Winter Haven KAL 2025 – Week 4
And just like that, it’s the end of January! Our fourth Friday blog post is here and this is the last of the posts for this year’s Winter Haven KAL (although don’t worry, there will be one more round up post next week). I hope the month has passed well for you and that you are ready for a brand new month … on Saturday!
I’ve noticed how very much lighter it has got in the mornings and how much longer the days are becoming as the month has gone on. I’ve heard the birds singing when I’ve woken up and it’s starting to feel as if we’re moving out of the depths of winter … although I’ve lived long enough to know that we haven’t at all and there’s a good chance of plenty more winter weather to come! The good news will be that we should all have at least one extra pair of woolly socks to wear … 🙂
🕯 My space
It makes me so happy to be able to sit next to our fire, listening to the hiss and crackle of the flames. I know that log burners are much better at giving out the heat, but it makes my heart happy being able to sit next to the open flames. It reminds me of being little and visiting my Grandad’s house where there was no heating except for the open fire; we would sit around it, absorbing the warmth (on our fronts – our backs were always cold! 🤣 ) and it would make me feel safe and cosy. Nothing has changed!
I think we’ll still have plenty of opportunities to light our fire over the next few weeks until spring officially arrives, and I am going to do my best to keep my Winter Haven KAL intentions of sitting and taking a few minutes for myself going for as long as I can. Looking after ourselves shouldn’t finish at the end of January! 🙂
It’s been lovely to see so many of your Haven Spaces again this week, and there are so many photos that I’ll need to keep some for next week’s round up – thank you for sharing them with us!
Source: Julia via Facebook
Julia’s Haven Space was very much needed this week when Storm Èowyn blew into town, wreaking havoc across Ireland and Scotland, and being very windy indeed in many other parts of the UK. I’ve talked in other posts about power cut kits and I have made up a box of essentials now after getting caught in a power cut in the last big named storm. This storm, though, was something else and a friend’s relatives who live in a remote part of Ireland are still without power a week later. I don’t think we can ignore the change in weather and I’d encourage you to consider your own power cut kit if you don’t already have one. My husband and I have even been talking about portable generators so if you’ve got any experience of those then please do leave me a comment! Julia, fortunately, had a stove and plenty of candles and was able to get on with her knitting, although she said that as the night grew darker and colder, the novelty of it all started to wear off. I can well imagine! I’m glad she was safe and I hope that if you were in one of the areas worst hit then you were too xx
Elsewhere …
Source: top: @sarahs_sockknitting via Instagram, Liz via email; bottom: Lee via Facebook
Sarah has got just the right spot next to her log burner! She’s been knitting the Boxy Rib Socks and there’s a photo of how she’s got on in the next section! I’ve been admiring Liz’s beautiful blanket and she said she knitted that herself – I’m always so impressed with people who can knit huge blankets like that, I don’t think I have the patience! Lee is across the world in Canada where they know what winters are really like (none of this flurry of snowflakes malarkey that we often get! 🙂 ) – and as well as finishing her socks, she’s also been in contact with the author of the book she’s reading through the Winter Haven KAL. Isn’t that fabulous? See, I told you that yarn connects us all! 🙂
Source: top: Vanessa via Facebook, @janeainscough via Instagram; bottom: Sue via Facebook
There’s a theme to these three photos in that they all feature winter sunshine! It’s lovely to have Haven Space where you can feel the warmth of sun as well as the heating! Vanessa has the best of both worlds there with a radiator as well as the sunshine (and I love her painting on the wall!). Jane has two pairs of socks on the go – a Trailblazer pair and a pair of Basic 8ply (DK) Boot Socks which she says knitted up in no time. I’d agree with that – they are very quick to knit! Sue’s chunky yarn is a for a pair of Split Mittens – I’ve seen a few pairs of these on the go and there’s no better time of the year to be knitting them! 🙂
Source: top: Heather via email; Lorraine via Facebook
Heather is getting on very well with her Spring Green socks – and I’m glad to see that her Super Socks book is getting plenty of use! I can imagine that it’s wonderful sitting in her chair next to those hyacinths, they must smell fabulous! Lorraine’s project bag is fabulous – she posted her photo in the Winwick Mum Knit n Natter Facebook group and as you can imagine, it got a lot of admiration!
