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

Nearly there twice ...

Today's post has two projects which are nearly there, the secret one which I can't provide many details of yet has a deadline which has expired. This is a team effort and two of us are working the first relay .. and the second relay team is standing by ready to do their share, its not a race but it is only fair if I complete my section in time for the next participants to complete theirs. The second project that is nearly there is my first socks of the year, which are pretty much done sans the ribbing at the top of the second one and weaving in the ends. These socks have also turned into a team effort. The third part of this post is nothing to do with knitting, or yarns or spinning, but does have a fibre link .. albeit a thin link.

Secret projects are not really compatable with blogging or with Ravelry. How can one fill a post or project page with all the details of a project when one can't share it yet? Even posting photos can be difficult, Oh its fairly easy to make a photo black and white, and to photograph a teasing little section that will make guessing hard. What is difficult is showing progress without giving away any hints about the size of the project ....but I think I've managed it. This project is colourwork, stranded, and I'm nearly ready to cast off. The working needles are a wee way away from the cast on and start of the tape measure shown here. I should be able to share my bits and the whole project with you all soon.

I can share the first pair of socks of 2011, which are nearly done. I was pleased that I made good notes on the first heel .. so much so that I was able to follow them for the second heel. I wound off a little section of the yarn so I could start the second sock with the same colour yarn section .... and so far the socks are turning into a fairly well matched pair.

This is the project I took up to my Dads to collect the cubs. Smallest cub sat next to me on the couch and dropped fairly clear hints that she wanted work on my knitting. The hints ran along the lines of 'I forgot to bring my knitting', 'I've never knit with needles as small as that', and 'oooo - you are knitting, is there any purl in that round? I can knit you know'. What really convinced me to hand my knitting over was her interest in the self patterning yarn, she couldn't work out how the pattern was made. Eventually I just handed it over, showed her how magic loop worked and kept an eye on her. She did well, the tension is a little looser than mine, she worked the first few rounds of this grey and white colour change, and it was only the next day I spotted the one drooped stitch. She came with me to knit night this week, where she got bored with her knitting and again worked on my sock, and even went home with sock yarn of her own .... how can one deny a beginner knitter new yarn? I won't take her every time, she needs her sleep, and she can't cast on for socks until the hat is nearly done ... I'm mean like that. Start 'em young and keep 'em keen.

And so the end of the post departs from things knitterly and heads off into the vintage fountain pen and pencil section of my life. I now have several (ahem .... nearly two dozen) fountain pens, mechanical and clutch pencils and vintage ball points I have been looking at ways to store them safely and neatly. Some collectors use purpose built storage drawers,, some use cigar boxes which are customized for pen display or storage, some of these customized boxes are very very very nice with built in display sections. If you have a collection that has between 2 and 140 pens .. there are all sorts of ready to use storage boxes out there for you. All of these strike me as being particularly adaptable for knitting needles and tips. However I'm not yet in the market for something as formal as that .. but I was looking for something that was nicer than a shoe box or plastic tray. In Waimate I spotted this little lacquer box in the window of a junk shop. A little hand written tad identified it as 'old sewing box', which sort of identifies it for a fibre craft. I tried the three pens in my hand bag in it, and they fit.


Back home I cleaned the box up using pen cleaning products from Tryphon Enterprises. I thought that vintage lacquer was probably not terribly different to vintage pens. The box easily holds my longest pens and pencils, has three stacking trays and all that fits into a neat matching tray with carry handle. For now the pens rest on a layer of folded kitchen towel .. but I will be fitting black pen trays as soon as they arrive. That will stop pens drifting around if I move the tray.

Please - if any one can give me more into on what this little set of boxes was originally intended for, or if you have memories of simillar boxes - please let me know. I'm curious, about when, and what, and how, and where, and who ... you know all the usual questions.

so .. take care, knit some, the weekend is upon us, relax some,
na Stella