Wednesday 27 May 2015

Ta Da...we have a sock!

It is with much excitement that I present to you....drumroll....my first finished sock!!!!


I know I know...some of you are thinking that I need to get a life. Ha ha! However there is a certain amount of satisfaction one gets from making something that is absolutely different from anything attempted before. Learning how to use double pointed needles is in itself a strange experience after never having knitted with more than two needles. The main problem with these needles is trying not to poke yourself in the eye :-) However, after a lot of encouragement and inspiration from the ladies on the Down to Earth Forums I finally finished one sock. 


As mentioned in my previous posts here and here I used the instructions from Silver's Sock Class and to finish off the sock I needed to learn how to do the Kitchener Stitch which is also called grafting and is used so that you don't leave a seam apparently. After several warnings I thought I might need a bit of help with this even though the written instructions are quite clear so I followed this YouTube video which was very easy to follow and a little while later...


...ta da! One finished sock! I was very relieved to have finished it I can tell you. It is not perfect and there are a few mistakes but we learn by making mistakes don't we? So next time I will know what to expect and will have more of an idea of how to use the double pointed needles.


Now I have a question for all of my clever readers who successfully grow strawberries. 



We have some growing in a raised garden, which is actually our watersaver garden which has sprung a leak, and I was thrilled to see some almost ripe strawberries and looked forward to picking them.


However on closer inspection the next day...


...this is what I saw!!! Something had been chewing on my strawberries. 

So I asked Mr.Google what to do and it was suggested that I put pine needles underneath the plant which I did. This was in case the pests were slugs. Another person online who had the same problem put a camera on his plants. Have a look at  Strawberry Horror to see what was eating his during the night. I think that may be my problem also.

Another strawberry grower on the Down to Earth Forum puts eggshells under her plants which I did as well. 


While taking a photo I noticed some movement and saw another pest on a plant nearby but it was chewing leaves so I didn't think it was the perpetrator. Ahem, I mean 'them' as I didn't realise there were two of them until I uploaded the photo onto the computer :-) They won't cause any more damage though. RIP!

UPDATE: I forgot to add that we do have the strawberries under netting so birds aren't the culprits either!

So I am keen to have your input as to what I need to do to finally get a nice crop of strawberries this year. Any help would be appreciated before they all get eaten! Do you successfully grow them?








26 comments:

  1. Your sock looks wonderful - love the colours! Good luck with the strawberry problem. Mine always get eaten as well. After secretly staking out the strawberry bed, I found the culprits were little sparrows, who would take one peck and move on. I have to use bird netting now!

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  2. Jayne, we do have netting over the strawberries so have ruled out birds as we have lots of them here snacking on our fruit trees :-)

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  3. You are more clever than me Nanna Chel. My knitting has gotten worse since I've been mostly crocheting for ages. I have decided I am a terrible knitter. Mum is wonderful and can do complicated patterns etc. So fill admiration on your sock!
    Something ate my spinach babies... I think possums. So battling the wildlife here too! xxx

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    1. We also have possums, Annabel. They like to dance on our roof at 2am. They seem to feast on some of our large fruit trees and leave the veggies etc. alone thankfully.

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  4. Well done Chel. There is a lot of satisfaction gained in learning a new skill. And sock making is such a practical skill. The latest thinking is that it is not just keeping our brains active but learning new things that helps to prevent dementia - at least some forms of dementia. (I don't think it would help with alcohol related dementia for example.)

    I planted two lovely strawberry plants that have been eaten down to nothing. I asked my husband yesterday if he thought there was any possibility that the strawberries would re-shoot, and he said, "No dear." Pie in the sky thinking on my part I suppose.

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    1. Yes Sherri, trying to ward off dementia is one reason I blog now that I don't have the mental stimulation I used to get in the work force. So I had better keep knitting :-)

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  5. And it fits! The second one will be a breeze. Sorry for your strawberry attack you may have to net.

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    1. Barb, I will need to update my post as I forgot to add that the strawberries are under netting...hubby's cast net. LOL!

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  6. I will be watching for the matching sock to appear once it is done. As for strawberries , I can't help you there. I am just starting my bed this year. Just hoping to eat a couple before bugs or birds do. :)

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    1. Yes Krystal, I hope you do get a lot of them this year.

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  7. Yay!!! One sock completed! Well done, it looks wonderfully cosy.
    Oh dear creepy crawlies eating strawberries ... do they not realise those tasty titbits are not for them!!

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    1. Shirley, I was so pleased to have finished that sock. I just hope I don't take so long to finish the second one.

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  8. Better luck with your berries. Such a disappointment to find them pre-chewed.

    Your sock is lovely. If I ever knit any they will be tube socks. No heels for me.

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    1. Not sure I know what tube socks are, J. They do sound interesting.

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  9. Ah, I am much impressed by the completed sock, more impressed that it fits and really gaga over the fact that it is shaped correctly as I recall those were my biggest problems last I knitted! Hooray for you. When it comes to strawberries, I have planted for the first time this year and have few ideas. My grandmother never seemed to have a problem but her garden was a showplace and I think bugs and slugs were afraid to go there! :) Good luck with the berries!

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    1. I will have to sort out the strawberry problem soon, Kathy. I noticed another strawberry had been chewed last night.

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  10. Wow, your sock is fantastic, well done! I totally understand your excitement.
    We have strawberry thieves too, a few different types, but between them, they seem to get most of the strawberries, very annoying!

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    1. Yes Kelly, I was very excited about my strawberries as I want to make some Strawberry Chai jam but I think I may have to end up buying some.

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  11. Congratulations!! Well done! Isn't that a wonderful feeling? I remember it (not that long ago), the feeling of amazement that I had made a sock! and the sense of accomplishment. A worthwhile skill, I'd say.
    Hope you get help with the strawberry dilemma.

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    1. Thanks Mary. It is rather an amazing feeling when a sock has been finished I must say.

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  12. Wow... good for you... I so wish I could get the hang of knitting.. But not to be,... xo

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    1. Well, I am not terribly experienced, Faye but I am getting there. I probably won't attempt anything harder though.

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  13. congratulation & great work on the sock! haven't made socks myself yet either, will one day
    try putting a cane or wire mesh cloche` over your strawberries, i think the roaches will probably get through bird netting
    good luck!
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Selina, I guess cockroaches would get through most coverings wouldn't they? It is disappointing to see them getting eaten I must say.

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  14. Congrats on the finished sock! It looks good on but that first photo had us in a fit of giggles down here in bed on a sat morning. Dont be cruel, i say to hubby, but he thinks you have a club foot. He obviously didnt grow up with homemade woolen socks. Its natural i say, not elastic and synthetic as he is use to. Poor man, doesnt know what hes missing.

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  15. Ha ha, Lynda. I must admit that when I looked at it on the computer I thought how odd it looked myself. However it fits well being 'natural' and all ;-) Tell hubby he needs to get a life. LOL!

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