2 posts tagged “recycling”

So, I am recycling some socks. Apparently, this is what people used to do, Back In The Day when it was the norm to make your own clothes, make do and mend, spend a hefty amount of money when someone else had made them. Unraveling woolly things, and then turning them into something new and better, is something I love to do.

Andy's socks are lovely, they're all soft and cuddly and warm! Unfortunately, they have some very big holes in the heel. Despite me telling him that the socks would be smaller, he kindly agreed to let me play with them.

I have finished one sock, and it's sort of like those tiny ladies' socks that finish just below the ankle bone. Once again it's that free toe-up DK sock pattern, but adapted for thinner yarn and needles. I loved knitting it because I had to use little thin needles, so the work is very fine. I even used ribbing for the first time in a sock - trying to do good work for other people is what makes me get better at what I do, in general. I really like it for these reasons, but I am having a bit of trouble with it, I'm not quite satisfied.

The fuzzy wool itself is quite weak in patches, where they were not-quite-worn-through before. Although it was easy to unravel, when knitting it sometimes it just *pffffff* pulls apart and snaps. It's not a problem to fix, but it can get a bit tiring. The top of the sock, because it's so close to the heel, is quite loose. So I decided to sew in some of the elastic from its previous incarnation, but it's really fiddly to get the tension right; I'm still faffing about with it now. I think for the next one I will add the elastic as I go.

But other than those two weeny things, I am very pleased with it!