Socks

Knitting is a favourite pastime of mine. I feel lost without something on my needles. If there is nothing else, I can always knit dishcloths. Even though I am fairly proficient as a knitter, I must admit that I find socks very difficult.

When I was in Japan on the Arne and Carlos tour, we all received a little bag containing a 100g ball of Regia yarn and a pattern. Everyone had a surprise colour way; mine was “Fall” (i.e. Autumn). The yarn changes colour as you knit and has the appearance of fair-isle knitting without the hassle. On the trip, everyone was knitting on the bus, but I preferred to watch the scenery or talk to people. I knew that I would make mistakes if I tried to knit at the same time.

Back home, I’ve started on the socks:

One problem with variegated yarn is getting the second sock to match exactly with the first one. They both must start off at the same colour point, but it’s not easy to figure this out. Here is a pair I knitted some years back in a yarn called Gallipoli which celebrates the colours of the ANZAC armed forces at the battle:

Gallipoli socks

My mother knitted these socks for me

My first attempt at socks, now wearing out!

My mother was an even better knitter than me. In those days, there was no TV or YouTube to distract people! But I never saw her knitting socks. However, when I lived in Vienna and learned to ski, she produced some really thick and dense ski socks for me.  I later found out that she had made her fingers sore, knitting the yarn double.

Bushwalk plans for 2024

Yesterday we had an early morning meeting of the group to formulate plans for 2024. It was forecast to be hot (very hot at more than 41 degrees) so a breakfast picnic was quickly prepared and I was off to Nedlands foreshore, hoping for a slight breeze from the river. 

We began with some discussion about attracting new members, as we are all getting on in years. The group could do with some new blood! One idea was to prepare a short description for the free community newspapers and the “Have a Go” newspaper for seniors. The main thing to say is that we do Summer Walks, mainly on beaches starting at 7.30 am, and Winter Walks in the bush, starting at 10.00 am. These are always on a Sunday morning. The Winter Walks are supposed to alternate fortnightly between a long and a short distance. In the past, I always volunteered to be a leader, but nowadays I am too slow and my hip gives me a bit of trouble.

Some how we managed to agree on the programme which included a weekend away to Wongan Hills on 13 - 16 September. We went there 2 years ago and enjoyed it in spite of the poor weather.

By this time everyone was looking forward to breakfast. We all contributed something: mine was a big plate of rockmelon. The other M brought raspberry muffins, which were luscious so I asked her for the recipe.