Source: top: Sarah via Facebook; Stella via Facebook
Sarah is doing what all good sock knitters do and has a couple of pairs on the go 🤣 I am never going to be one of those people who can only start something new when I’ve finished the project I’m working on (although look at my bags of WIPs, perhaps I should be!). Her magazine is the January issue of “The Simple Things” and the cover caught a lot of people’s eyes over on Facebook! In case you’re interested, it’s issue 151 and it’s sold out on the magazine website, but they say you might still be able to buy a copy in yarn shops or newsagents. Stella is making a pair of Trailblazer Socks – and is much better than me at remembering to keep hydrated! 🙂 You can see her sock progress later!
Source: top: Sue via Facebook; Tina via Facebook
Sue has chosen Wildflower yarn for her Trailblazer Socks – I do love that yarn! I think her notebook looks very glamorous as well, just right for writing about her wonderful moments! Tina is completely immersed in yarn in her Haven Space – I think we’d all like to be wrapped up in rainbow blankets surrounded by craft books!
🕯 Project
I haven’t finished the Film Reel Socks that were originally Christmas gifts so now they are very late, but I have made some progress and I’ll be making a concerted effort to get them done before too long. What I have done, though is finished my own pair of Basic 8ply (DK) Boot Socks with the new West Yorkshire Spinners Wool Revival yarn and here they are!
I added in my own colourwork band, just alternate stitches in two colours, and then used a second colour for the heel and toes. If you’ve used my DK Boot Socks pattern before, you might notice that the toes are slightly different on this pair; in my pattern they are more boxy as the toe decreases are shorter. I like this longer version and I’m going to add it to the pattern as an update – it won’t be this week but I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve done it!
Don’t worry if you’re in the same situation as me with the Film Reel Socks – there is no deadline for finishing anything at the end of this KAL and I think we’re going to be glad of our projects, both new and ongoing, and our cosy spaces for a while longer yet.
Here’s how you’ve been getting on with your projects this week …
First up, the Trailblazer Socks. Oh, so many of them and they all look fabulous!
Source: top: Betty via Facebook, Gill via Facebook; bottom: Caz via Facebook, Gill via Facebook
Spring Green seems to have been a very popular choice this week for Trailblazer Socks! Betty has finished her pair, as has Gill – and Gill has started a pair of Sanctuary Socks in Hidden Gem too! Caz has finished her pair, knitted for her son who is her biggest fan and loves his Mum-knitted socks (isn’t it lovely to knit for people who appreciate your efforts?). Gill has chosen Brightside for her Trailblazer Socks – I love those bright colours. I made a Sockhead Slouch Hat in Brightside for the Winter Haven KAL in 2020 and I’ve had it on this week whilst I’ve been out with the dog. I’ve worn the same hat for years, but since I’ve grown my hair longer it doesn’t fit as well so having a slouchy beanie to tuck it all into has been great! 🙂
Source: top: Christine via Facebook, Sue via Facebook; bottom: Kristi via Facebook, Sue via Facebook
Ah, Wildflower Trailblazers! I love this yarn so much! Christine has finished her pair and is already wearing them. Sue’s first sock is done … Kristi is working hers in Summer Sunset yarn which also looks stunning, and Sue is working on her second sock. I’ve been taking a note of the books that you’re all reading too, so our list is a bit longer this week – that’s further down the post.
Source: Amanda via Facebook
Back in Week 2, I shared a photo of Amanda about to start her Trailblazer Socks in her own hand-dyed yarn. Here are the socks in progress – and finished! Amanda’s been on a roll as she has completed to other pairs as well. Phew!
Source: Stella via Facebook
This is what keeping well-hydrated does for you! 🙂 We saw Stella’s knitting space earlier, and now she’s finished her socks!
Source: Marysia via Facebook, Hilary via Facebook
Marysia has chosen a darker colour but the pattern is looking lovely. They’ll be very classy socks! Hilary’s yarn is fun, isn’t it? I like the way the stripes go from big to small in both the colour and the contrast. What fab socks!
