Snow!

We got Snow, and not your typical Dunedin snow .. but real, snowed in, can't go to work, schools canceled for the whole day, no buses at all snow. Usually we get a little snow, just a light dusting once or twice a year, and all gone and melted by 10 am. Yesterday it snowed, and snowed and snowed, and then it snowed some more. It was still snowing late afternoon. So - today's post, well there are functioning mittens, a finished hat, Bayerishce turns a corner, there is a new project .. and the snow. But first the functioning mittens, these are Poppy's Maine Striped Mittens, which got absolutely coated in snow (how did that happen I wonder ... snow ball throwing .. no, never ... not my kids) and yet kept her little paws toasty warm. Knitting colour work in DK weight on 3.5mm needles works well for warm thick snow proof mittens. A quick dry on the oil radiator heater .. and they were all warm and fluffy dry again.

I finished my new hat, started for WWKIP day 2009, last Saturday, and finished Sunday night.This is it, Leaf Beret by Melissa LaBarre, published in Knit.1, Spring/Summer 2009. Its a pretty plain beret, with a tubular cast on single rib band, and then two staggered lace leaves positioned at the 'front'. I guess the wearer decides if they are at the front, as the beret has no real front or back, it could be just as jaunty at the side. Did I mentioned its hand spun, two ply, alpaca, silk, merino, my handspun -- in the prettiest grey green you ever did see?


It is a little looser than I had envisaged (even though I deliberately added stitches to compensate for a firmer gauge - maybe I shouldn't have - swatches lie sometimes) .. but its lovely. Loose enough I won't get hat hair. I blocked it over a cake stand .. as it was larger than our dinner plates.

Bayerische has turned the corner, the heel, during the week. And very very nicely, I've worked away the gusset and am mid way down the foot. Not long to go now. I do admit momentum has slowed on this knit ... there is not the mad exited knitted there was when I started ..I started on May the 12th. If I keep this as my sock knit, my solo sock knit, well it won't take long, will it? The VP sock club kits might tempt my self imposed sock monogamy a little, especially as M came to work today to speak about designing knitwear to my elective students .. and brought as props all the socks from previous sock clubs. I was reminded greatly of the unknit ones I have waiting in stash for me .. still Bayerische for now (must stay strong, must focus knit energy on one sock project at a time) and then have the fun of choosing a new sock from all those waiting.

I had to start a new public knitting project, I knew the rib on the Leaf Hat would be done to quick at WWKIP and there isn't any point starting a chart and chatting at the same time. So I cast on for Toby's gansey. This has been 'in swatch' stage for 6 months or more .. and perfect for out and about knitting. WWKIP meant some fast design decisons were made, and now I've worked the lower edge on smaller needles and doubled yarn. This was an edge style I tested on the swatch and I like it, I liked the added stiffness and thickness at the hem. I've knit his initials into the front, just above the hem. and now its plain round and round (with a seed stitch seam) until I need to add the underarm gusset, and divide for the front and back. 2.5mm needles, loosely based on Beth Brown-Reinsel's book, 4 ply from the local mill in a colour way called Marine. Gauge is 30 stitches to 10 cm ... so gansey gauge .. but not gansey yarn.

And I'll leave you with the snow ... which is all gone now, but was there and magnificent all of yesterday.

na Stella