A Sample Sock and some Festive WIPs

 I was lucky enough to be chosen to do another sample sock for Helen at Giddy Knits recently. It was a quick turnaround so she just asked for plain socks with a contrast heel and toe. Here's the yarn she sent   

 

and here's the sock

The colours are from a new collection she will be launching shortly, not sure if it's in December or the New Year. It was a very pretty yarn and I enjoyed knitting it up. 

I usually get some of the West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas Colour each year and knit socks for the family. I wasn't  going to bother this year when I saw the Christmas yarn as it completely failed to float my boat - until I saw the other one, which is lovely and which I couldn't have ignored anyway once I discovered it was called Nutcracker. I am a bit of a sucker for Nutcracker themed things at Christmas. I decided to knit myself a shawl rather than socks, as my sock drawer, or that bit of my top drawer where I keep my socks , is full to overflowing, and it is currently looking like this.

This being code for 'a total rag'. It will be fantastic (I hope) when blocked. 

Meanwhile the OH is naturally getting his Christmas socks and, being in need of a comfort knit yesterday I cast on the first one, It's currently looking like this

This being code in this instance for 'I'm smugly pleased with how far I have got already'. Because the wool is striped I'm doing the shadow wrap heel again; I do like it but it can be fiddly with thin wool and small stitches and especially when you're working on the dark stripes. Pretty yarn though, eh? 

There is nowhere local to me, either in Orkney or Glasgow that stocks this yarn, the Yarn Cake having moved beyond Son No 2's ability to walk to it, so a very grateful shout out to my sister who bought me some local to her and posted it on. At less than I would have paid to get it mail order too.