Dissapearing Act

This is 100% wool sliver, sprinkle dyed by "Shades of Narnia" there was approximately 100 gramms of the stuff. I spun it up, and navajo plied it into a worsted weight. The first bobbin of plied yarn had 80 yards on it. I was having a problem with cold hands, so I searched for a pattern for fingerless mittens. I didn't find any i really wanted to make, so I designed my own pattern, as I knit. They fit very well, and I loved the colours. I wore them for one day - one. That night I placed them beside the computer, and I have not seen them since.

I wonder why they left? I separated the roving colours carefully, spun them, all the while commenting on the beautiful colours. Sure, I may have cursed, once or twice, as I was plying, since the built in lazy kate on my ashford Traveller doesn't have tension...I skeined the yarn, counted how many times it went around the niddy noddy...then lovingly I knit it into mittens. I wore them to teach a knitting class, I wore them while reading my favorite knitblogs. Perhaps they could not stand the sight of me knitting other projects? And to get back at me the dissapeared? Whatever the case, there is one irrevocable fact i have to face: My hands are cold, and there isn't enough green handspun to knit another pair.

In other news, it is most definitely fall here. A few weeks ago I pulled up the garden, tomato plants we barely ate from (short growing season), lettuce that had gone to seed, and dug up the rest of our potatoes. This year we had Warbas, Russets, and a specialty, Banana Potatoe. If a banana could be a potatoe...well, you get my meaning. All summer and fall we have been kept well fed in very good potatoes. We left the kale out, and after a few frosts it is like butter...I swear...so tender, it melts when you look at it!


The herbs are still alive...but no longer growing. Spot the lavender and rosemary? Two of my favorites. Unfortunately, this year I bought my plants in June, and they were so rootbound in their little pots, they never grew out of it. Last year my lavender plant literally exploded, it was huge, this year...a whole summer of growing and that's all there is.

I have always wanted to have hollyhocks, but the seed supplier at the farmer's market was out of seed, and in any case, they are a biennial. We're hoping to move out of this house in time to plant a garden in a new yard, so I would never have the chance to see them in bloom. Well, it seems like everyone in our neighborhood except me has hollyhocks, so I decided to go on a quest for a few offshoots. I dug up three, after asking various owners, but only one survived. I was so pleased when it actually flowered in it's pot! upon closer inspection of it, and various flowers in the neighbourhood, I'm no longer entirely sure it's a hollyhock.

it's looking pretty ratty, i know, but it's the end of the season, and also, 2005 was the Year of the Slugs. like some cheap horror film. No mittens, fake hollyhocks, and good kale. Life is like a box of chocolates (just hope you don't get the marachino cherry).

Flower Dud

There is a pattern, in my book of stiches, called Flower Bud. I always thought this would make a nice sock pattern, and perhaps it may, just not when -I- knit it. I knit this sock, from worsted weight wool, on 3.5mm's. I know, I know, I realize what I have done, completely wrong. I put lace all the way around, no ribbing in the back. Mistake #3. I did K1 P1 ribbing for the cuff, instead of K2 P2, mistake #4.

The sock, even after blocking, is very hard to get on. It fits, it's just hard to get on, it's also hard to get off, which could be a plus. The Flower Bud pattern, really doesn't look all that great. Maybe it's because I knit with worsted weight wool, on needles too small, I don't know. Normal wedge toe, i may have messed up on that too (possible mistake #5). I really couldn't get a decent picture of the sock AND the colour at the same time, it is, however, the same yarn used for the sock below.

I have discovered, that from one ball of guersney irish worsted weight, I can knit one dud lace sock, and one very nice "aran style" sock. I do not, however, know if i can knit two aran style socks from one ball. This was how much yarn i had left:

I love the cables on this sock. I have never really done cables before, and am just amazed by the perfect mathematical symmetry the display. I did get the side cables wrong, but i didn't feel like ripping out, and figured they could easily be covered by the cuff.

The front cable pattern was fairly simple to memorize, and I didn't need to use a cable needle, as i did on the side cables. I'm very pleased with the fit and appearance of the sock. Same wool as the flower dud, 4mm needles. MUCH better.

sockapaltwoza

I have decided to commit to this blog wholeheartedly! I participated in sockapaltwoza, and although i am very, very, very late on my sockpal's socks (sorry karlie!) they are finally done.
They are made from two balls of lavender-ish colour King Cole DK weight superwash merino. I really enjoyed knitting with this wool, and bought enough for two more pairs of socks.




It's machine washable, and "anti-tickle". The lace pattern is called "fishtail lace" and it's very easy to memorize, and is a really great pattern for socks.

The sock was designed by myself, partridge eye heel flap, short row heel, and wedge toe. The ends haven't been woven in in this picture, and her feet are slightly smaller than mine.

I tried several patterns before this, and none of them turned out to be anything half decent. I've also realized how hard it is to find patterns for small feet. I recently bought the " Acorn Socks " pattern, and it tells me to cast on 64 stitches. This size of sock simply is too big for many small feet! These designers rarely include a smaller size to boot.

Anyway, That's my beef, over and out folks