Friday, August 31, 2007

Hedgerow socks, and making more markers

Today - despite having two largish projects on the needles, well four if I am being honest with myself, I've been tempted with a new sock so cast on making it five WIP's (full details at end). I have made good progress on the Fannigan cardigan sleeve, and a small repair leads to even more stitch markers.

So the new sock, well the latest KR newsletter Jane provided a
textured ribbed top down sock pattern, which was so so tempting I had to locate some suitable yarn and cast on. I was intending to dye some semi solid yarn. Small problem, my lys doesn't do sock yarns or any fingering or fine yarns well. I found Rowan soft at $18 NZ a ball. I needed 3 balls of that- so that wasn't going to happen any time soon, they also had baby yarn in various baby colours but strangely out of white for dying - but then I spotted this, Sunbeam St Ives sock yarn in what could be considered close to semi solid. It is a soft sage green with a delicate rust pink undertone. I have some of the similar but darker green in my stash, but this suited hedgerow better.


I cast on at knit night Wednesday (can't bring myself to say Stitch'n'Bitch, we are much more positive than that when we meet. I can't think of much worse that planning to meet just to moan, we meet to knit). Any-who - knit night, we are still settling on a good cafe location, the first a bar was to noisy to talk, our last cafe is off-limits to a slight embarrassing situation with one of the group and the manager, and the latest is dim - well they are all dim. Whats with the consistently low level of light in cafes at night? Don't they want us to see the super clean cutlery? I cast on twice at knit night but kept making errors in the set up row, and then ripped and cast on again at home much more successfully. Well on my way now, past the rib and pattern established, and yes I am enjoying it, very much.




Fannigan update, Fannigan is my take of the traditional Fanna Cardigan of the Fanna region of Scandinavia as written by PGR in Knitting the old way. I moved the stars from the shoulder to the the hip, and am knitting it totally the round but not steeking the sleeves. So either a raglan or saddle set sleeve. Sleeve two is around half way complete, and the body has been complete for ages. There are little 'pulls' where the dpns join, this can happen when I colour work on dpns but in this yarn it blocks out perfectly. I know this from my round swatch, so I am not worried. I have not steamed these sleeves, and think I most definitely should have for the photo.



Stitch markers, the stitch marker Toby made me for mothers day fell apart, so off I went last Thursday to the bead shop for repairs - but while there I got very distracted and came home with 10 more than I went in with. First up are some gold-fish, two blue and what was meant to be two red, but with five year old poppy helping we have one red-gold and one gold-red - that is ok, it happens.


2nd up, we have some with letters. I am trying a new knit podcast, Knit science, and her accent is gorgeous, I work with a woman from south America and she sounds so similar. So far I have only listened to two issues, but I think I like, content so-so, voice great. Caren (I think that is her name) visited a fiber fair, and was shown ABC markers for identifying where in your knitting you were. She also reviewed Cat Bordhi's new sock architecture book but that is a whole different story. When I spotted alphabet beads, I had a bit of play, well, ABC didn't do it for me, but F(front), B(back), s(start or side), and x (?), did - so here we are.




And these little cuties, were in a section of Peruvian beads, well on my last work trip - I found and ordered enough Peru Eki Riva baby alpaca to knit a cardie or jersey for me. I think these Peruvian beads with their little hand painted alpacas were almost kama, meant to be.


and the yarn - its here, 100% Baby Alpaca(is that like the difference between lambswool and sheeps wool?), 200 m 50 g, I got 13 balls in teal and 2 balls of a soft bone white. Ball band says 2.5-3.75 needles, 36 rows to 28 stitches

... and those 4 projects, Fannigan=1, Chris's garter ribbed sweater=2, fish blanket =3 (but a slow food project - so there is no rush, it will take years), and a sun hat for poppy in crochet that has never been blogged. Now five counting Janes Hedgerow socks.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm so pleased that you like the sock pattern! They're addictive, you know. That was Clara's secret plan! ;)

Love the little fish beads.

Unknown said...

Great sock yarn! Love the colour. X - marks the spot.

We have Knit 'n natter.I totally agree the last thing needed sometimes is a b#@$% session

Sarah said...

I'm so impressed you only have five WIPs! Mine just keep multiplying...gorgeous yarn purchases, and I think the beads are adorable. Looking forward to seeing the Fannigan sweater fully assembled:)

Tanya said...

Now didn't you tell me you don't have a stash, maybe that was another Stella coz that sure wasn't you now! Can you buy Cat Bordhi's new book so maybe just maybe I won't, please! Cute stitch markers, I like the letter ones especially, that is one great bead shop isn't it! Maybe we should have knit night there!