neutral. 

I used 3,5mm needles for these. I started out with two strands and worked 10 rounds. Then I replaced one of the colours with a new one, keeping the other one for another 10 rounds. Then I replaced the one I had already used for 20 rounds with the next one, working another 10 rounds, and so forth. That way each yarn always blended with two others. The result is a very fun and unpredictable colour play not only because you can never know which colours will meet, especially with busy self patterning yarn, but also because one of the two strands will be the more dominant one, which one that is changes with each stitch however. So you never know if you'll end up with a red stitch with a blue undertone or a blue stitch with a red undertone. Does that make sense?

These got quite addictive but having to make eight of them - four of them huuuge - did get a bit boring after the novelty had worn off. It took me a bit over a month to get them done; I had to put them down in between and do something else, also for the sake of my hands. Apparently it's good to switch between different textures and mediums when you have recurring, knitting related hand issues: change yarn thickness and needle size, change from knitting to crochet and back, etc. And do lots of stretching and massaging... 

When they were all done I washed them and after they had dried I doodled some patterns on the soles with liquid non-slip sock latex. (My sister-in-law's floors are veeery slippery - I know...) Most yarn shops or craft stores with a yarn section stock this stuff or can order it for you, you can also find it online and it really works. 

I'm sorry, I forgot to take pictures of them when they were all finished and latexed (but my doodles weren't that great anyway). 

 

If you're wondering about the Opal subscription you can read about how it works in this post. I get them as a present from my wonderful husband, I don't get paid or free products to advertise Opal yarn. 

 

Lots of love and thick, woolen socks! xxx

socks #29

Pair #205 for R. The yarn is gründl Hot Socks "Simila" 306 which is designed to give you two identical socks. The design actually incorporates some more coloured stripes on the toes too but for R's feet I didn't need that much yarn. 

Pair #206 is a plain pair of "men socks" I gifted to my uncle - I don't know his attitude towards funky socks so I played it safe. The yarn is the last one from my December 2018 Opal box. 

This pair - #207 - was inspired by this one I found on pinterest. I couldn't find a written pattern for these so I just looked closely at the image and improvised.

I really like the long rib and half the solid heel (standard German short row heel) and half the patterned one. The yarn is Aktiv Uni 2413 and the self striping yarn is Aktiv "Funny" 4734 by supergarne. I actually "amputated" a section of orange with khaki speckles from the yarn after I had knitted it - haha! It looked good in the ball but once knitted up I decided that the orange bit didn't go with the rest at all, ripped it back, snipped the orange part off and re-joined the yarn. You'd never know...

Pairs #208 and #209 are exactly the same except for the yarn. I made these for T at the start of summer. The pattern is my junior mojo (which can be made to fit adults as well). You can find it here. The grey yarn was in my May 2020 Opal box but is part of the "Ocean" collection: Rauschende Welle 9975; the blue striped yarn came with the March 2019 box and seems to have been a subscription box exclusive. T chose both of the colourways himself. 
(Fun Fact: T came home from one day, kicked off his shoes and pulled the grey socks off his feet. Quite in 10-year-old boy style he just tossed them somewhere and I haven't seen the second sock since. He'd been wearing them for the first time...)

These two - #210 and #211 - were custom orders. They are mojo socks and I used Schoppel Crazy Zauberball in "Herbstwind" (the top one) and "Der Lenz ist da" (the bottom one) which where selected by the person who ordered the socks.
I always love working with these yarns. 

This is pair #212. I made these last September and used the caterpillar sock pattern. These were the perfect Halloween Socks - orange, purple and green (with a witchy black skirt). The yarn came with the September 2019 Opal box and I don't know why I waited two years to knit with it - I love it! I suppose I had to admire it for a while first...
This colourway is part of the "Lifestyle" collection: Die Frohnatur 9874.
Somehow they turned out a tad too big, I'll have to redo the toes eventually. Either my feet shrunk or my hand issues messed up my tension (probably both) because I've had problems with sizing the socks I make for a few months now - I can't seem to rely on a specific number of rounds for the foot fitting my/my husband's feet exactly any more. 

Pair #213 is a pair of girl socks for R. She chose the yarn which was part of the December 2020 Opal box. These were in the works since late May and I only finished them early last October. That happens...

