One of these socks…

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…is a pattern repeat shorter than the other. But at least it doesn’t have a different-coloured toe.

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush. Yarn: The Knittery Chubby Merino

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush. Yarn: The Knittery Chubby Merino

That small bundle of yarn in the middle is all that’s left of the skein. The yarn is denser than most, so the yardage is less – and the cable pattern is quite dense, too, therefore using more yarn. I wasn’t sure, as I worked my way down the foot, whether there’d be enough. However, despite sock 2 being a centimetre shorter than sock 1, it does fit, so I’m not going to unpick the toe to see if I can get the extra pattern repeat in – I’m not prepared to take the risk. (Or I’m lazy. Or both.) And I seriously doubt that anyone’s going to be examining my toes closely to police the sock length.

All that aside – love the yarn, love the pattern, love these socks. I might wear them tomorrow 🙂

And on a totally different topic, I’m giving away three prize packs including my romantic suspense book, As Darkness Falls, over on my writing blog. The knitting connection? Socks were knitted in the writing of the book 🙂 (Although I’m afraid there’s no knitting in the book – the characters were a bit busy solving crime.)

Weaving – at last!

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So, back in June, I thought I’d make some progress on the warp that had been draped over the loom for six months at that stage. That first day, I blogged that I’d gotten this far:

Thrading fine black wool warp on loom

Threading fine black wool warp on loom

The next day, I trheaded 3 more inches – 5 of the total 8. And then, it sat. And sat. (Yes, and gathered some dust…)

On Thursday, I finished threading, sleying, tying it up, and got weaving…

However, I’m still not quite sure what I want to do! I’ve only done a few inches, sampling at this stage. The warp is 5 metres, and its threaded in a twill/advancing twill pattern. The original plan was to weave about half in plain weave, to have a contrasting fabric for collars/bands on a jacket made of fabric I wove years ago, and to weave the other half with a contrasting yarn in the pattern as a scarf.

This is the cloth I wove some years ago, with the jacket pattern I’m using for inspiration – however, I plan to a) make the bands and collar a bit narrower, and b) make the jacket a bit longer, and without the bottom band. The checked fabric will be the body of the jacket; what I’m weaving now will be the bands. I think.

Handwoven cloth

Handwoven cloth

Advancing twill on fine black wool warp

Advancing twill on fine black wool warp

The jacket fabric – on the right – has the fine black wool, intersected with a slightly thicker mauve yarn, which creates a gorgeous texture. The current weaving – on the left – has a sample of the twill pattern using the same mauve yarn, plain weave with the black yarn, and the advancing twill pattern, black on black (hardly visible). I think the twill pattern in the mauve will be too much – because the mauve is thicker yarn than the black, it overpowers it. I could try weaving it as overshot – with a black tabby thread between each mauve pick, which would ‘black’ it up a bit more, but I think it would still be too much. (The sample is only one pattern repeat; it would be repeated up the band).

So, I’m leaning towards the plain black as the contrast. Any thoughts?

A sock, a book, and some yarn

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Knitting progress is still slow, but some has been made. I finished the first Conwy sock for me a couple of days ago – and I love it! The yarn, The Knittery’s Chubby Merino sock yarn is gorgeous, nice and smooshy, and the sock feels great on. I’ve knitted Conwy twice before, and love the pattern, but both pairs were given away, so these socks will be mine, mine, mine!

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush Yarn: The Knittery Merino Chubby

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush Yarn: The Knittery Merino Chubby

I’m also slowly making progress on a shawl-collar jacket I’ve been knitting for a few months. The back is done, and I’ve almost finished the fronts. Then it will just be the sleeves, and sewing it up…. of course, I’ve still got a jumper in pieces that I haven’t sewn up, by there hasn’t been much impetus to do it during summer. Now we’re in autumn, and the weather is starting to cool, I’ll take it out of hibernation and finish it sometime soon!

My major finished object lately is nothing to do with yarn – but I finished the revisions on my second novel, and sent them into my publisher this week. It won’t be published until September, but we have the cover design almost finalised – and it’s beautiful! Since I haven’t had much knitting/weaving to show off lately because I’ve been working so hard on writing, here’s a sneak look at the book:

Book cover - Dark Country

Book cover - Dark Country

And my reward to myself  for finishing the book – some yarn 🙂  The Knittery, suppliers of yarns that I love, is sadly shutting up shop, so I’ve ordered some undyed yarns from the stock clearance- some more of the Merino Chubby sock yarn, and some skeins of the Merino/Cashmere sock yarn. Hopefully they’ll arrive at my PO box by Friday, when I’m next in town.

And now that the book is done, I’m going to spend tomorrow at my long-neglected loom!

Slow progress

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There has not been much knitting lately, unfortunately. The wrist is getting better – slowly – but my non-knitting is due more to being flat out with work for the past few weeks.

