The Take-2 post

Another quick post, seems I have run out of hours again this weekend. I've just returned from a a bit of a rush around town for things. Standard stuff like a new floor mop and handle, guiding the cubs towards something that Bear would actually like for his birthday, and that they can afford. Doing the same for me, except I have a slightly higher budget and have known him a little longer. Finishing by attending a fantastic talk by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins titled Inside the Victorian Gentleman's Wardrobe. All in all a fast and fun day, but leaving little time to sit and blog. Expecially when I have a new book on the New Zealand penchant for the colour black to read.

So -- quickly, there is yarn, or part yarn, I've been spinning a little more and now have two different yarns on two different bobbins to ply. There is also knitting progress, on the Sanquhar glove, which was frogged some weeks ago and sent to the back of the knit basket to languish while I worked on more fun things. So this is the take-2 post, my second go at woolen spinning, my second go at the Sanquhar mitts.

 This is yarn spun Woolen style, as opposed to worsted style. I was quite taken by the Faux Rolags that were presented in a recent spin off so used that technique to prepare this multi-coloured fibre for spinning. Then finding I had rolags I thought it best to maybe spin them Woolen, so I dug out my Abby Franquemont video and tried to do as Abby does, spin all relaxed and easy but for now there is a whole lot of trust in the process. I am trusting that Abby is right when she says that worsted yarn is made in the singles. That the character of the singles set the character of worsted yarn, but that woolen yarn's character comes from the plying. I hope so - because this is thick and thin and variable and I'm trusting plying will even it out. The variation aside I did relax into the spinning and loved the difference way in which woolen spinning is done, more relaxing - more flow, less micromanaging. I can see that I will be looking out for more yarn to turn into mini faux rolags so I can practice woolen  little more. I'm almost sad that I have a basket of pale blue diz'd roving ready and waiting for the wheel.

Saturday was KSG - Knitters Study Group, part two of the Sanquhar mitts. Mine had been banished to the frog pond and abandoned since soon after the last meeting. Friday I dug mine out and worked the gusset increases for the thumb, on Saturday I finished the gusset and once home worked the first wee section of the hand. This time my gauge is perfect, 26 stitches in 2" !

Looks good and fits well.
Must go .. I hear a pot lid trembling, the vegy soup must need attention.

na Stella

Look - Cardigan!

Yes the cardigan is all done, eight days from go to whoa! Eight days! I'm starting to see the attraction of thicker yarns. The cardigan was finished on the trip up through Central Otago, and it seemed a good time to make some photos so here it is unblocked.

 I had finished one sleeve whilst the cub was asleep, when she woke she decided it was a tad short. I worked the second sleeve on the trip and had the cub with me so had her try it on. Little darling that she is ... insisted that it wasn't long enough and would I add more. So I did ... now the sleeves are generously long, so long that they can be folded up as cuffs. The hem of the cardigan comes to a few inches past the waist of the dress, so there is a little growth allowance in there.

 Buttons are always tricky, Bear and I visited the local designer charity shop (Shop on Caroll) where someone takes the time to sort vintage buttons and attached them in sets to brown paper cards. There were some that exactly matched the faded mauve of the cardigan - but these seemed a more sophisticated match. Is it me or are vintage buttons generally thicker and smoother and nicer than modern ones?

And the back, the leaf lace motif does seem to create a puffed sleeve effect, slightly unexpected but nice all the same. If I was to knit this again (and I might just do that in another colour), I would try and space the lace leaves around the yoke a little more evenly and hide the raglan increases between them. I also wonder about working eyelets at the top or bottom of the ribbing ... and then I tell myself that sometimes less is more.

And this is the front, personally I like it with the topmost button undone, but little cub is a sticker for doing up all the buttons all the way. The location is the Shaky bridge in Alexandra, built in the 1870's over the Manuherikia River, which really does shake as you walk on it. In the background you can spot the bright orange vest and workboots of the local inspector who was performing a 'walk-over' when we were there. I freely admit to not being the best with heights and liking to be be on solid ground - so the ease with which both cubs skipped and ran along the bridge was a little disturbing, and I was much comforted by the sight of the inspector.