R asked for new Christmas Socks this year since all the old ones had gotten too small. I made pair #214 using some sparkly Christmas yarn by Woll Butt - "Tannenbaum" 8227. I had used some of this yarn for another children's pair the year before so I had to finish one sock with some yarn from the same pack (lots of Woll Butt yarn comes in value packs of 3 or 4 100g balls). The colours are the same and since I hardly ever make matching socks anyway it's not immediately noticeable. I went for a simpel k2-p2 rib all the way from top to bottom and they can be worn long or folded over (which looks adorable with tights/leggings and a skirt/dress). 

The yarn for pair #215 came in my March 2021 Opal box but was released last autumn with the "Herbstmelodie" collection: Früchtetee 11122. My husband chose this yarn for another pair of mojo socks and he's been wearing them a lot since I finished them a week into December. (Partly because a few of his pairs need darning which I haven't done yet...)

Pair #216 was for T. I was a little surprised by his choice of yarn to be honest - he's 11 now and I'm finding it a bit hard these days to properly evaluate what he likes and dislikes... 
This yarn was also in the March 2021 box but is another colourway of "Herbstmelodie": Laubgeflüster 11123 - which I only noticed when I knitted it and spotted that the pattern was actually the same as the previous pair. I wouldn't have guessed that at all - balled up the two colourways looked completely different. 

 

That's it for now. 

These 12 pairs of socks look like a lot but it's taken me roughly a year to make them (not counting some super thick slipper socks you can read about here).
Sometimes I'm a bit sad: I used to be able to churn out 2-3 pairs a week in my best times and occasionally I have a hard time accepting that this is no longer possible. But it is what it is and I'm grateful that I'm still able to knit at all. There are so many things I want to create at once and I wish I had several more pairs of arms to do everything at once. As it is I have to be patient and enjoy the process...

 

If you're wondering about the Opal boxes I keep mentioning: I get these as a gift from my wonderfully indulgent husband and I explain all about this subscription and how it works in this post.
I don't get paid or free products for mentioning them here. 

 

Lots of love! xxx

Opal box September 2021

I know I'm terribly, terribly late in posting this - somehow I just didn't get to it... 

These colours are all bright and vibrant and rather cool. 

These two are definitely the same design in different colourways (and might therefore be part of an upcoming Opal collection)...

... as well as these two.
(There have been two of the same designs in previous boxes that were not in later collections though, so you never know!)

I like these, especially the left one! I wasn't too crazy about it at first but then I saw it knitted up on Instagram and decided that I love it. (#opalabo) 

I've had an odd relationship with my yarn and knitting these past months. I've been in a right mess with my picture taking, my note keeping (about the socks I made) and my general attitude towards it. I've taken some photos of long-finished socks today, updated my beloved sock journal (take a look at the top of this post if you're interested) and tidied up a little in my computer files. Now I feel like I'm back on track (at least more than I was before). 

 

If you don't know what the above pictures are about, I've explained about the Opal subscription box in this post and you can find all the posts I've written about my boxes so far in the according category. 
As always I'd like to mention that this is not a sponsored post - I don't get payed or receive free products for writing this. 

 

Lots of love and woolly socks! xxx

Opal box May 2021

This is the lovely and colourful content of the May subscription box by Opal. (I've explained in detail what these boxes are and how they work in this post and I've posted about the March box here. I always make sure to tell you in my sock posts if a yarn is from a subscription box - just so no one has to go on a wild goose chase for an unidentifiable ball of yarn...)

I'm 98% sure that these two have the same pattern design in different colourways (which might mean that they will be available as part of an Opal collection next year). I had a hard time with my camera today and the colours aren't represented quite as they are in real life but it's very close. They are both very happy and bright and cheerful - just right for late spring/early summer flowers.

The obligatory shades of blue and grey for "men socks" - haha! To be honest: I'm not the biggest fan of blue but I really like the right one. The different shades of blue are broken up by stretches of popping, zesty green and I'm curious to see how it will knit up. 
Don't get me wrong - I like blue but for some reason it's the colour I'm least drawn to. I love blues that lean towards lilac, like evergreen flowers, and I love it in combination with brown. There is something very comforting in brown-blue, maybe it makes me think of the sea and drift wood... Turquoise-/teal-ish blues paired with egg-yolke yellow, orange and fiery reds is amazing too. But navy or royal blue (the shade most uniforms have) I don't care for, same goes for powdery pastel baby blues. 

