in the works

I think I mentioned recently that I’ve been overcome with knitterly inspiration and it apparently just won’t stop!! I’ve got three new patterns being test knit at the moment, and my test-knitters are AWESOME! They’ve been so supportive and very kind whenever they come across something that needs correcting. I can’t wait to see how their socks turn out!

Two of these patterns are sort of companion pieces: the woman’s and man’s versions of a pattern I designed long ago for my dearheart. The man’s pattern is called Sloe Gin (pictures to come!) and the woman’s is Pink Gin:

I’ve been using Fleece Artist’s Somoko for the Gins, which is a merino/kid mohair/silk blend that is very slightly unevenly spun. Can I say how much I love this yarn? Sweet crikey, it’s unbelievable. It’s so soft and so smooth and it has this halo that makes you want to bury yourself in it. It’s also very faintly sheepy, which is delightful.

The third pattern is called Amphitrite’s Columns. It’s another design that I’ve had tucked away for a while. It’s far more complex than the Gins, practically bursting with cables and tricky techniques and experimental heels (or one experimental heel, in any case!).

I’ve been a bit nervous about unleashing Amphitrite. The cables are brought together from five sets of charts; the heel fits me perfectly, but who knows if I have weird heels; and the toe-up cast-on requires a certain amount of patience and dexterity. Fortunately, thus far my test-knitters have risen expertly to the challenge.

However, these aren’t the only ones!! Lou and I have a shed-load of co-designed projects up our sleevesies, Lou has about four new sock patterns that I can think of off the top of my head and I’ve got another three in various stages of completion, with more on the way. We’ve been pretty silent on the pattern front since the Year of Socks ended, but I have a sneaking suspicion next year will be packed. PACKED, I tell you!