Not first ...

... so not first this time, for a while I thought that I could be the first to finish the Vintage Purls sock club sock, after all I had sock one done, and was well into sock 2 ... but then Monday I was out at spinning, and Tuesday I had a local Spinners and Weavers committee meeting. Then there is work, I'm back at work every day now. And yes I could have knit lace in the committee meeting, and frogged it when I was home because lace and meetings or any social event is not a good mix for me. I could have stayed up way past my bedtime and knit to the wee small hours ... but its a sock. Reason prevailed, and I realised that it is a sock, a very nice sock, an excellent sock, a pretty sock, but still just a sock. My life is not ruled by sock completions ... no it is not. So I knit a little more on the Second Blue Sky Baby sock, but I worked also on my Owl sleeves, two at once even. And I found some really cute and colourful fabric to make bags. You see I might just be selling these in the near future, which is quite cool, of course that is if people want them enough to spend money on them.


Since I wasn't staying up all hours and knitting at every opportunity to finish Blue Sky Baby number two .. I did pick up the ribbed and cabled cuffs of my Owl cardigan and start knitting the sleeves. I tried two at once on one long circ ... but I found that tangley (is that even a word?), so I've switched to knitting two at once on two circs. I like the idea of knitting two things that must match this way, but I'm not convinced I like the actual process. It is muddley, it is slower, and there are always points where the yarn becomes twisted, and the needles catch under or between the two sleeves, or one flips over so the cables of the needles between the two are twisted. But ... the more that is knit, the less it tangles, and the less I have to knit, and sleeves are sleeves ... they need to be the same. I assume my arms are the same lenght, I've never checked and now I'm not sure I want to because ... you know ... what if they are not?
I've picked up a little odd trim to use instead of buttons or a zip - more about that next time, I'm hoping for a street wear effect, and still dithering over buttons. I've been forwarded eye buttons from California (thanks S) and am awaiting some black 6mm ones from a local Trademe trader ... I need both in situ to decide.



And this is where I left off Blue Sky Baby, the progress end, I'm one or two lace repeats of 7 into the little short leg. Then there is just the picot hem and the facing .. to go ....



and another view the other way round. I might not be racing to be the first to complete any more, but I still like the sock and the yarn a lot.



Over the last two weeks or so I've picked up a few fat quarters* of quilt fabric, and fell in love with a few prints that were not in fat quarters so bought half a meter or a full meter of them. I notice I'm attracted to the more graphic and slightly abstract prints. I love crispness in a print ..... and order, and stylism, and a certain boldness.



Here are some of the prototype of the project bags .. I use them to store all that I need for one project, so I can easily grab that project to work on or to take out. The bags have a flat base, and sit open so you just pull out the project and knit, leaving the yarn to feed out of the bag. R - said they were perfect puppy bags .. protecting her ball of yarn from little puppy attacks. M - hung hers from her wrist as she walked around a seminar and knit as she wandered ... I liked that useage.


Each small project bag is just big enough for a center pull ball of yarn, and a sock. The first sock can be folded under the ball of yarn when done ... and the needles tuck away inside. My knitting basket is now full of several of these, each keeping a project intact and safe and not tangled with other projects ... and its slightly surprising how many wips I have in that basket. No I'm not telling, but they are tidier in little pretty bags. I'm working on a lace project bag, and I know just the kind of fabric to line it with, one that can handle pointy needles and I've got an idea to keep the tangles to a minimum.


Now comes a time when I ask a big favour, I'm building a list of knitwear designers, ones that inspire and innovate and challenge thinking about this knitting activity. This list is part preparation for the hand knit elective I'm scheduled to take latter this semester. My own list is forming, but in a few posts I'd like to share it and see who else needs to be on it. Because I'm a teacher, I know I'll get better responses if I give you all a little thinking space ... so for now can you please think about the knitting designers whose work stops you in your tracks, whose work makes you wonder how and sometimes why they did it that way ... and who you follow?

ok - off to do dishes and sit with Toby for Ice Road Truckers ... a 9 year old boys idea of a really really cool tv program.
na stella

*Fat Quarters is a quilting term meaning a meter of fabric that is cut into quarters, and the almost square quarters sold off as a peice. Is a neat way to buy enough fabric to incorporate into a quilt without the hassel of buying 0.25 of a meter strip - it lets you cut larger quilt blocks than buying 0.25 if a meter would.