Speaking of pastel baby blue: here we have one - haha! But it's mixed with stripes in a cream colour and white with silvery sage-green (the picture doesn't show this colour very well) and sky blue speckles. Maybe I'll combine it with a matching solid and make a toddler sweater with it. 
I love the red-yellow-orange one and I can't wait to see how it will knit up. It looks like it might be narrow stripes but I could be wrong... I'll keep you posted!

I currently have a lot of socks on the (slow) go. I've been distracted from sock-making a little by life and other things; but that's okay. But I have quite a long list of friends and relatives I want to make socks for. There's now particular rush with that though since I'm a great believer in random gift-giving, meaning that I love gifting things not just on birthdays or for Christmas but whenever there is something worth giving... 

 

Lots of love to you all and I hope you enjoy whatever it is you're doing! xxx

 

This is not a sponsored post - my Opal subscription is a lovely and generous gift from my wonderful husband and I don't get paid or free products for writing about it. 

Opal box March 2021

How odd: I started writing the previous sock post with the intention of showing you the March Opal subscription box (when it finally arrived - I was beginning to think it had gotten lost on the way) and then I clean forgot! I don't know how that happened and I didn't even notice until it popped into my head just now. 
"Did I even post about the yarn box?" 
I went on my blog to look and no, I didn't post about the yarn box. 

I'm posting about the yarn box now. 

There are lots of bright, fun and cheerful colours in this one and I love them all. (The blue speckly one maybe least but it's still nice - I think I'll chose a solid to go with it and make the Little One a new Flax Light sweater.)

The red-white-green-grey one on the right looks interesting - I'm curious to see how it knits up. As it is it makes me think of Christmas but the knitted fabric might give off a completely different vibe.

I'm pretty sure the red-ish one and the blue-yellow-purple one on the right are two different colourways of the same design (which makes me think they might be a preview of an upcoming collection) but I can only be really sure when I've knitted them both - I do fancy that I'm getting quite good at "reading" balls of yarn but it's a little more difficult with designs that have lots of narrow stripes. It's easy to mix them up and get confused - haha! 

Anyway, there you have it. I love these boxes so much, I can hardly tell you... I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have a husband how appreciates my sock knitting and indulges my addiction. (There are worse things to be addicted to...)
And I have to thank my mother-in-law for this box especially because she paid for it as my birthday present. ♥
(My birthday is on March 10th - same as Dyan Reaveley's who is my favourite artist and Remus Lupin who is my favourite male Potterverse character - funny, isn't it?)

 

Lots of love to you! xxx

 

P.S.: If you want to know more about my Opal subscription boxes, look here. I usually tell you in my sock posts what yarn/brand I've used for each pair, I'll do that with the Opal box yarns too as well as mentioning what box the yarn was in - I'm not doing that to make you feel miserable about not being able to get your hands on it, on the contrary: I'm doing that because I know what it feels like to see a sock made with beautiful yarn but whoever posted the picture didn't say what yarn/brand was used and then I spend ages searching for it.
Not only does it help me to keep track of things (I'm weird about my need to keep track of the socks I made) but I hope it also helps you to either search for a specific yarn or to move on with your life in case it's a subscription box exclusive and you won't be able to buy it anyway.
I don't use the feature myself but I think you can keep a stash list on ravelry where people also offer yarn they don't want for sale or swaps. Maybe it's worth having a look there every now and then...? You might find some treasures (as in colourways you've always wanted but missed when they were available and now they're out of stock everywhere). 

socks #28

First of all: this is pair #195 which completely slipped through my fingers in my previous sock post. I had completely forgotten to take a picture of this pair and didn't notice that it was missing... I used this lovely blue gradient which came in my March 2020 Opal subscription box. The pattern is "Hermione's Everyday Socks" which is a free ravelry download. They are for my mother-in-law which is why they look a little odd on my feet - they are too big for me. 

This is pair #201. I used Opal Comedy "Schwank" 9837. (The online dictionary translates "Schwank" as "droll story" - it's a German word for a funny little anecdote.) These are sneaker socks for my son who, as already mentioned, has the same size as I by now. It will be sneaker weather very soon and all of his current socks are too long for sneaker weather.

