I just finished
my own design woollen socks. Using loose end threads is good idea in knitting. But be ready for the bigger work in finishing. These socks didn't turn out exactly in the way I wanted because the black thread run out too early. (Or should I have knit smaller socks?) But that's ok. It's like that with creative craft making and working with left over material. At the end these socks are good for it what for they were knit -to warm up someone's feet. :)
I planned to knit the socks
all black at the end but suddenly noticed I was running out of the
thread. For a moment I was considering buying a new ball of thread. You
can always use black colour with the others. But I decided no. At the
end the idea is using all the materials I have in storage, so I went
through my wool baskets and decided to include one more colour -green.
This finished pair of socks weights 111g and the size is for an adult
man. If you are smarter than I was and weight the threads you plan to
use beforehand you can plan your project better. ;)
If you are going to make warm woollen socks for the real use the
best thread includes approximately 75% sheep wool and 25% polyamide.
There has to be other than natural fibres to make it to be strong and
lasting. You can combine different trademarks as long as the features of
the thread are similar (ingredients, washing instructions etc.).
This year seems to start with bookmark projects what comes to stitching.
Again I stitched one bookmark. It is a gift for a reader. This gift has
to be sent via mail. Bookmarks and other small projects are excellent
gifts to be mailed. They fit in envelopes and don't weight much so the
sending costs are tiny. Also project costs are resonable -you can use
loose end threads and left over materials.
This bookmark was inspired by the book
Made in France from
Agnes Delage-Calvet, Anne Sohier-Fournel, Muriel Brunet and
Francoise Ritz. There's
no bookmark design in this book but nothing stops you to use the ideas
and charts creatively. This bookmark is a bit shorther than the
described design because the left over piece of the fabric I used was
just too small to include the top arc of the design. If you don't know
it you don't miss it.
Made in France's outfit (pictures of the projects) really doesn't give the honour for the book it earns. It's also a bit difficult to use. It's thick and the pages want to turn away all the time while stitching. But I still can recommend to borrow that book from a library and get familiar to its great designs. It has plenty of useable charts.Also, if you a seeking a gift to be bought for a stitcher, this book is a good choise.
