My 'to knit' pile, which is my 'to-do' pile of knitting things. I realized that usually I gather up my knitting and carry it to wherever I plan to photograph it, usually the front steps, and dump it down. Then I fetch the camera and set about pulling one item at a time from the pile and arranging it as artfully as I can for a progress photo. I thought it might be fun this time to show you the pile, waiting to be photographed. This is it, this is what I have been doing, spinning, knitting, planning, and following charts.
The spinning - or rather plying, the skein is about 160g of Southern Alpaca silk blend in Black Spice, bought way back in 2008! The green is perendale combed top I dyed myself. There is a local spinner and knitter extraordinaire -J- who dyes 'outside green' for her granddaughter to enjoy. Now I was inspired by Outside Green but I have not truly captured the essential essence of Outside Green at all ... I plan to finish the plying tonight or Monday night at spin night. Then I will soak and dry both skeins. Several people have asked what the green is for .. honestly I don't know, possibly a baby blanket unless something else I want to knit really needs to be green. This is a case where my spinning and my knitting are separate hobbies, not feeding each other at all. I have no idea what sort of length of alpaca and silk I have here, as I always measure the skein length after washing and drying it, as skeins can pull up and shorted when they relax.
I spent at least two nights with the double knit mitten. This part is easy, the pattern is predictable and has several rounds with no colour work, between colour work rounds. But mostly this is easy because this is the third time I have knit this section ..... only one more time and I might have a pair!
I also spent a night or two with the heart of glass sock, making progress into the leg section of the chart. I reached the bead section of the chart while away from home, and no where near my beads, so rather than stop knitting I continued and replaced the B's on the chart with purls.
I also made progress on the knitting workshop teaching materials, look two of four are done! Part of the class is on casting on seamlessly and shaping to fit, and part is on 'design' of a more visual nature. I have no idea of what sort of things will appeal to people in the class, or what skills they will have so plan to offer a variety of options, simple stripes and a few more complex colour or textured patterns. I am also working on making each neck closure different, so far I have a button tab, a folded rolled ribbing, and I think this might be a drawstring with pompoms. Of course bits of each of these have been knit and reknit, because that is how design through making goes, and now I am looking at them I wonder if a beanie type hat that is pulled on after the hottie is fulled and sealed might be cute? These yarns are the left overs from my first and second jumbo blankets so I guess as they match they will go-with, making a very oddly proportioned set, huge blanket with matching teeny hot water bottles.
Take care - Eldest cub is making a icecream filled chocolate ring cake, and insists he can do this on his own. But he is also in here asking 'how do I' and 'where is' and 'what does it mean when the books says' questions, so I might just relocate closer to the kitchen with a cup of tea and be there for when he needs me. Youngest cub already made cupcakes, and is waiting for them to cool so she can ice them with enormous amounts of icing and sprinkles .... of course. Seems that my kids have decided to fill the kitchen with the cakes and things I don't get around to making because I am making soup, and pickling beetroot, and baking bread.
enjoy what is left of your weekend
Stella
The spinning - or rather plying, the skein is about 160g of Southern Alpaca silk blend in Black Spice, bought way back in 2008! The green is perendale combed top I dyed myself. There is a local spinner and knitter extraordinaire -J- who dyes 'outside green' for her granddaughter to enjoy. Now I was inspired by Outside Green but I have not truly captured the essential essence of Outside Green at all ... I plan to finish the plying tonight or Monday night at spin night. Then I will soak and dry both skeins. Several people have asked what the green is for .. honestly I don't know, possibly a baby blanket unless something else I want to knit really needs to be green. This is a case where my spinning and my knitting are separate hobbies, not feeding each other at all. I have no idea what sort of length of alpaca and silk I have here, as I always measure the skein length after washing and drying it, as skeins can pull up and shorted when they relax.
I spent at least two nights with the double knit mitten. This part is easy, the pattern is predictable and has several rounds with no colour work, between colour work rounds. But mostly this is easy because this is the third time I have knit this section ..... only one more time and I might have a pair!
I also spent a night or two with the heart of glass sock, making progress into the leg section of the chart. I reached the bead section of the chart while away from home, and no where near my beads, so rather than stop knitting I continued and replaced the B's on the chart with purls.
I also made progress on the knitting workshop teaching materials, look two of four are done! Part of the class is on casting on seamlessly and shaping to fit, and part is on 'design' of a more visual nature. I have no idea of what sort of things will appeal to people in the class, or what skills they will have so plan to offer a variety of options, simple stripes and a few more complex colour or textured patterns. I am also working on making each neck closure different, so far I have a button tab, a folded rolled ribbing, and I think this might be a drawstring with pompoms. Of course bits of each of these have been knit and reknit, because that is how design through making goes, and now I am looking at them I wonder if a beanie type hat that is pulled on after the hottie is fulled and sealed might be cute? These yarns are the left overs from my first and second jumbo blankets so I guess as they match they will go-with, making a very oddly proportioned set, huge blanket with matching teeny hot water bottles.
Take care - Eldest cub is making a icecream filled chocolate ring cake, and insists he can do this on his own. But he is also in here asking 'how do I' and 'where is' and 'what does it mean when the books says' questions, so I might just relocate closer to the kitchen with a cup of tea and be there for when he needs me. Youngest cub already made cupcakes, and is waiting for them to cool so she can ice them with enormous amounts of icing and sprinkles .... of course. Seems that my kids have decided to fill the kitchen with the cakes and things I don't get around to making because I am making soup, and pickling beetroot, and baking bread.
enjoy what is left of your weekend
Stella
3 comments:
"my kids have decided to fill the kitchen with the cakes and things I don't get around to making because I am making soup, and pickling beetroot, and baking bread." and Knitting and Spinning and Sewing, etc, etc,!!!
I absolutely LOVE your household!!!!
I'm not even sure that I could make an icecream-filled chocolate ring cake! Well done, eldest cub! Also, well done youngest cub! I have no patience for making, or icing, cupcakes, these days. Eating them is a different story, however!
Isn't it fun when the younger ones start taking over the kitchen? I love seeing what they want to make (and what they make of cookbook instructions!). Yours sound like they've chosen well :)
The hottie covers are very cute, and the workshop sounds wonderful - that's a great idea for a project to cover the class materials.
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