Bohus, frogged and continues

Huge Thank you, Dee was nice enough to leave instructions in the comments on how to hold two yarns in two hands, four in total. Thank you Dee. I tried out Dee's 'way', as it was different to mine. I usually knit continental, with the yarn wrapped twice around my first finger, and then just woven under and over the other fingers all the way to the pinky. To carry two yarns I wrap the second yarn around the next finger, and weave under and over all the way to the end. I then slide my first finger under the yarn, so both yarns come over my first finger. When I knit I can scoop the yarn I need, and if I need to hold a long float, more than say 8 or 9 stitches, slide the knitting pin under the first yarn and scoop the second. Dee suggested one yarn would make a more prominent stitch using the hold she detailed, but I have not found that with my own hold. I guess that as both yarns are essentailly held in the same way one is not dominant?

I had a play with Dees right hand method, and I honestly can't remember how I used to do it before I knit contintal. I know I can knit fine with three yarns, but ... and this is the knit-geek in me, I feel a growing need to undertake a project with four or more per row so I can master that many. I will post some pictures of how I work in the next month or so, I have asked Bear to do that for me and he is happy to be chief photographer for when my hands need to be in the picture. If I was techie enough to work out how to do a movie I would. But for now stills are fine.

Bohus progress. Well I frogged the last few rows, all 1k stitches, and worked onward. The yarn was surprisingly easy to frog, being furry and all I had expected far more tangles and snags, but that furry-ness did hold the stitches so they didn't run. After the frogging I knit some more, so here is the updated picture. The bohus grows, and grows. And I love the colours that Anna-Lisa Mannheimer Lunn used. That woman sure had an eye for a beautiful colour combination. I'm even finding the purl stitches not a bother, or the three colours in one row.



Stash addition. I went shopping, to my LYS, or rather they called me to say the yarn I had asked about was in. Yes it is Opal, and yes Regia is softer, and there are lots of sock yarns out there that people like, but I do believe in supporting my LYS, even if they stock yarns for elephant sized needles and only carry one sort of sock yarn, and that in limited stock and colours. And even worse, don't even know about Addi turbos, let alone carry them, despite my requests. I need to be able to shop for yarn locally, so I buy stuff there, as well as on the internet.

New Project, The Opal is not for socks, but for a shrug, or more specifically the Girl friend shrug. My wee girl is going to be four at the end of May. Here she is, so cute.We plan a fairy and pirate party for her birthday. 3 girlfriends and 2 boys from her Montessori preschool, plus her big brother. Instead of party bags we have bought fairy wings for the girls, and I am making pirate patches and sashes for the boys. I'm thinking of cutting out swords from cardboard, but that might be a tad distructive. Anyway there will be treasure hunts, fairy cakes, jelly, a very Pink theme, and a new Party Dress, but it is short sleeved and so the shrug. Plus, and this is a really big plus, when she wears it to school and drops food and paint and gunk all down her front it won't end up on the knitting !!! How cool is that? Will the shrug be finished for her birthday, not sure, we'll see. Does it matter, not really. I have enough deadlines wihout making new ones to stress myself with. As for my stash, it is small, modest even, maybe not even a stash? I have the bohus, a few balls of cotton for washclothes, and the shrug. Thats it. I am saving for another Bohus, but that will be latter this year. I have just layby'd new boots, they are brown, they are leather, they are lined with deep mauve, they are tall, and cool, and they are so . . . sexy , they are expensive . . . and they will walk home in a month. Bohus or boots, how is a girl to chose?

And a blog update, I think I can blog twice a week, a short one on wednesday (except for the week that bookclub is on) and a longer post on Sunday. I work full time, and havevery foolishly enrolled in two postgrad papers HEDU 503 and HEDU 510, foolish as they are half time papers, with full time work and a very full time family, foolish also as they cost mightily, and we are not made of money - the student loan grows. These are the final two papers, and until the end of the year I expect to feel like I am always late, always have a million things to do, and always not quite on top of things. Thats why the knitting, I need my me/focus time.

Plans, I borrowed a swift from a work friend, to wind the Bohus hanks into balls, and it is so simple that I plan to make my own. I am not worried about copyright as hers was bought at a school fair for $5. Where am I when my friends have these school fair and op shop finds? I go to fairs, I rummage, I op shop, but all I find is smelly worn out white elephant stuff. Any way, her swift is very simple, and has the stamp of being hand made by a old man for his wife, it is very much not commercially made. I'm going to make my own in a few weeks and keep a photo diary and post the instructions here. I've already bought the wood . . . . . .