The question for today (3kcbwday4) in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week is:
How does your local seasonal weather affect your craft?
First, let’s set the scene: I live in the North-East of England, at the top of a cliff overlooking the North Sea. It is a mild climate, without great extremes of temperature. There is often fog, or sea fret as it is known around here, and nearly always some wind. This can range from a bit of a breeze to a roaring gale. Even in summer, most days are suitable for wearing at least one layer of wool. All in all, a perfect location for a knitter!
Despite the near-permanent need for wool of some sort, I don’t knit nearly as much in the summer as I do in the winter. When the need for wool is just throwing on a cardigan to wander up to the village, it doesn’t spark the same reaction as when walking outside needs the addition of hat, scarf, gloves, cardigan and socks. I spend a lot of my work time in ancient, cold churches, standing on very cold stone floors, so my need for woolly socks in the winter is urgent. I generally wear wool socks every day from September to March, so I have knitted a lot of socks and there is nearly always a pair on the needles. At the moment, my sock drawer is full to overflowing, so I have turned my attention to providing woolly socks for other members of the family (although not the children: their feet grow too fast at this age).
Even on a hot day here, it is still usually comfortable to knit small wool items. I have tended to knit gloves in the summer, rather than big, heavy items, and I knit in cotton occasionally as well. Any day now I’ll be casting on for a cotton jumper for my son’s birthday. I was taken aback last summer when I went to France for a week, taking some socks with me, and found that it was physically too hot to knit wool: very disappointing.
I do tend to have vague plans for what items might be needed for next winter. I think my son will need a new hat next year, and maybe some mittens. I knitted a lovely bright blue hat for me a couple of years ago and I’ve just bought the yarn to knit matching gloves and a scarf or cowl. My husband is keen to try some wool socks, although they will have to be plain enough to satisfy his minimalist colour palette (shades of black). If it gets really hot (unlikely), I’ve a lovely skein of silk to knit. This should all keep me busy for the summer, along with the Ravelry sock-knitting competitions I get involved with: Sock Sniper and Tour de Sock.
Comments
5 responses to “A Knitter or Crocheter for all seasons – 3KCBWDAY4”
Love your sock-knitting prowess – still in awe of the whole sock-knitting thing though – it’s the prospect of juggling those four needles! But as you say socks are SO useful and you can go to town with colour so may have to brave and have a go anyway!
Do try sock knitting. Once you figure out the needles, it is so much fun. Once I realised you only use 2 needles at any one time, it all became clear.
I like knitting socks because they’re so portable. I was at the hairdresser’s this morning and whilst my perm cooked I knitted my handspun sock. I knit socks with Magic Loop as it’s so much easier then juggling the four needles – less lethal as well. 🙂
I giggled when I read you haven’t made socks for the kids because their feet grow too fast. I didn’t learn to knit socks until mine left the nest, but I think I might have tried making the outgrown socks into sock monkeys or other creations, if there was enough sock left after my kids’ tough and rumble!
Even shades of black is too much for N – I offered to knit him some gloves in variegated black and grey. Apparently black OR grey would be fine.