That’s it for Trailblazer Socks for today, but do let me see you photos if you’d like them included in next week’s round up post. I’m doing my best to share them all (my apologies if I’ve missed yours) so that you can see what the pattern looks like in lots of different yarns.
This week’s other projects have included Basic 4ply Socks … oh, it’s always so good to see these on the needles as it means that either someone is learning to knit socks or someone is knitting a pattern they feel comfortable with (always a privilege to think it’s mine!). Here’s this week’s selection …
Source: top: @crochetforcalm79 via Instagram, Alaina via Facebook; bottom: Christine via Facebook, Helen via Facebook
Katherine is knitting WYS Holly Berry socks and has finished them now. Alaina has also finished her Candy Cane socks that we’ve been watching over the weeks. Christine chose to use Wildflower yarn with Candy Floss contrast as helical socks, and Jane has used three contrasts for her husband’s birthday socks. You can’t get a better present than bespoke socks!
Source: top: Irune via email; bottom: Janet via Facebook, Patricia via Facebook
Irune has started and now finished her socks (it’s lovely to see so many pairs finished during the KAL weeks!). Janet has finished hers too, and Patricia was knitting DK socks so there’s a good chance that she’s finished as well!
Source: top: Julie via Facebook, Kerry via Facebook; bottom: Margaret via Facebook, Vanessa via Facebook
Julie was knitting her socks two at a time on two needles. It’s a good idea as you can keep track of the rounds and the colour changes – and you’ve got two socks finished without the risk of Second Sock Syndrome! Margaret had cast on at the beginning of the KAL and I expect she’s a bit further on now, and Vanessa has finished her socks in that lovely pink yarn.
And finally, a selection of other sock patterns and projects that are on the needles …
Source: Michelle via Facebook, Helena via Facebook, Sarah via via Facebook
Boxy Rib Socks! Michelle has chosen Winter Icicle for her pair; I’m not sure of the colourways for Helena and Sarah’s socks but they look great!
Source: top: Jacquie via Facebook, Bev via Facebook; bottom: Joanne via Facebook, Ellie via Facebook
I’ve seen lots of pairs of Easy Cable Socks – they’re a good choice to start with if you’re new to cables, and quick to knit too. Jacquie’s pair are finished, Bev is also knitting two at a time, Joanne and Ellie are both doing well with theirs!
Source: top: Anne via Facebook, Kim via email; bottom: Chris via Facebook, Tanya via Facebook
The Easy Lace Socks pattern has been a popular choice too. That’s another good one for starting out with lace, and also for starting with reading charts if you’ve always gone for written instructions. Anne’s pair are in a lovely shade of blue. Kim and Chris have both chosen variegated yarn which works beautifully, and Tanya has chosen a lovely shade of pink with a deeper pink stripe running through it.
Source: top: Linda via Facebook, Ren via Facebook; bottom: Mandy via Facebook, Tanya via Facebook
We’ve got a selection of patterns here! Simple Rib Socks in Hidden Gem was Linda’s choice. Ren is working on the Easy Mosaic Socks pattern, Mandy has chosen Blitzen (previously called Christmas Robin) which was a free WYS Christmas pattern and Tanya is about to start a pair of Treasure Socks, last year’s Winter Haven KAL pattern.
Source: Miranda via Facebook, Gill via Facebook
Miranda has started a pair of Adeline Socks – this was a pattern that I designed for my local yarn shop, Black Sheep Wools, and you can find the pattern on their website. Gill is knitting a fabulous bright pair of Roar socks – this is from the WYS Happy Feet book but also available as a single pattern PDF.
Source: @shelley.string via Instagram
Shelley has been getting on very well with her Thoughtful Cowl – the yarn she’s chosen looks very similar to the yarn I knitted mine in, and it’s lovely!
Source: Sue via Facebook
Finally for today, here’s Sue’s pair of Split Mittens. They’re just the thing for out and about, especially if you’re walking a dog or have a small person in a pram or pushchair and you know you’ll need to get your hands out for something. The flap across the palm means you leave your mittens on whilst you free your hand through the flap, and then you don’t have to worry about dropping them or them getting cold whilst you’re doing whatever you need to do. This is one of my favourite patterns to have written!
