Ep 6 sock challenges, a finished object (!) trying new yarn & Summer tee plans 

Having a close knit store to help is major - on your own, you are doing great -

Hi, Renee. Your needles must be flying! Congratulations on the finished scarf! It’s really lovely. I’ve made tons of Crazy Sock Lady plain vanilla socks. It’s a great pattern! You can knit the cuff as long or as short as you want. Just be sure you have enough length to hug your leg. I’ve done 15 round cuffs and inch long cuffs, too. You can also do a shorter leg and cuff length on this first pair of socks to work out the learning kinks and go on to knit a longer pair, if you decide you like knitting socks. I really prefer the chai goo needles to the addi. Addi has a plastic cord that can kink (they may have added a cord like chai goo’s since I last bought needles, though). As for sock yarn, Paton’s Kroy has some nice sock yarn. It is still a bit coarse but not so much as Regina. A brand I really enjoy is West Yorkshire Spinners. They’re softer than both of the others. And of course, there is KnitPicks, as well as tons of independent dyers out there. But that’s a really dangerous rabbit hole!!! Good luck on the socks! I’m looking forward to your next update!

I like the Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow - she's got some great patterns. If you look at the projects for that pattern, you'll see a whole lot of inspiration for variations too. As far as the line where bringing in a new yarn, although it's not completely clear, I wonder if you're seeing a difference at that point because you went from in the round knitting to flat knitting, for some folks their purls can be a little looser than their knit stitches I expect it may block out. Your decreases will get better with practice. And madelinetosh yarn - I love the Tosh Merino Light for shawls, it's scrumptious. Have many in my project page made from that yarn.

Hello again! As to soft and nice to knit sock yarn, I’ve had good experiences with Cascade Heritage sock yarn on line. Good value and great yarn!

A better option, if you don't have wool soak, is hair conditioner. Use a conditioner that is either clear or white. I works great on natural fibers. I have only used wool soak in the last 5 years, and I have been knitting for 40 years. 😊

Well Renée you have inspired me!! I picked up my knitting project for the first time in ages and spent a lovely time knitting and listening to my audiobook 😊 I have just gone back to Ravelry and friended you. I've never done blocking 🤦🏼‍♀️ I feel like I should now!! Sounds like it makes a big difference. I have a really great knitting book. I think this is also really helpful as well as videos. I also make little notes on my pattern eg M1L & M1R on my current pattern to remind me whether I knit into the front or back of a stitch. I feel for you with the socks!! Just went down a pattern rabbit hole - mustn't get carried away!! So lovely to have this content to watch, thank you 😊 PS can you crochet? I'd love to learn!