Chore (chôr, chr) n.

chore (chôr, chr) n.

1. Daily or routine domestic tasks, especially a farmer's routine morning and evening tasks, such as feeding livestock.
2. An unpleasant or burdensome task.
3. A routine or minor duty or task.
   All of this from The Free Dictionary.com
   

Yup chores, although when I googled chore thinking that I really should define the word to set the scene with a bit of precision I discovered that the definition didn't include 'things that ones parents insisted one did before one gets to have fun'. I've been doing chores. Some of them domestic, sweeping, moping, tidying, vacuuming, putting away. Some more physically demanding, digging over the spring garden ready for plants, and some knitting. Yes Knitting can be a chore sometimes. So today I'll spare you the mundrum details of the domestic chores and focus on the knitting, 2 knitting chores.



First is my Margaret Stove Baby Vest in her Artisan cobweb lace 2 ply merino, 325.0 yards (297.2m) in 20g - this stuff is fine, that would be 1400m in a 100g skein. I love the result, but I'm not sure any one who is not a knitter will truly appreciate it, and it was hard work. Not difficult, there was no frogging (thank goodness), but each and every stitch needed attention as the yarn was so fine my hands couldn't feel the tension change as my needles worked the stitch. But its done now, 18g of soft as soft can be whisper light cushy baby vest. Margaret Stove suggests 3 different ways to join the shoulder seams, grafting (I'm good but I'm not that good and I couldn't even thing of going there), three needle bind off (I suspected that might be a tight hard ridge in the cloud like knitting), and binding off and sewing. I decided to use the Russian graft(Fiona's version & mine) and it worked fantastically. Sorry forgot to photo graph that .. so you will just have to trust me that it worked well in the cobweb yarn.

The vest is 18g in total, so very very light.

I've got 6 grams left over - odd as it was a 20g ball and 18 plus 6=24. I am torn over the left overs, and think I will gift it to L - who I know plans to knit a whole wedding ring shawl in this - she bought several skeins. I do know that I am not in a hurry to knit more of this weight of yarn.

My other knitting chore is the homework/preparation for the next knitters study class. We are to work a mini hap shawl, so are to come with a garter square worked and stitches all picked up along the outside edge. I've worked mine in Anchor cotton, thinking that it might make a nice basket or bowl liner for muffins or scones. I'm unconvinced that the citrus colours will work, but blue seemed wrong with food and the only other cotton I had at hand was cream - not a good plan when most of our muffins are chocolate. Oh it would look good - but then be ruined by chocolate brown smears and stains.
Which leaves me ready for the last chore - Bears sock request. I've been looking forward to this, and now my other chores are done I can relax and cast on for a new sock. Socks - especially at the cast on end of the process don't seem like chores, even if requested by others. The sun is shining, the bears are happy, the back garden at least looks like some one cares a little bit for it - so I'm off to make a cuppa-tea and sit in the sun and knit.
may you have a chance to do the same
na Stella