Playing with fibre ...

Its the weekend, well the end of the weekend and I've been playing with fibre, knitting and knitting and preparing for spinning. Today there is no baking - but there is a finished object all ready and waiting for baking, Bears new sock grows, and I've had my hackle out (why do I really feel that a hackle should be up not out?). Work looms - this week is one of those weeks, in that this is the week of the student shows and exhibitions - so there will be nights out and not a lot of knitting - but I know that and it is great to see the students come into their own and show their stuff publicly.


The knitters study group second to last workshop was yesterday, and I took my homework my 31 stitch by 31 ridge garter square all ready to work the hap shawl edging. Turns out its was just 3 rounds of pattern, feather and fan or old shale depending on your naming preferences, and 3 rows of garter between each pattern round. Which means that the edging worked up quickly, so quickly that I had it worked and nearly cast off by the time class was done, I finished the last few stitches to cast off at home .. so ta-da basket liner! In an ideal world there would be fresh muffins or bread baps in there .. but sadly not this weekend .. there are bhaji,and there were Sunday Pancakes, cookies, and other things cooked but nothing resembling buns, baps or muffins.

Bears sock grows, past the heel now and up the leg. Every time I convert a sock from top down to toe up I do the math ... that is work out for the number of stitches a good number to work the heel cup over, and the number of gusset stitches to increase by, and when to do that relative to the toe, and all that. These numbers have been fine tuned over the past 2 years as I have knit several socks for Bear and each time he has let me know if they were a tad tight over the instep or a tad long or short. This time I've made him a sock sole template, a tracing of his foot with all the critical distances marked, and the current favorite workings for the heel and gusset. The idea is that I can just pull this out and knit him a sock any time in this gauge, instead of going back thru my knitting workbooks looking up the numbers used in the last sock.

And today I've been working my way thru hackling 800g of Polwarth Gotland blended fiber, its a dark grey and soft and bouncy (that would be the Polwarth). 100g went of to A in a swap for a pattern, and the remaining 700g is coming along nicely. I've no real plans for this but its easier to hackle it before I store it away ... I'm still spinning the fractualed laceweight merino and the 4-ply polworth .. both will be a while longer on the wheel - especially if I'm not here much of the week.

I'm also thinking of a cardigan to cast on - but not sure if it should be a light weight summer one or a winter one in preparation for next winter. The lightweight one would be nice to have but the pressure would be on to knit it, whilst the winter on would be a slow project with a deadline so far awy the knit could be set aside as other things take my fancy.

take care - and I might even see you at the show or one of the exhbitions ? If not the students work will be on line after the weekend - or at least the highlights :-)
Stella