Pair #202 is a second pair for my uncle - my mum tells me he wears the ones I already made him all the time. (I don't see him that often and now even less than usual...)
The yarn is from the March 2019 Opal box. I've searched through all the Opal collections I could find to see if this design and colourway is part of one of them but I couldn't find a match. It seems to be a subscription box exclusive. 
(There are blue-grey-ish designs in many of the boxes and while I don't mind them - I won't pretend they are my favourites though - they all appear to be the same to me even though I know they are not.)

Pair #203 is a gift for my grandma. They are super thick and warm 8-ply socks made using two strands of 4-ply: Aktiv Uni 2561 (which is a lovely shade of evergreen blue) by supergarne.com and Opal Adventure "Tiefseeschaukeln" 9822 which was part of the May 2019 box. You can google image search this yarn if you'd like to know what it would have looked like without the added solid colour. I think the two blended nicely. These too are too big for me and look a bit weird on my feet - sorry about that. 

Pair #204 are some adult sneaker mojos for my wonderful husband. He chose the yarn which was part of the September 2020 Opal box. As you may know by now: he always goes for the bright and fun yarns =)
I don't know if this yarn will be part of an upcoming collection. The previews for all their releases until October can be seen on the Opal website and this yarn is not in any of them. So it's either a subscription box exclusive or it might be released after October. 

Currently on my needles are the last square of row four of my latest mitred square blanket (you can read about my first one here) - my scrap yarn basket is overflowing - and two more pairs of boy's sneaker socks. I have a sock each with two different yarns finished but need to try them on for size before finishing them off and starting the second. Good thing sneaker socks knit up so quickly... 

 

I hope you enjoy the changing seasons, wherever you are in the world and that you can find some peace and relaxation in these strange and unique times.
Lots of love! xxx


P.S.: I'd like to point out that this is not a sponsored post - I don't get paid or free products for featuring and writing about Opal yarn - I just like it. 

socks #27

Hello and welcome to another sock post. As you may know I took a break from knitting for more than six months last year and I slowly started again this past November, when I decided I just had to make some sparkly Christmas Socks, cost it what it may. (And to my surprise it didn't cost anything - apart from the yarn I bought - it made my hands ache not nearly as much as I had expected, almost not at all in fact.)

Pair #189 was for my son (whose feet are the same size as mine even though he's only ten years old and I have average size feet for a woman) using sparkly Woll Butt "Weihnachtswunder" (Christmas Miracle) 6891. Most Woll Butt sock yarns come in value packs of three or four 100g balls in coordinating colours. They have at least one such pack of sparkly Christmas yarn every year and I always look forward to seeing what they came up with. Woll Butt yarn is always really nice to work with and it's always good value for money. 
(I don't know what my son does to his socks but they always seem to get fuzzy really quickly and I have no idea why. Mine don't... Do anyone else's handknitted socks go fuzzy like this?)

Pair #190 was for my husband using another colourway from the same "Weihnachtswunder" pack: nr. 6890. This particular pack appears to be sold out but if you want to have a look at buttinette's other products (they have all sorts of craft supplies) you can find them here (for Austrian customers) and here (for international shipping and orders within Germany). 
I was really sneaky when I made this pair. I just knitted away and then showed my husband an almost finished sock one night as we were sitting on the sofa. He was totally caught by surprise when I told him the next morning that there was a freshly washed and warm pair of socks on the radiator for him - haha! 

This is pair #191. This is from a sparkly Woll Butt pack called "Tannenbaum" 82227 (which is still available - links above the picture). I made these for my daughter's best friend who was very excited about the previous sparkly socks when she saw me making them. I got them done in time before Christmas break started.
I took this picture before I washed them for some reason which is why they look a little creased and crumpled.

This is pair #192 and I made it for my sister's partner. My sister very shyly asked if I could make him a pair and wanted to pay for them but I wouldn't let her =) The yarn is from the September 2020 Opal subscription box. 

Pair #193 is the first sneaker pair of the season - a little early I know but it was the pair I had to abandon last May and wanted to finish now. The yarn was from the May 2020 subscription box but has now been released as part of the "Freche Freunde 2 - Das Klassentreffen" collection. It's "Miss Sunshine" 9955. The pattern is Tennarisukka by Taina Anttila.