So I'm back with knitting my Deciduous lace shawl, thinking about the Sanqhuar gloves, and being plenty distracted by spinning.

take care
na Stella

Public holiday

This post is quick, it is Otago Anniversary Day, Bear wants to head off to Central Otago for a little shopping. Some fruit, it is the fruit bowl of this area, some nosing around second hand shops and the like looking for pens and and interesting magazines. I said I'd blog quickly.

 Last night I was distracted by fibre, I sorted some that Sauerkraut had gifted me into a colour progression and made mini faux rolags using choptsticks. Was a lot of fun - I've threaded them in order on a length of yarn - the idea came from Spin off. 

 The Cardigan project is nearly done, but sadly I knit the first sleeve whilst the little cub was in bed sleeping so I prematurely cast off the first sleeve a tad short. No worries I'm knitting the second one, making sure it is longer than the first and then I'll frog the first. Just on a week of knitting - so a fast and fun project. The Hedgehog is fake, it is a shoe cleaner.

I finished spinning the blue with the loaned Aura wheel, and started to ply using my Majacraft Gem II, but discovered the aura bobbins hold so much more yarn than the standard Majacraft. So I've abandoned the plying and will seek to borrow another bobbin so I can ply the entire lot with the Aura. Review coming soon.

Take care
We should be having a lovely lunch in an Art Deco hotel if we time it right, Ranfurly is a small place but has a strong Art Deco theme to its architecture, and has an Art Deco weekend every year. This isn't it but we can still enjoy the luxury and grandeur of the style. Hope your day has a highlight as well.
Stella

Stella

I'm liking this, liking it very much.

Only two weeks ago I was hunting through my stash of 4 ply/fingering weight yarn to find enough colours to take to a colourwork workshop. I knew at that stage that I really didn't like to knit with thicker yarn, and even though the instructions were to bring DK, or light worsted. Here in New Zealand DK is the term used to identify what American knitters call light worsted, weirdly New Zealand knitters also know that kind of yarn as 8-ply, even when it usually has two or three plies. Surely the world is a strange one when one thinks about things.  So there I was two weeks ago, out to avoid knitting with yarn that thick. Fast forward to this week, and here I am rather enjoying knitting with DK yarn, to the extent that I've not picked up any other project since this one was cast on.
I think I'm learning a lesson here, not to dismiss yarn by weight alone ... that possibly I enjoy knitting with a larger range of materials that I think I do.

Here is my darling daughter, looking for all the world a bit like a drowned rat. Today there were  swimming lessons after school and this photo was made shortly after we returned home - hence the damp locks. I started this on the 17th of March and lready the cardigan body is almost done, I'm working the ribbing and feeling rather pleased  with the wee shoulder puff that the lace leaf pattern results in. There will be sleeves, and front bands and buttons and button holes, and a neck band, and at this rate soon. The cardigan is designed to be worn with little cubs range of sweet dresses, which have gathered skirts, a slim bodice and a natural waistline. So I'm choosing to make the cardigan slightly longer than the bodice ... so it will look like it belongs with the dresses.

I've designed this with a bit of negative ease, so the cardigan will hang open if not buttoned up, when buttoned up the cardigan will be a slim fit, as well as almost short waisted. Now I intellectually know that that might not be a sensible choice for a growing child, to make something with no growth room factored in, but part of me doesn't care. This is knitting up so fast that I feel happy to knit another should it be outgrown. I figure I'll be done with the ribbing around the hem tonight, and have picked up for the front and neck bands. The sleeves should be well under way by the weekend so the end is well and truly in sight.

Excuse me whilst I go and knit some more, with this weight yarn things grow so fast that I'm considering how quickly I could knit something for me if I use thick yarn.

cheers
na Stella