As this will be my last post before the holiday and probably the New Year let me wish you all Seasonal joy and a Peaceful New Year.

This year Christmas is a low-key affair I am not making presents or indeed giving any (I don’t want others to spend their hard-earned money on me). I have made blankets for my grandsons because I can’t always be there to hug them but a blanket says I would if I could.

Remembering last years Christmas misery of flu when I discovered the joy of straight knitting socks and with New Year round the corner I investigated my sock knitting bag. I am wearing more handmade socks now I have some lovely new shoes to wear them with (thicker socks need wider shoes).

I probably need to complete the pair for the 3 odd socks in it. There are several idea yarns – some donated or scrounged from the lovely Mr Wrack at Triskelion Yarn .

I have just finished a couple of big projects (I will try to complete a year round-up of knitting sometime in the holidays) and have no real idea what to do. There were a couple of unfinished pairs lying around the shop too. So my mission this season is to complete as many pairs of socks as possible. Sock knitting is easily transportable and not too intrusive.  I think seven (socks not pairs) is a reasonable number to attempt and those tiny ones do up in no time.

I can recommend a piece by Kate Davies  on gauge, for a quick Christmas read.  I love it that although the yarn is the same all of the designers in her new book have different gauge ideas about the fabric they want to produce. Why everyone is so surprised that we all knit differently and our tension is variable? — we are not machines and do not have settings!!

I fully agree with her on swatching especially if you are inexperienced – knitter know thyself . I am sloppy and need to come down to 3.75mm or even 3.25mm needles for a DK yarn to be around 22st to 4″ and my tension goes haywire if I knit in the round and when I knit colour-work so for hats I plan to make several or stick to patterns or stitch numbers that work for me. Take responsibility for your work, and at least check part way.  That said, only way to really check a hat (or a sock) fits is to try it on and wear it ……

Now where is my notebook …  what did I cast on for those socks and which needles did I use? Ho Ho Ho Nadolig Llawen