Obviously Alice is know as the Queen on Socks in London, first offering us an online store to buy our lovely sock yarn, then the bricks and mortar shop (that also became our knitting haven) and now also as indie dyer extraordinaire. Not to mentioned the amazing Knit Love Club (which is about to enter it’s fifth year).

This collection offers 17 different sock patterns, from a simple Vanilla Sock to the wonderfully lacy 2LuvCrew to the masculine Farmer McGregor sock. The first half of the book focuses on Sock Yarn, describing the different types of fiber (complete with some amazing artwork), piles and twists. Whereas the second half is the patterns.

I didn’t have time to scan the book to show you the lovely photos shoots included in the book (instead you have to put up with my photos of the projects). Brighton (I think) provides the perfect backdrop of carousels, eclectic stores, and the beach to showcase the socks in an environment that seems to tone with the yarn (like the green socks on the cover next to the green door).

Each pattern features a cute drawing to explain the gauge of the sock (both the circumference and leg length) and a box explaining techniques that are used in the pattern, where the technique is complicated a wonderful photo tutorial is included.

This book isn’t really aimed for a beginner (even though it includes a plain sock), some of the techniques like the snipping used in Spring Shoot can be a little daunting to a beginner, If you have knitted several pairs of socks and are looking to advance your skills this book is perfect.

Congratulations Alice on a fabulous first book – can’t wait to get knitting!

I actually finished these socks a while ago, but wanted to wait until after the watershed to post about them, then I wore them, so had to wait until I had time to wash them before posting! This sock wasn’t that challenging, but the lace pattern was so easy to memorise that they were knitted up in no time!

The only “new” technique for me was the casting on – which left these lovely little picots that lead into the twisted rib. Once again Alice didn’t disappoint as this pattern just flows so beautifully, the inclusion of little transitional charts works the rib into the pattern than then on to the heel and eventually the toe. I love this pattern so much, I am already planning to knit another pair.

I finished the first sock pretty quickly, but since then I have lost my knitting mojo! I figured Knit Nation would be the perfect place toget my mojo back and finish the sock. As it turns out I only really had one opportunity to knit when I was checking tickets on the door, but during this time I some how managed to lose my first sock!

I was so close to the finishing line, and now I am back at the midway point! I have very little of the yarn left, but have put a plea out of Ravelry to see if I can have anyone else’s leftover yarn to finish these socks. I am extremely annoyed at myself for losing the sock, and also a little upset about the hard work for nothing. I am trying to be positive and think about wearing these socks in the autumn (I figure it will be then by the time I have finished them).

I am a little late blogging about this sock – but I figure it is okay as spring seems to be a little late this year too! The beautiful spring yarn was part of the March installment of the Knit Love Club. As I have mentioned before Alice always manages to challenge us where the sock club is concerned and this pattern was no different. In fact it crossed the border out of my knitting save zone.

Like most people the knitting techinique I have never tried is steeking, my opinion is simple, why would I want to cut my beautiful garment that has taken me so long to knit! This pattern involved a strange form of horizontal steeking used in the Cat Bordhi Personal Footprint book, you can see a video of the technique here.

So this funny flat fish looking piece of knitting was turned into the foot of the sock – with the leg appearing between the two safety lines, It was an extremely strange construction but there wasn’t a lot of sewing involved so I guess that was a good think – I had to look for the silver lining somewhere. But I would add the sock fits beautifully.

Then just to make matters worse, last weekend I fell in love with a pattern on ravelry and now all I can think about is the lovely Candy Stripe Jacket, I had a quick look on there website and discovered the yarn and pattern was available at Mrs Moon, which I found very exciting. Before Christmas, two of my local yarn stores closed down, which is extremely sad but also very fustrating, now I have an excuse to check out the new store. (I was pretending to be on a yarn diet for a few months again – but figured this was the reason to break the diet).

As well as planning all this lovely knitting projects, I also have another little project in the sidelines. For a few months now, I have been toying with the idea of setting up another blog. Somewhere to talk about my other crafts, and journey into domestic goddessness. When I set up this blog, it opened my eyes to the wonderful knitting community within the UK from fellow bloggers, to locally produced yarn and designers. Previously, I had been forced to read about all the lovely yarn American bloggers had brought at Knit Picks, or fabulous sock clubs, that I was too late to sign up for. I am hoping this new blog will do a similar thing. I have been reading numerous blogs with amazing recipes or party ideas. Where the supplies have all been brought in Walmart or the Dollar Store and I keep thinking there much be a British alternative, and I wanted to set up a blog to address this issue. So on January the first I jumped in at the deep end and started my new blog. I plan to keep this blog going for my knitting projects (although I think the knitting might feature on both blogs) and a more general blog.

Note: The layout of the new blog is a mess at the moment, I was hoping to create a new theme this week, but my laptop has died on me.

When Alice announced earlier this month that she was hosting a knit-along on Twitter, it was more fuel for my case! Each Monday she posts a clue on her twitter feed and all the participants can tweet about their updates and post photos.

This is my swatch from last weeks clue using Malabrigo sock yarn, 3.75 and 4.5mm needles – I am going with the 4.5mm to open up the flowers.

Last autumn, I got this Socktopus bag, when I helped Alice out at the Ally Pally Knitting Show, the bag has hung in our bedroom for months hidden inside has been works in progress and yarn. I have been too scared to venture into the bag as I know it contains my longest standing WIP! However hidden in the bottom of the bag was also this Crochet Flower Kits from House of Hemp.

I have been interested in working with “other” fibres for sometime now, so when I saw these kits at Ally Pally, I knew they were the perfect tester kit. Over this weekend, I sat down and began re-watching Battlestar Galactica and crocheted away. I ended up knocking out a one flower an episode!

A quick trip to the Bead Shop (more about that later) and a raid of my button jar and I have a whole bouquet of flowers. Of course I then had to add one to the Socktopus bag to remind me to use this bag and not be afraid of the WIP!

21st May – Skein.

27th May -Progress.

28th May – Finished Socks.

I finished the first installment of the Socktopus Sock Club, my Om Shanti (or Bagpuss) Socks, I am so unbelievable happy I managed to get the yarn to swirl, it actually looks like a candy cane.

One of the reason I was keen to join the Sock club (apart from all the yummy yarn) was to learn new techniques and even challenge my knitting self. On the surface this sock looked pretty simple not challenging at all, and it was until I got to the rib… The pattern called for a corrugated rib (worked with two yarn) and I seemed to get in a complete mess – in fact I ripped the rib three times on the first sock and only once on the second!

I made one alteration to this sock, adding several repeats to the leg to make the sock longer. I followed Alice’s instructions for a wider leg on the extra repeats to insure the sock fitted on the calf.

I had also arranged with Alice to receive my first Sock(topus) Club parcel (yes my first silver shiny packet). The pattern is the Om Shanti Sock designed by Alice herself! The yarn is Evolution in an exclusive colour (Peppermint Cheer), and the extras are a mini pedicure kit from the Rocky Mountain Soap Company (Canadian just like Alice).