From interest to obsession

Ever since an imaginary friend on the Achenblog started talking about crocheting socks, I've been knitting and crocheting up a storm. I started knitting and crocheting as a teenager, but lately most of what I've done has been scarves and net shopping bags.

Socks have become the hot thing to knit. With all kinds of beautiful self-striping yarn it's no wonder. I have quite a bit of sock yarn myself, but despite an attempt at a simple crocheted sock, I haven't completed even one yet. I signed up for a class at my local yarn shop in January.

I have been indulging in buying lovely yarn. For years all I got was acrylic at the grocery store. This year I got cotton yarn for dish cloths, place mats and shawls, and alpaca yarn for scarves and hats.

This is my first attempt with alpaca. I used a pattern with a sampler of stitches - mesh stitch, sugar cubes, and seed stitch. I think the size of needles was a bit too small - I had some trouble with dropped stitches, and ripped back many a row, but in the end it turned out ok. Especially after I blocked it, another new experience for me.


For my next attempt, I used a simple rib stitch - farrow rib, which produces a thick, plush texture. I used a bamboo circular needle, size 7 (US), which was a joy to work with - very smooth.


Thanks again to dr and others at the Achenblog for sparking my interest in knitting and turning it into an obsession.