Preparing for Winter V

Onebrokelady

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Hey, onebrokelady, you can jolly well stop the running and hiding in shame bit!


We all do things to different extents - I don't have a huge woodpile and stacks of kindling, because we're in a rented flat Others live further from mains resources and own their own and have more of their own resources... it's different for us all.

Re the socks. I absolutely guarantee you that you can knit them. I love my hand-knitted socks - it is totally addictive
Why am i so sure you can knit them? Because they really aren't that difficult. People think they are because it's unfamiliar nowadays but children aged 5 and 6 used to knit socks, in the 17th century onwards, so how difficult can it really be?!
You will be fine.

I had a go at socks when I bought some sock wool and i was ok until I got to the heel,then it all went a bit wrong,I'm hoping my DD will show me how to knit them,if not it will be a you tube tutorial :rotfl:
I've picked up loads of ideas from reading back through the old posts,one of which was to put a duvet on the mattress under the sheet to make the bed warm,I have several spare duvets cluttering up my spare room at the moment and I don't have anywhere to keep them so guess where they are going now:rotfl: ,mind you I keep having hot flushes so they might not be there for long,I have a mattress protector on my bed so will put one under that,extra warm and extra storage:T

Onebrokelady

babyblooz wrote: »

Do hand knitted socks wear out quickly? I asked my mum because she did it when she was very young She said they wore out really quickly so it was a thankless task as they didn't last long and were fiddly to do. Are the yarns you can buy now more hard wearing than they used to be?

I have hand knitted socks that my DD made for me and they have worn well,I don't wear them everyday only in the winter because they are so warm but they have lasted well,they are knitted from sock wool ,I do however have one pair made from something fluffy that she wanted to use up and I put them in a too hot was yesterday and they have shrunk quite spectacularly, they would now fit my one year old grandson,I'm very sad because they were my favourite snuggly socks:(

mardatha

You have to use only sock wool for socks otherwise you'll be darning for evermore. I see some sellers now offering BFL or pure Merino and it just won't do. Waste of money!

Rose_Crow

Evening all,

Mind if i join in? I've been around this board for many years but mostly a lurker. I've done Preparing for Winter a few times and always find it helpful.

Just started a list which will no doubt grow before it shrinks!

Paint fence
Paint shed
Paint windows (can't DIY this due to fear of heights so will get a quote)
Have bathroom extractor fixed
Get cover for garden furniture

Buy waterproof overtrousers
Get straw bales delivered to make windbreak for horses

pws52

Although I have been knitting from an early age and consider myself to be a proficient knitter I was totally defeated by the four needle knitting method.
Mum, Gran and Great Aunt tried on many occasions to teach me to no avail.

Five years ago....after knitting for about 50 years...I tried again, very determined not to be beaten.
I bought a set of 8 inch wooden needles...longer than those I had tried with before.
I found a heel flap pattern on Ravelry which has remained my ‘go to’ pattern and set to!

Success! Longer needles mean that stitches don’t fall off the ends.
Wooden needles aren’t as slippery as metal so stitches stay put.
Heel flap method suited me better than the other heel turn method.

I have now taught two friends how to knit socks...one is in her 80s.

As mentioned before sock knitting is so addictive.
As a project it is easily transportable.

So give sock knitting a go.
You will always have a gift for others which will be much appreciated.
And you will receive requests for them!

HTH!

dreaming

I posted on another thread about wanting to knit socks so I bought the yarn, found a pattern I could follow (Winwick Mum's). I was very enthusiastic and managed the heel after a couple of goes and the toe as well. Very pleased with myself I put the first sock into my nice knitting bag and there it sits with the wool, needles and pattern - just the one sock because I then got distracted teaching myself to crochet from youtube videos, and now I am into card-making but I'm sure, one of these days, I'll get round to doing another one.
I actually don't wear socks much as I seem to be a "hot" person and only have a sheet, blanket and throw on the bed even in winter. The house is often a lot cooler than other people's too as I only put the heating on for an hour in the morning and an hour or so at night. I can't bear some friend's houses in winter because of the heat.

LiveSimply

DREAMING

Did you know Winwick Mum also has a very active facebook page for the socks?

Also, is there any way of subscribing to threads other than commenting on them?

mardatha

pws I use long Shetland needles, 40cms/16". I need to tuck one under my arm. Second one between my thighs. Third one wedged into my lap, and knit with the fourth one. Life gets really interesting when I get to the toe.. 16" of needle to 6 stitches of sock

dreaming

LiveSimply wrote: »

DREAMING

Did you know Winwick Mum also has a very active facebook page for the socks?

Also, is there any way of subscribing to threads other than commenting on them?[/QUOTE
Yes, I have seen Winwick Mum's FB page.

To subscribe to threads - click on "Thread Tools" at top of thread - click subscribe and follow directions.

HTH

Primrose

Noticed the accumulated ice byuild up on our tall garage freezer was starting to force the door open this morning so we had to bite the bullet and defrost it, even though it was jammed full. Took 30 mins with pans of boiling water and a hairdryer so not bad, and our 35 year old "Old Faithful" was back in use, fully repacked and dropping down to its normal temperature again very quickly.

Need to look after it as modern freezers don't seem to be suitable for storing in cold garages.

We now have an up to date inventory which will make menu planning far more efficient going forward although we have too much home grown fruit & veg and not enough "batch cooked meals" to see us through if we're ever snowed in for a prolonged period. Will rectify this as soon as we're able to make some space in there.

Also threw several ancient bags of wizened fruits & veg onto the compost heap so they'll still be of use but in a slightly different form !

And in my war against one -use plastic, all the plastic bags I emptied were washed and rinsed and hung out on the line to dry for re-use!
Feeling quite smug that this is one chore I can now tick off my autumn "To Do" list.