Pair #194 is made using a ball from the December 2020 subscription box. This yarn will be available in early July 2021 as part of the Rainforest 17 collection: "Thea steht am Tor" 11093. The 6-ply version will be available at the end of July 2021. 
I love this yarn and the rust colour matches my favourite sweater really well. I don't usually match my socks to the rest of my outfit but sometimes it is a fun thing to do and when I do I find it oddly satisfying... The pattern is Tennarisukka again. 

Pair #196 is yet another pair of mojos for my husband using a ball of yarn from the May 2019 box. My husband chose it (as I always let him choose the yarn for his socks). He said it reminded him of space and the universe and since he said it I totally see it too even though I wouldn't have thought of it before. There are some photos of galaxies that totally have similar colours... 

Pair #197 is another pair of mojos but for my sister's partner again. He was so thrilled with his first pair that I decided one simply wasn't enough. (And he mentioned jokingly that he was prepared to wear the first pair until the stench took one's breath away - haha!) Anyway, since he proved himself to be knit-worthy he's likely to get some more.
The yarn for this pair was in my September 2019 box but is now part of the "True Love" collection: "Häkelheld" (which means "crochet hero") nr. 9861. 

This is pair #198. I made it with the skein of hand dyed yarn that came as an extra with the Christmas 2018 Opal box. 

It has lovely shades of blue, lilac and raspberry red and I did a mixed stitch pattern on the leg. They turned out a tad too big for me somehow and I think I'll open up the toe and re-do it a bit shorter. 

Pair #199 I absolutely looove! I flew through this pair - it took me just two days to knit. I'm not entirely sure what it is about it exactly but the yarn just sang the most beautiful song to me. It was in my December 2020 subscription box and everything about it is just delicious: the shades of orange and egg-yolk yellow, the bubblegum pink and cream stripes, the contrast the carribbean blue provides. It makes me think of Indian fabrics, everlasting gobstoppers and, for whatever reason, ice cream. I wish I had more of it... 
This colourway will be part of the Paradise 6-ply collection which will be available in late September 2021: "Regenbogen des Vertrauens" (rainbow of trust) 11022. 

Pair #200! Wow! Who would have thought I'd get to 200 that soon after all? Just less than five months after my 10 year sockiversary - which was the original aim. I had kind of lost track of the sock count with the last 10-15 pairs so I was caught a little bit by surprise by this pair being #200. I thought it was somewhat anit-climactic because I had pictured a fancy pattern of some sort for #200. I don't even know what I would have chosen but at least something more special than a pair of Tennarisukka sneaker socks. But then I remembered pair #100 and how I saved it for trying out a new pattern (it was the first and, so far, only pair of cabled socks I made) and that I ended up not liking it at all and I gave it away.

This pair I do like very much and I know I will wear it a lot once it's sneaker weather again. (In fact I wore my red canvas sneakers for the first time this season last week when we had a few days of surprisingly warm, dry and springlike weather - it was really lovely actually!)
The yarn is from the December 2020 box again - I've used three of them within only two months, they were that awesome - and I love all the shades of green, the bright carribbean blue and the pop of red. They just look like spring and I suppose my choice of yarn displays my craving for warmer weather and fresh growing things. 
This yarn will be part of the Rainforest 17 collection, both in 4-ply and 6-ply, available in early and late July 2021 respectively. The colourway is called "Sandra spielt den Pass" 11094. 

I also made a pair of felted slippers in the middle of February. I didn't take them into the sock-count though. I never had issues with cold feet in our current home - it was our 5th winter here - but this year something was different somehow. I don't know what it was, the heating worked just fine, but even the hand knitted socks could keep my toesies cozy... I had bought this pack of 4 50g balls of felting wool last winter (I think) but didn't need it then. It came with a set of 8mm dpns - they felt like broomsticks - and instructions for the slippers. I spent two late afternoons/evenings knitting them, felted them right away, let them dry on the radiator over night and put them on all nice and warm in the morning. I really like them. I think my husband might want a pair as well... 

 

I really hope all my talk about Opal subscription box yarn isn't driving you mad. I know how frustrating it can be to have people shove lovely things under my nose when I know I can't get my hands on them so if you feel that way: I'm sorry! 
But I will continue to share them anyway...