Phew, that’s a LOT of socks and other things on the go – thank you so much for showing me your photos!
🕯 Something green
New flowers for this week – and I’ve noticed more and more bulbs popping up in the garden too! The snowdrops are showing their heads, the pink Viburnum is bursting with winter flowers and although the trees are still bare, there’s a lot of greenery in border that didn’t die down over the winter. There’s plenty of green when you look for it, and I like that. Winter is not so bleak after all!
🕯 Light it up!
I’ve been enjoying using my wax melt burner this week. We’ve got a few of them around the house and I’ve had different smells in all of them – I’ve enjoyed the change of scent from room to room!
The end of the KAL won’t see the end of my use of my burner. Since becoming a convert to them quite a few years ago, I have them lit most days and it’s lovely – I can highly recommend having them in your house!
🕯 Listen up!
This week, I have been rootling through our collection of CDs rather than streaming music. It’s been fun – I’ve played 80s favourites like Spandau Ballet, general favourites like Everything But the Girl, classical music by the guitarist John Williams and just generally enjoyed myself blowing the dust off the cases and the physical act of putting the CD into the machine. It’s very easy to find music online through streaming services and there have been some bands that I could never find the albums for when I was younger that are now available at my fingertips, but there’s something nice about looking through your own private collection and remembering why you bought that music.
🕯 Self-care
My self-care this week has been to make sure that I get out of the house even though I’ve been busy and it’s been tempting not to bother. The dog still needs to go out every day, but he doesn’t need the same kind of walking that he used to and it’s more likely that we’ll walk locally where he can smell all the smells rather than tramping for miles across the fields now. I am a bit sad that this has changed – I always said I’d know that when he started to behave he would be getting older, and now that’s where we are. The fresh air is still important though – I wrote this month’s Monthly Musing on it and the link for that is here:
Monthly Musing – January 2025 – Fresh air
I’ve also got some more of your book recommendations to add to the list – thank you for telling me about them! Here’s the list from last week with the new ones added in so that you don’t have to jump from one to the other to find them all.
My books are:
Sleep, Drink, Breathe by Michael Breus, The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest, Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan and the Oor Wullie annual (all Amazon links)
Your books:
The End of the World is a Cul-de-Sac by Louise Kennedy
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Brady
Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart
The Celtic Alternative by Shirley Toulson
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
Murder at the Knitting Retreat by Glenda Barnett
The Bridleway by Tiffany Francis-Baker
Uproar by Alice Loxton
Unruly by David Mitchell
Hungry by Grace Dent
It’s good to have a book on the go, isn’t it, and this selection covers a wide selection of genres! We’ve got both fiction and non-fiction, and now that you have the list you can explore it when you have the time and see if anything takes your fancy.
🕯 Thank you
Thank YOU for still being here with me at the end of the month!
It’s been so lovely to be able to chat with you either through email or social media during the knit-along, and I have really felt the connection that we all have this year. I’ve loved seeing all the pair of Trailblazer Socks and other patterns too – some that I had forgotten about! – and I hope you have enjoyed knitting them. Most of all, I have been overjoyed to see brand new sock knitters taking part in the KAL, starting and finishing what will hopefully be the first of many pairs of socks.
Thank you too, to everyone who has bought me a brew (the donation button is in the left hand side bar in case you wondered how they did it 😉 ), bought a copy of my books or a new pattern; your support means a great deal!
Writing down what I have been grateful for every day has been a useful way back into gratitude journaling and I am going to do my best to keep it up for longer this year. I am very good at remembering to be thankful for things as I am lying in bed at night waiting to go to sleep, but not always so good at writing it down, and apparently it’s the writing down that creates the gratitude magic. It’s on my list of intentions for the year!
I’m going to write a round-up post again as I have done for the last couple of years and I’ll post that next week. I’d love you to be part of the post with me, so if there’s anything you’d like to show – finished projects, part-finished projects – or you’d like to share, please get in touch so that I can include you!
Don’t forget that the social media hashtag is #WinterHavenKAL, so you’ll still be able to see posts on Instagram and Facebook if you’re a social media user, and you can get hold of me through email as well.
I hope you have a wonderful week in your Winter Haven – see you next Friday for the round up! xx
