FO Friday- G socks

So far I am keeping up with the A-Z challenge, mostly due to my tendency to knit obsessively until what I am working on is done.

Pattern: Glynis by Cookie A from Sock innovation

Yarn: Colinette jitterbug in salty sea dog

Needles: 2.5mm dpns

Mods: Fewer repeats on the leg section (5)

This is a nice pattern, but for some reason I had trouble remembering it so needed the chart out all the time I was knitting. I think this is more a problem with my lousy memory than with the pattern!

Although it is a lace pattern, with lots of yarn overs the end result is really more textured than holey, I'm pleased with that as really lacy socks remind me of school uniform socks from when I was four.

The yarn has a lot of my favourite characteristics- the colour is just gorgeous (unfortunately I have not been able to get a true photo, but it makes you go ooooh and mmmmmm), it is also a thicker sock yarn so I could use 2.5mm needles.

It has a high twist, so you get much less in a skein which can be a bit worrying, I did think I was going to run out and weighed the first sock when it was done, there were 12g left at the end. It also does not feel super soft due to the amount of twist, which I thought might make the sock uncomfy but they are lovely and squooshy once on.

Yarn diet free pass 3

This is my yarn purchase for March, although technically I actually bought it at the end of February.

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We went out for lunch at a pub with a wood fired pizza oven as a treat (I love pizza, and this was REALLY good pizza). On the way over I spotted a shop with a sign saying "Yarn studio" in one of the little villages. Of course, that meant I had to go in and have a look around on the way home once nicely stuffed with pizza (review coming later in the week).

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After much umming and ahhing over the yarn based loveliness this beautiful temptation took my fancy (and my money):

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It is Collinette Jitterbug in the Salty sea dog colourway and it is just gorgeous. The photo does not do it justice, it is rather more turquoise.

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Now I have to decide what to make; jitterbug is a thick sock yarn, which means there is only just enough for a pair in a skein. I may have to venture into the world of the toe up sock so I can use every last scrap.
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On a yarn dieters note I managed to say no to a yarn shop yesterday- it was a very similar situation of spotting a sign as we drove past, but as we were heading home after a long weekend on scout camp I turned down the offer to go back and investigate.

Yarn review- Colinette Jitterbug

At the start of the year I bought some Jitterbug in the Forest colourway from Get Knitted (review at some point) to keep me amused during Jury service. It was, and probably still is the prettiest yarn I have owned.

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Jitterbug is a merino yarn and sold as a sock yarn, it is a bit thicker than many other sock yarns, coming in at 267m per 100g hank (usually around 400m for sock yarns), so two skeins would probably be needed to make socks with some left over. I made a Travelling Woman shawl with a fair chunk left over for sock yarn blanket squares, there would not have been enough for an extra pattern repeat though.

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The yarn is lovely to work with and has the advantage of being labelled as easy care (wash at 30 degrees and dry on low). I have not tried this out yet, and as I made a scarf it would be no hassle to handwash, but for socks this is a definite plus so I hope it is true, no way I am handwashing lots of socks!

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As yarns go it is quite reasonably priced, it is about £10 for a 100g skein, a little more expensive than some options, but also not the most expensive by a long way.

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There are a lot of colourways available, they all have similar short colour repeats but with wide variations in colour, a drawer of beautiful socks (or anything else) could definitely be made.

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In the skein:

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Knitted up into a travelling woman:

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The yarn took blocking well and I wore it most days during the winter once it was ready, obviously it is too hot at the minute but it is waiting by the door for scarf season.

In spite of having a lot of use there has been very little fuzzing up of the knitting (not sure what the technical term for that should be, you know, when it goes all fuzzy)

Unfortunately when I went back for more the shop did not have the same colourway, there are lots of suppliers online so I will have a look around for some more. I will most likely buy some more in the future, so I would recommend it, but will probably use it for scarves/shawls rather than socks due to its fairly thick nature.