However, I have now turned the heel on some Conwy socks for me, and almost finished the decreasing for the foot. The yarn is the gorgeous Chubby merino sock yarn from The Knittery, in the shade denim. This is where the first sock was at a couple of weeks ago:

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush Yarn: The Knittery Chubby merino

Pattern: Conwy by Nancy Bush. Yarn: The Knittery Chubby merino

There’s some light at the end of the work tunnel, so I may get some more knitting done over the next few weeks. I may even – but don’t hold your breath! – get to sit at the loom again. Sometime this century.

More SpinOffs on eBay

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I’ve put some more Spin-Off magazines on e-Bay – but I did it some days ago, and the auctions finish tomorrow night. If you’re interested, the following is what I’ve put up:

4 Spin-Off magazines 1999 Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall
4 Spin-Off magazines 2000 Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall
3 Spin-Off magazines 2001 Spring, Summer, Fall
3 Spin-Off magazines 2003 Spring, Summer, Fall
1 Spin-Off magazine Spring 2002
1 Spin-Off magazine Winter 2004

I’m a bit sad to see them go, but I don’t have a lot of space, and I very rarely refer to them, so it makes sense to sell them. My local guild already has an extensive set.

FO: Three Sisters Scarf

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For the first time in a couple of months, I’ve actually finished something…

The Knittery Merino/silk 2ply

Pattern: Three Sisters Scarf # Two by Monika Steinbauer Yarn: The Knittery Merino/silk 2ply

20090121threesistersscarf2

20090121threesistersscarf3

The pattern instructions are to knit it on one piece, from end to end; I knitted it in two pieces, and grafted them in the middle. The scallops therefore hang the same way on the ends, and block the same way. I think this works better and is more balanced – could be my Libran nature coming out here!

Very happy 🙂

Spin-Off magazines on eBay

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In a tiny attempt to do some decluttering, I’ve listed some Spin-Off magazines on eBay:

3 Spin-Off magazines – Spring, Summer and Winter 1995

4 Spin-Off magazines: Spring, Summer, Fall &Winter 1996

4 Spin-Off magazines-1997 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

4 Spin-Off magazines-1998 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

The auctions finish around 7.30ish (AEDT) on Friday 23rd January. There are bids on the first two lots already.

I have some more, 1999-2002 or thereabouts and a few odd ones from other years, so I’ll see how these ones go and perhaps list them, too.

Knitting in the slow lane

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Painful wrist/hand + book deadline = very little knitting lately 🙁

I’m only knitting a bit at a time, a few rows here and there spread across several projects, so progress on all of them has been slow. However, I’m only a couple of pattern repeats from finishing the second half of the Three Sisters scarf – so hopefully in the next day or so it will be finished, grafted together, and blocked. I haven’t had a FO for over a month – longer for knitting – so I’m itching to be able to change a project status on Ravelry and upload photos! Maybe this week.

My jacket in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran has seen a little progress – the back is finished, and I’ve started the fronts, almost finished the lower moss-stitch bands. I’m knitting both fronts at once, to make sure I get them the same.

I started a pair of socks in The Knittery’s merino/cashmere sock yarn, but the needles I had were driving me mad, so I frogged it to start again with a different pattern, on different sized needles. Around Christmas time I had started a pair of plain socks, using one of the Cherry tree Hill yarns, but the pooling was gack, so I frogged it yesterday, too.

However, I really need to get this darned book finished this week, so knitting will continue to be sporadic, and only what helps me concentrate on writing, until next week at the least.

But on the good news front, I have walked on the treadmill EVERY morning for the past 19 days, so my exer-stash fund is looking healthy. So when I finally get some real money again, I won’t feel guilty spending it 🙂

And that being said, it is time to get my walking shoes on and go and walk – and then it will be writing time, for the rest of the day (and night!)

Exer-stash 2009

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Happy New Year!

In between my sore (but getting better) left wrist, and a looming book deadline, I’m not doing much textile work at present, but I am committed to two goals for 2009:

I won’t be able to make any progress on the second one until after this book is finished, but as far as the first is concerned, I’ve walked every day this year 🙂 AND today I’ve set up an Exer-stashers group on Ravelry, to join up with others who have trouble finding motivation to exercise, but have plenty of motivation to buy yarn!

We’ve even got a group badge (feel free to steal it for your blog if you wish):

20080105exerstashbadgewhite

All are welcome to join in!

Now, I must get back to writing… time for knitting, weaving and other yarny/fibery goodness will have to wait until the manuscript is handed in!

Inkle cottons

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I was in Canberra for a few days over Christmas, and visited Lincraft on Boxing Day, where they were having a 30% off sale. I mentioned in a previous post that it’s hard getting a good range of colours in 4ply cottons for inkle weaving – well, Lincraft had a good range! I chose the less expensive yarn, and, with 30% off, was able to splurge a little on 12 different shades:

Cotton 4ply yarns

Cotton 4ply yarns

Other than that, I was restrained at the Lincraft sale – the only other purchase was a ball of plain dark brown Sullivan’s sock yarn.

However, since my wrist is still quite painful, I am doing very little knitting at the moment. Having it x-rayed tomorrow, so I hope to find out what’s wrong – and what the treatment is!