Sock Sponsor Required

I wanna be here next weekend. Not only is it a whole festival of the sock, but my latest most favourite sock knitter that I have never met, Jenny Occleshaw, is doing workshops!

Why is Jenny Occleshaw my favouritest sock knitter that I never met?

Well, in an old issue of Creative Knitting (*pht* I spit on it) I found a really cute baby sock pattern. Perfect for scraps and for tackling the all too terrifying first heel and gusset. Notice that I am anticipating scraps of sock wool before I have actually knitted my first pair, but I digress.

As luck and the great yarn goddesses would have it, Monica brought sock wool scraps to SnB last time, so it was an omen that I also received the pattern that day. Home from SnB and I cast on.

It was sometime later that I read the rest of the pattern. (Don't judge me, you've all done it). I got to the "Heel" section and was told "Work Heel and foot shaping as for pansy socks." Pansy socks, what pansy socks? Quick email to the lovely Happy Spider (donor of pattern) who looked really hard for aforesaid pansy sock but there were no bloody pansy socks to be had. She kindly found another pattern in the mag and sent me the instructions for that, but sadly, despite her wonderful recipe, my skills were wanting and my confidence shot.

I turned the heel (third time lucky), I picked up stitches correctly (first go!) and then stuffed it all up by fiddling about with what number of stitches should go on which needle. I did gusset beautifully but the result was skewiff due to stitch distribution debacle. More unravelling and chucking in corners ensued. I was late for my hat making workshop. I was not happy.

The little sock sat for nearly a week on my windowsill. It did not reproach me, but I reproached myself. This morning I reached "bugger it" point and sent an ever so slightly pathetic plaintive email to Jenny Occleshaw, designer of these and, presumably, the pansy, socks. She emailed back almost immediately saying that there had been a printing error with CK (wow, there's a surprise!) and is posting me the amended pattern.

I love Jenny Occleshaw and I want to do her workshop next weekend in Tasmania. Sponsorship opportunities now open.