Viking of Norway Garn Raggen

This title is a new yarn to me, I did mention it in my last blogpost and I would like to do a review of it based upon the pair of socks I have just knitted for my partner.

Firstly here is a photo of the completed socks,

It is not a great photo to be honest but I think it shows up the colours really well.  I have been taking photos at each stage of the knitting but I wanted to save them for a pattern blog which will be coming soon. 

This sock yarn comes in 150g balls and the first thing I noticed was that the label does not say whether it is an Aran, DK etc.  It does consist of 70% Superwash and 30% Nylon so it is fine for socks and on the inside of the ball band there is a lot of writing presumably in Norwegian.  Obviously I do not know what it says which is unfortunate.

When knitting with the yarn it seems to be a DK but you could assume it was an Aran weight and would be great for blankets, jumpers etc but because my Partner bought me 8 balls to make thick socks for him and me, I decided to just stick with socks.  

I used 3.25 mm needles and eventually after a bit of frogging I realised I had cast on too many stitches to start the sock.  So I ended up reducing the stitches quite a bit and finally got the size that suited.  The yarn knits up very quickly which is why I think it may be a good yarn for other things too.  I love the colour although I could not find what it is called.  I looked on Ravelry and the colour is not listed so I just put Col 734 Multicolour because Col 735 (which is what it is) is not listed.  I actually knitted 3/4 of the first sock in just one sitting and then completed the other sock in less than a few hours.  

The yarn is a bit splitty at times and as my experience grows it is not of a high twist but I think that adds to the actual texture and warmth the completed product gives.  My partner wanted thick socks for wearing in his boots and waders when he is at work and last night he gave me his opinion saying that his feet did not feel cold at all working outside.  The temperature has been around 3 degrees in the daylight.

I thought that the 150g ball would leave me a little left over to put into my scrap garter stitch blanket but it didn't.  I actually used the whole lot and needed to start on the other ball of yarn to do the toe decreases.  I didn't mind that because there will be plenty on the second ball to make myself a pair too.  My partner is a size 9 foot and I am a size 6.  I knitted for about 4 hours straight yesterday and have only got half of the foot to finish so it is a great quick knit.  I will be using my pair for House Socks because I am not a lover of carpet slippers.

Here is a photo of the first sock I made which you can see the colours a bit better

I hope that this little review has given an insight into this gorgeous yarn, I just wanted to add a little something different to my blog.  I am definitely going to enjoy making more socks with this yarn and will post a picture of my pair shortly.

Frogged

I ripped it back, the shawl I was designing.  I was not happy with the way it was coming out so I decided to SIMPLIFY and frog it.  There is absolutely no point in working on something that you are not enjoying.  So I have had a look at my projects I have on the go which is not many and I have put all of my current projects in a bag by the sofa and am going to work on them only.

This is something that I started today, Monday.  Frank ordered some thick sock yarn from Loveknitting without my knowing and it came Saturday.  He said he ordered it Friday mid day and came 24 hours later which is brilliant service.  He did buy 8 balls of Viking Garn Raggen which is a mix of Wool and Nylon. They are lovely and bright, soft to touch and cannot wait to get cracking with them.  Plus they will knit up much quicker.  I am using 3.25 mm bamboo needles and have only cast on 60 sts.  It seems to be enough for the cuff and leg, I am doing a 2 x 2 rib and then a waffle type stitch for the leg which basically consists of knit 1 round then knit 2, purl 2 the next round.  I personally think that they need to be of a rib design on the leg because I am not sure how they are going to wear with the shaping once they are used and washed.  Frank is feeling the cold working outside at the moment and is rather excited to have a thicker pair of socks to wear.

The next project or two that I have completed are 2 hats, one for each of my Grand Children.  

I finished this one yesterday which is made with an Aran weight yarn and the pattern is Modern Rib Hat by Susan B Anderson on Ravelry.  It is a free download and such a simple pattern to knit without really thinking.  I made my Grand Daughter one who has it now at home and I have accidentally deleted the picture from my phone. Oops.  If you go to my Ravelry page you will be able to see it plus other projects in my completed collection.

I have also started a Garter Stitch Scrap Blanket that is going to be my long term project for the year and it will consist of any scrap yarn from DK or Aran weight projects and will be in the shape of a log cabin design.  There is not going to be any kind of colour organisation it is going to be something that I keep working on with the idea that when I have completed a project, instead of having the scrap yarn hanging about it will be going into the Scrap Blanket.  I will show a picture of its progress throughout the year and hopefully it will be done by Christmas 2019.

Right, I am off to enjoy the rest of my Monday and do not intend to go out because it is so cold out and I am being lazy today.  Bye xx

Simplify

SIMPLIFY is going to be my word for the year, I thought of it on the 1st January and am trying to stick to it.

I have spent the past week or two knitting on a design using a gorgeous new yarn that my partner bought for me at Christmas and it has been frogged twice.  I have spent most of today up to 3pm, knitting on the design and decided that I was not enjoying how it was turning out so I frogged it completely.  SIMPLIFY.

The photo below shows you the progress on the shawl design last night (Sunday) after we had taken our Grandchildren back to their Mum. I was pretty exhausted and just got straight into my night clothes, sat down with a cuppa and watched Countryfile and Antiques Roadshow whilst knitting on it.

However, it is so frustrating that I seem to be the only one who cannot get designs out of my head and into reality.  So for now I am just going to knit, that is all.  I have picked up my 30cm fixed Knit Pro Symphony's Circulars size 2.5mm and have Cable Cast on (don't know how many I have cast on) and then started knitting in the round.  I suppose the new thing about this project is that I have not used such a small circular knitting needle.

The yarn is full of colour and it is lovely to knit with and will be my 'On the Bus to Work' project. It will probably be a scarf but that is ok. SIMPLIFY.

