and then ....

because I can't think of a better name for today's post than 'and-then'. Today it is all about the knitting, Skew II starts, and as before progress is quick, the Green Sweater progresses round and round, and as before progress is quick, and then there is the new Knitters Study Group project. The class this weekend was on Thrumbs (no not thumbs - thrumbs), so I now have thrumbs, and finally a new book on ..... socks. Work is settling, as it always does after the first two hectic weeks of teaching the new academic year, so I feel like there is time to breathe and think of new things. Finally ... today, right after this post I'm sending my secret project away, I have all the things I need to do bar one done (and that is optional and I hope to do that latter this week and send it as a separate file). They haven't asked for it but I thought it might be nice to provide it - and save them time.


So Skew two (Skew II) has begun, and progress is smooth. I was tempted to reknit it as per the pattern on larger needles (thanks for the suggestion), but I think I will try working the leg without the suggested decreases and see how that works first. From a technical point of view I'd like to keep the appearance the same and switching to larger needles can be noticeable at times in stocking stitch.

Then there is the Green Sweater, round and round I go on this one, I have 6" to knit above the armhole steek before setting in a neckline steek. I'm looking forward to that as I have not quite 'got my head around' how the neckline and its facing work. I can see there will be a turn ridge and increases like on the hem ... but have not tried to think thru the mechanics of it yet. On another note I have been quietly lusting over glimpses of the design Ysolda is working on, at a risk of being a mere follower like the masses, there is no shame in that I tell myself, and yes when it comes to Ysolda there are masses of followers, I want to knit this one - its pretty. Oh how when people like Ysolda design such pretty stuff they raise the bar for all knitwear designers. I love the little details of the the leaves and the inset lace, and the raglan merged with a set in seam line is a nice treat after so many designs with raglans or round yokes. High time for a little classic shoulder structure - knit with no seams of course!

Knitters Study Group meet this week, we meet every 5 weeks through the year with one early winter knitting camp for pure indulgent knitting as well. This class was Thrumbing, the technique of knitting in little tufts of fleece to make a fluffy fleecy padded lining. We had home work to do before class, knit the rib for either a hat or mittens - you can see I failed to achieve that before class. I didn't want to waste time in class knitting 2x1 rib for three and a half inches so I provisionally cast on and started my mitten right away. I will work the rib down latter. I'm working from the Favorite Mittens (a reprint and compilation of Fox, Geese and Fences) book, the the hart shaped thrumbs, and so far so good. I think for Poppy, she has the smallest paws in the house. I am working my thrumbs 5 stitches apart - as that makes it easier to alternate the thrumb position (the pattern has the thrumb spacing at 6 stitches). For now I have set this aside - and I will return to it once Skew II is done.

Lastly there is a new book on my knitting shelf, Sock Club, a collection of edited designs drawn from sock clubs. Wonderful, made more wonderful as I had forgotten I had pre-ordered it and its arrival was a surprise. A very nice surprise. One nice feature of this book is that the author/editor has not made any assumption that socks should be toe up or top down, patterns are for both, and there is a section on how to convert from one to the other - very nice. And there was a sock club - the second installment of the Vintage Purls Summer 2010 sock club - no picture, I tidied it away. But its blue, and pretty and lace and colour ... and came with treats - both edible and playful. I might be the only one in the world who things a tape measure could be playful ... but I think not.

Its Sunday here, the weekend has been busy, trips to town for things, sorting others, regular filling the tins with baking and food for lunches during the week. We gave up buying a lot of commercially prepared foods a long time ago - mostly as the amount of fat, sugar, salt and weird other ingredients was disturbing us - and home made tasted better, but the result is that weekends are now when I make the lunchbox fodder, and the home made muesli, and all the other stuff we only buy when we really have no time. The other result is that now when we do buy muesli, pizza bases, or pastry or biscuits/cookies, or such, we find it to salty, or too sweet or too something.

take care, knit well,
na Stella