That old thing

This post is all about old things, but old things that are new to me. I've started a new project using old yarn, yarn from the swap shop, so doubly old in that I swopped some of my older yarn for some of someone else's old yarn. The next old thing in this post is a small chest of drawers that I spotted along town Friday, and headed back out to check on Saturday. I was intending to blog earlier today - but the final old thing got in the way.

 Here is the new project, a top down v-necked raglan cardigan for littlest cub, in pink (surprise surprise). My personal fashion sense is more long term than fleeting. My ideal  garment is one that people comment on and ask if it is new, and that I can say 'this old thing' about, I like the idea of garments that one can wear for years and years and that still get comments. Like most parents I'm transferring my tastes onto my kids, at least until they develop wants and needs of their own, so little cub is getting a classic warm cardigan, one that could have been knitted and worn at any time in the last century.
I swatched in Raglan shape on the off chance that the swatch would be a success. The gauge was to firm, and the neckline a tad small .. but the swatch allowed me to play with a transition from stocking stitch to reverse stocking stitch ready for a simple lace pattern based on leaves. I like Barbara Walkers Embossed Leaf Pattern from page 152 of her first Treasury, so I'm using that. Having swatched far enough to learn that the swatch was to small, I put the swatch on hold, made a few calculations and started the cardigan for real.

 I always struggle with how to transition from one decorative stitch pattern to another, in this cardigan I'm using a simple row of purl banded eyelets to provide the transition. In the swatch I continued the raglan shaping in a two stitch wide stocking stitch panel but in the final cardigan I plan to work the raglan increases in that section in pattern. I also played with a knit-below increase for the embossed leaf pattern, and I like the way it matches with eyelet row, but I can't think of a matching decrease for the other end of the leaf .... so I'll go with the suggested lifted make one increase.

 This little six drawer cabinet caught my eye on Friday as we were driving on the outskirts of the CBD. There are a few new shops there stocked with antiques, and one had this in the window. Storage for hobbies is always under review in our house, and whilst plastic bins do take care of much of the spinning stash and yarn there are lots of other bits and pieces that really need something that offers more organized access than a plastic tub with a locking lid.  The chest is probably 1940's, so another old thing, has hardboard bases to the drawers, is made of heart Rimu with brass fittings, and has the ends of two of the drawer fronts chipped. I can easily have those fixed latter in the year, and the price was right.

I purchased the chest to kit out ready to hold pens ... but couldn't resist seeing how much sock yarn it would hold. Five skeins per drawer, and six drawers makes 30 skeins. Not quite as many skeins as the plan drawers that I currently use hold  so I will go ahead and have the wee chest of drawers repaired and pen trays fitted. Right now the wee chest is doing duty in the living space, Bear has removed two of the smaller bookcases for minor repair (borer has started to nibble the backing boards). With the bookcases gone the speakers have been sitting at floor level, but this chest together with a wee oak stool that is the same height are temporary speaker stands for now.

And this is the last old thing, Yo-yo, who has taken to sleeping on the computer chair. I had intended to blog earlier today but every time I went near the chair she was still sleeping. And I mean really sleeping, didn't even twitch when I twirled the chair, I didn't like to disturb her. So I baked bread and muffins, and took little cub off to her special workshop with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, and folded washing. Then finally sometime after lunch Yo-yo appeared in the kitchen, meowed that the door should be opened, and I knew the computer chair was available.

Take care
The rain is about to set in so I'm off to save the washing from the line then I might just have to knit some more. Wonder if I can complete the raglan yoke today?

na Stella