Do you remember me talking about the Shed that we bought last weekend. Well just out of interest here is a photo of it in situ on the patio of my garden.

It fits perfectly and my brother did a great job of putting it together.  When you have the right tools, it makes a bit difference. All we have to do now when the spring time comes is to get rid of some decking at the end of the garden, re-think the position of some of our shrubs and pots so that the Grand babies can have some space to run around.  Can you see the Rose Bush under my kitchen window, it is a climber and the flowers it produces are big, yellow and smells gorgeous so once it bounces back to life in the spring, I hope it will cover that horrible bit of wall that is around the drain.

I am now going to go and do a bit of knitting again and then do a little bit of crocheting on the scrap blanket.  I would like to start planning some projects and I keep thinking about some hats and also learning a few new techniques to open up my library of experience.

So, thank you for reading my jargon and be back soon.

Lets start 2019

Let's start this blog for the year after fairly quiet Christmas 2018 which I was back to work on the 28th and 29th December.  Then I have had a whole week off work and do not go back to work until the 8th January 2019.

Firstly our Grandchildren loved their presents and it was such a joy to see their faces Christmas Eve morning, especially Mya when she saw that Santa had brought presents.  She put her hand to her mouth and said "oh Nanny" in shock at what was under the tree.  That made our day.  Their Mum Emma came over for breakfast and we then helped her back with their presents.

We always have New Year at home quiet and looked after Grandchildren so that their Mum can have a dance and drink and the kids were woken up by the fireworks.  Martyn did not like them at all and I had to sooth his head to get back to sleep.  Mya was not well at all with her coughing and New Years Day she was coughing so much that she was throwing up and had no appetite either.  She was running a temperature and Martyn was coughing too by the time they went back to their Mum.

Frank and I decided to pop out on the 2nd Jan to look for a shed at a new B & M Store that has opened up and whilst waiting for the bus I had an urge to ring Emma and the minute I did, my anxieties hit.  She said Mya had turned blue at around 2am with the coughing and had to call an ambulance.  We went straight to the hospital and found her to be on oxygen.  They said that her oxygen levels had dropped so low that she needed it plus a nebuliser.  I could have burst into tears seeing my Magic laying on that big bed but she was more interested in wanting my phone to watch Mr Tumble.  We stayed for a while and she covered my purse in stickers and then we left to let her rest with her Mum.  I rang later that day and again the next morning and Emma said that she had stopped coughing and were going to discharge her.  

That was yesterday.  However whilst Mya was being admitted to the hospital Martyn had been taken to A & E too because he was burning up so high and he is now on antibiotics and an Asthma pump.  I rang Emma today and she said they are both fine, slept well and was staying at her Mum's for a few nights incase she needed help.

So my New Year was not as I wanted it to be in some ways but they are home and ok.  We hope to have them the weekend for lots of cuddles but I don't want to bring them out if they are unwell.

Today Frank took me to Brent Cross Shopping Centre which is not far from Edgeware.  It was about an hour's journey and to be honest, whilst it was nice to get out on a sunny cold day to stretch the legs, we ended up getting lunch, Frank treated me to a new pair of shoes and then we came back.

Here is a little video of the Brent Cross Station while we were waiting for the bus to get to the shopping centre.

We ended up getting the District Line train to Embankment and then the Northern Line to Brent Cross. You have to then walk across the road to get the 210 bus which takes you straight there. It is only about 5 minutes on the bus and we would have walked but you go through this whole junction of spaghetti type roads which I would never drive down. No way.

I didn't take any footage of the shopping centre because I am sure it is nothing new to see,  just a load of shops, some expensive and the best one there is John Lewis Department Store which has a good habadashery in.  

Anyway, I just spoke to my Grandchildren and their Mum and she said they are not well enough to be over so I would rather they stay warm at home and taking their medicine.  

With regards to the knitting, remember all those socks I have made.  I actually knitted 24 pairs of socks last year and some were presents for family and here are a few photos of them on the family feet.

 

The one's above are my Michelle who is my Sister in Law and they are made from Cascade Yarns Heritage Prints in the colour way Tomatoes No. 30.  I used West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in the Tumeric colour way for the cuffs, heels and toes.  They are a size 5.

 

These are my brother David's socks that I made for him. He is a sign 9 and made out of West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in the colour way Bullfinch. Excuse the hairy legs!

  These are my son Scott's socks which I knitted out of Drops Fabel in the colour way 901 Candy Print.  They are a size 9 too.

  These are Courtney's socks, my Daughter in Law, and she is a size 7 knitted from Drops Fabel Colourway 903, Yellow Pink Print.


There are a few more pairs that I have made namely for my son Ross, my in-laws and some for Frank but I will save them for another post because this one is getting a bit long.

I have been trying to design a few things but not getting very far with anything at the moment.  I have finished a few things to start the New Year with a clean slate of crafts and the day before yesterday I finished these Latvian Mittens.

Frank bought me a kit about a month ago as a treat and they were quite challenging because they involved 4 colours in one row.  I did the pattern right up the cuff and after several attempts of knitting the pattern on the cuff I had to give up. The tension was too tight, I was getting rather frustrated and not really enjoying that bit so I made up something simple and finished them. They are currently blocking in my kitchen.  They are a gorgeous wool and so so warm. Cannot wait to wear them because it is getting rather cold. 

So I am now going to go and wrap up with my Malibrigo Api Cowl that I made a few years ago which I must add to my Ravelry projects, wear my Rikki Hat and my gloves that I designed.  The dog needs walking and then I am going to get my knitting design out and watch a few podcasts.

Here is a photo of me on the train on the way to Brent Cross this morning.  Do you think I look happy!!

Can't believe how long my hair has got......bye xx