I did it.
They are complete.
Done.
Finito.
Good day to you.
It only took three months (give or take a month?) but I finally finished My Cup of Tea Socks. Never in my life has it taken me that long to finish a pair of socks, and believe me, that says a lot coming from a slow knitter. It wasn’t the pattern, it was the needle size. Size one needles! Never again.
But aren’t they just beautiful? I do wish I had a used a slightly nicer yarn. I used Knit Picks Palette, which is their go-to sock yarn. I made Gabe a pair of socks using the same yarn, and was quite happy with how they turned out, however by the time I was halfway through these socks, Gabe’s socks were already starting to pill, and even though I washed them according to the instructions, they felted slightly. The socks lost shape and two days ago, a huge hole appeared at the bottom of one foot. It was too late to rip out the My Cup of Tea sock (a whole sock!? I don’t think so) and use a different yarn at that point so I continued on, but I won’t be using that yarn again. Too bad, because I think I have six skeins of it in my stash drawer.
On to happier things, like deer! We frequently have deer on our property and while these are the best photos I’ve been able to take with my camera, it’s painfully obvious that I need a telephoto lens.
I don’t know what’s wrong with the two fawns. They seem to be loosing their fur and I can’t tell if it’s growing back. I’ve heard of young deer shedding their “baby fur” and growing new fur as they become older, but I’ve never seen anything like this before. When it first started falling out, there were these angry, red and raw looking patches all over their sides. It looked like some sort of skin fungus. They were constantly licking the raw skin. It seemed so uncomfortable and itchy. Now the redness is gone, but like I said, I can’t tell if the fur is growing back. Gabe and I fondly call them the Fungi Deer.
Also, I posted about our new raised beds a few days ago but never included any photos of the beds themselves. So…there they are. My new raised beds. Full of dirt…and no vegetables.
Baby steps.
Oh, and last but not least, if you don’t follow me on Instagram, then you would have missed my latest baby bump photo. I took that during week 36. I am 37 weeks on Thursday. I am so ready to get this baby out of me. It’s a sad day when you’re at the mercy of your three year old to pick up the spatula that you dropped off the floor.
Happy Wednesday, my friends.
Well they look lovely. My socks wear hard too. I only rotate through my three pairs and I can tell they won’t last but a couple years at best. Kinda sad for all that work.,
It is sad, isn’t it? I was lamenting to my mother about how I was putting all this effort into socks that 1) nobody will see because they are under my boots and 2) won’t last more than a few years. She said that’s why she stopped making “pretty” socks years ago and now just makes a simple ribbed sock with a lovely variegated yarn of her choice. Perhaps she’s on to something?
Your socks are beautiful! I love the pattern! I just purchased size one double pointed needles for a sock pattern I would like to try. I’ve never attempted something that small before.
Violet, I have to say, knitting on size 1 needles is quite the challenge. I chose HiyaHiya’s and while I am really happy with that brand, it was still tedious at times (okay, most of the time). However, I must admit the end result is always stunning. Keep me posted on your project!
They’re our Chupacabra Deer!
Oh dear, socks! That happened with the first pair of socks I made and I haven’t really returned to socks even years later, I was so discouraged! I always think I will do socks again one day but feel like they’re just going to be hidden in shoes and then get holes after all that work… How lame am I? Ha!
You look lovely, especially considering you are 37 weeks which is such a draining and exhausting time for a mama!!
Thank you, Sarah! I certainly don’t feel lovely, but I’m glad my weariness isn’t showing through in photos 😉 And do try to knit another pair of socks! You could wear them to bed or while lounging around the couch…and admire your pretty feet!
I have long been suspicious of Palette. It just seemed too good to be true. The more I knit, the more I’m convinced that high-quality yarns are worth it!
I do hope that your three-year-old is cooperative and helping out her mommy!
I couldn’t agree more regarding the yarn. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!
That’s a shame you have so much of the dud yarn left – maybe you could recoup some of the cost on ebay? The socks look lovely anyway, hope you get some wear out of them 🙂
Thank you for the compliment, Elise. I have thought about selling the yarn but I hate dealing with Ebay. I suppose I could list it as part of my stash on Revelry that I am willing to trade but to be honest I’ve never been able to trade anything on there in the past. Have you? I’m sure I’ll figure out something.
I’ve only done ebay selling, never anything on Ravelry. I feel like there’s so many parts to that site that I haven’t explored yet!