Sun smart cat

Today I discovered Yo-yo the cat, has some sun smarts, well she knows how to position herself in the sun and shade to maximize both heating and cooling effects. Look at this - expertly positioned with the heat absorbing back bits in the shade and the heat reflecting white bits in the sun. Of course this might not be a true sign of feline cleverness ... but I'm impressed.

Today I've also got some finished socks, Mini Froot Loops, finished, ends woven in, blocked and ready to go come cooler days, and yes I do have a drawer of sock yarn .... evidence supplied.


Poppy's mini Froot Loops, Started Jan 1st 2009, finished Jan 12th 2009. Yarn 100% merino, hand dyed Sunshine Yarns Soft Sock Yarn in the colour Sweet Rose. Knit on 2.25mm needles, and resized for 6 year old girl. I worked these toe up and centered the motif on the instep .. cause you all know I can't follow instructions, I have to change things. Sewn bind off at the top, a widdershins style gusset and heel flap, I do like her short row and increase heel cub. I'm told the gusset is 'generous', but its my usual increase by one quarter of the stitches, rather than a fixed distance gusset maths.



Then because the yarn was pure merino, I reinforced the toes and heels as I knit them by carrying along with the yarn a strand of white Wooly Nylon, usually used in overlocking. Then I turned the socks inside out and further ran in a extra yarn along the back of the heels. This is an idea that I've seen in a few places on vintage sock knitting techniques, including Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. You can just see on the heel how there are yarn threads that weave backwards and forwards across the heel flap ribs ... the idea is that it might extend the wear life of the sock by providing a layer that needs to wear out first. We will see, I'm not sure if the wear occurs most on the inside of the sock, in which case this will work, or from rubbing on shoes so the outside of the sock, in which case this won't do much.

The drawer of sock yarn, guilty as charged, following an anonymous comment or rather question 'did I really have a whole drawer of sock yarn?' - I have to answer why yes I do, and I suspect that this is less than many other knitters have. Technically I could knit 16 pairs of socks from this drawer (and possibly another 3-6 from some merino possum nylon sock weight I have on cones in another stashing place - but lets not go there now). Knitting and spinning with some one who hand dyes sock yarn and brings skeins along for feedback occassionally does not help, and so .....
I've signed up for this, her sock club so my drawer might be overflowing in a month or two as I add some yummy hand dyed skeins of sock yarn. But there is also yarn from the LYS, and some that was gifted in yarn exchanges or swops, and as gifts from fellow knitters and some that spoke to me while travelling ... When you knit socks, sock yarn just happens.

I'm still on leave, today Wednesday spinning was at my house, which was great, J brought her grandaugter K, and the kids just seemed to melt into the background and play nicely together for 5 hours. The three of them ranged in age from 3 to 9 so that was magic to see. There were only 3 of us spinning, but as the cat shows, it was warm and sunny, a nice day.

take care - na Stella