 

Lots of love! xxx 

boxes upon boxes - my opal subscription so far

This was the very first box I got. It's the December 2018 box and I cast on the first sock using one of the yarns immediately after opening it on Christmas morning. (That's why the lighting is very bad... Sorry about that! I didn't think to take another one in daylight.)

I have the most wonderful husband who gave me a year long Opal sock yarn subscription for the third year in a row for Christmas. He is just so wonderfully supportive of my various creative persuits and indulges so many of my whims. (He also gave me a Sizzix Big Shot Plus because I was starting to get frustrated with the limited width of my old one and we bought a small lathe for wood turning which is something we both would like to learn...)

March 2019 box. The started sock you can see didn't make it much further than this I'm afraid - I frogged it because I just didn't feel the looove... 

I don't remember if it was upon the arrival of the subscription box last May or September but I know I said to my husband that I felt guilty about him spending the money on it when I can't even knit and he said "well, yarn doesn't spoil"! I mean, how awesome is that! 

May 2019 box. 

Before I continue I would like to state that this is not a sponsored post. I don't get paid or any free products for writing this - it is about my personal experience with and enjoyment of the company's products.

September 2019 box. This one came with a little free publication full of patterns and ideas which was a lovely surprise. 

Maybe I should explain how this subscription works for those who don't know: The boxes are shipped out in March, May, September and December but you can order (or cancel) it any time. They tell you on their website when the next box will ship out and if it is still available. For shipping within Germany (which is where the Opal factory is located) there are no extra shipping costs, for orders from other countries there are additional costs. When you order a subscription you basically sign a contract that allows Opal to withdraw the cost for the box before it's shipped out and they'll ask you ahead of each withdrawal if you want to continue with the subscription. Does that make sense?
(I just noticed that the webshop page on the Opal website can't be translated to English, but if you have any questions about ordering, shipping and payment options you can email their customer service and I'm sure they'll be most happy to help.)

December 2019 box. It came with this beautiful skein in shades of blue:

I just saw that they also do designerboxes containing eight 100g balls curated for you by an Opal employee. This way you get a surprise box of colourful yarns but without the commitment of a subscription. (Also, you can't beat the price point for the 8-ball box: it divides down to just under 6,50€ per ball which would usually cost 8-9€.)

March 2020 box. 

Each box contains six 100g balls of lovely Opal 4-ply sock yarn, with a hand dyed skein added as a Christmas present in the December box. All the yarns are self patterning with some being exclusive colourways specially designed for the subscription boxes and some being designs that will be part of an upcoming collection, a sort of preview of what's to come - they don't say on the ball band what collection a design might be part of though. 

May 2020 box. The pink and green ball on the top left was the last I cast on before I had to admit defeat and quit knitting altogether for a few months. (They are finished now, I'll show them to you soon.)

The boxes themselves are just plain cardboard boxes without any printing or company logo on them which makes them fabulous surprises when they arrive (because I usually forget that a box is due)! The only giveaway is how light weight the box is and the sender's info on the address label but that's printed very small and I always have to look closely to find it ;)

September 2020 box. I had totally forgotten to take a picture of this box when it arrived. I only did that a few days ago (which is why you can see a sock in progress). 

December 2020 box. The Christmas skein is a 3-ply this time which I haven't tried yet. It has the most beautiful vibrant colours and I can't wait to see how it knits up.

During the last year I had to re-arrange (and shrink down) my craft space quite a bit. It's now mostly a fold-down desk integrated into our Ivar units from Ikea. (This one.) Anyway, the space above the desk turned out to be the perfect place to store and display all my beautiful yarns: 

I know, it looks a bit messy as I've just squeezed in the boxes as shelf dividers to make sure the balls of yarn don't get lost in the back of the shelf - I'm thinking of what else to use to make it look a bit tidier but it works great for now and makes me really happy every time I look at it. It's just such a nice splash of colour and a different texture between all the books. Also, it's great to see that it's there and it makes browsing for the next pair of socks a real pleasure. 

This and this sock post feature many socks made from subscription box yarns and also mention which collection a specific colourway belongs to, as far as I was able to identify them. I hope it's in some way useful and not just frustrating... 

 

Lots of love! xxx