Something new, something borrowed, something old and something blue (kind of)

There is a wedding coming up around here, well not around here, but for some one who has been part of around here. The wedding comes alongside moving to another country for two years ...and has involved significant destashing. Right now there are mixed feelings, happiness for A who is heading off into a new life, new opportunity and new knitting groups alongside some sadness that A will not be here as part of our group, alongside a kind of secret excitement at having been gifted and loaned some of her stash. With all that going on the whole wedding vibe of something new, something old, and something borrowed just seems right, I also have the blue ... in what I am spinning,

New

First up, the new, my Piecework arrived this week along with ideas about new things to knit. Usually I just admire the contents and wait until I feel the need to knit them, this time the wash cloth called my name. Recreated by Sarah Lamb after she found one her Great Aunt Gladys had made. This cloth is intended to be knit in a finer thread, the pattern calls for cotton, in size 10 crotchet cotton but I'm using linen thread of a simillar size. I like that this is knit with short rows, in garter stitch with a lace edge, and that it is finer, so will not sit wet in our non-tropical climate.

Technically this is the borrowed, or it could be the blue. A de-stashed two of her loved cookbooks, Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day, and Local Breads by Daniel Leader. I've not. Yet delved into Mr Leaders book, but am loving the Artisan one, which is blue, this bread is from bake number 6, from batch two - but I am following their suggestion to reuse the fridge container without washing so the bread developes a sourdough flavor. I think this batch was too dry, as evidenced by the smallish holes, so the next one is already mixed, and wetter. A also loaned me her Wendy wheel ... which is an adorable wheel that deserves a post all of its own.

Here is the something old, and the something blue, my mended felted slippers with innersole. As mentioned In the last post, the inspiration came from Icelandic Knitting using Rose Patterns by Hélène Magnússon. In that book the patterns found in a traditional knitted garment, the shoe rag, or innersole are used to inspire other garments. The idea of garter stitch innersoles appealed, so I knit some, based on photos in the book, as there is no pattern. The pattern is a generic one, brief and open to development and interpretation, and at this stage fairly basic, unlike the originals which are intarsia and full of geometric pattern wizardry.[Note: I've since found a pattern that Hélène Magnússon has published on knitted shoe inserts, in Piecework (I subscribe and should have known, duh! ) - here.
Needles, I used the size I usually use for socks, 2.25mm, and suggest you do the same - choose the size you like to use for socks.
Yarn, I used scraps of my favorite sock yarn, Vintage Purls, because I liked the idea of sock yarn with its durable nylon component adding durability, but any yarn you have at hand would work as long as it workd with the needles you choose.
Pattern notes :

• I always slip the first stitch purlwise with the yarn in front, so the selvedge edge forms a neat chain, not essential - but does make for a nice edge finish.
• I used an increase that takes one stitch and makes it two, a variation of the knit front and back increase, for simplicity I am calling it kf&b.
• Cast on, I like to use the crochet cast on, shown here or blogged there, but any cast on will do.
• Cast off, I used a simple chain cast off, knit two stitches, pass first knit stitch over second knit stich, *knit 1, pass earliest knit stitch over latest knit stitch*, repeat between * until only one stitch remains! break thread and pull through last loop to secure.
• Yarn ends, I didn't bother weaving these in, you can tuck them under the innersole or use them to stitch the sole in place.
• I tried just putting the innersoles in my slippers, but they moved and wrinkled, and that annoyed me, YMMV, if the yarn was sticky or the garter thicker maybe they wouldn't need stitching in place.

Pattern, cast on 6 stitches ( or a number simillar to half what you usually cast on for a sock toe) knit one row

1. Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit f&b, knit to last 3 stitches, kf&b, knit 2
2. Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit to last stitch,

Repeat these two rows until you have 30 stitches, measure how long this increase section is, measure how long your foot (or slipper is) and subtract the length of the increase section from the foot length, the 30 stitches worked for me, being able to stretch to fit the ball of my foot. Find the number that suits your project.
Continue knitting row two until the shoe-rag or innersole measures the 'length of the foot minus the length of the increase section', then start to decrease.
Decrease section

1. Slip 1 stitch purlwise, k1, ssk, knit to last four stitches, k2tog, knit two.
2. Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit to last stitch.

Repeat these two rows until you have 6 stitches, or the number you cast on, cast off, knit a second if needed. Slip stitch in place inside slipper, I flipped the slipper inside out and pinned and stretched the shoe-rag then I stitched, knowing that once the slipper was right side out and worn the innersole would stretch and flatten.
Enjoy - and note this pattern is free, share it, gift it, and use it, feel free to improve it, the pattern is untested by anyone other than I and I'm happy to improve it or fix erata if any one has corrections.
Many thanks - Hope your week runs well, na Stella

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