Progress report

Posted on March 2, 2008 by Bron

I ended up frogging the blue heel on the bright jaywalkers and have reknit it in the dark purple – and it’s much better! I don’t know a lot about colour theory, but although a very close blue is in the main yarn, I think the blue heel didn’t work because it was too ‘cool’ a colour for the warm, rich orange, pink and purple.

So, then I finished the sock, and tried it on, and…. it doesn’t fit. I can get it on my foot, but it’s tight around the foot, and way stretched around the ankle. Hmm. I’m going to let this project ‘rest’ for a little while, until I decide what to do. I’m not that keen on the colour scheme that I want to frog the sock and start again. However, my 16yo niece is on her way back from 3 months in France at the moment, so when she’s home, I’ll find out if she wants a pair of zany coloured socks. If so, I’ll finish the second sock and she can have them for her birthday in April. If not, hmmmm….

As this project is now resting, I felt justified in casting on a new sock. The merino/cashmere yarn from The Knittery has been tempting me since it arrived about two months ago. I decided to try the jaywalker pattern again, but on the next size up needles. I’m using 2.75mm this time, on the logic that this size worked for the Veronik socks I made last month.

My very basic, plain knit-while-I-write socks are also coming along. Sock one is finished, ans sock 2 on the way:

On the Jo Sharp Fisherman’s Gansey, I’m up to the pattern on the front yoke – but that takes a little bit of concentration, so it hasn’t progressed much lately.

Weaving-wise – no progress 🙁

Spinning – I actually went to the meeting a couple of weeks ago, and did spin some silk tops, but not much. There was a meeting yesterday, but as I had the migroan from hell, I didn’t go. Next fortnight!

Vintage pattern books

Posted on March 2, 2008 by Bron

As reported in my last post, on our trip to Nundle I bought a few old knitting pattern books. I was very restrained – there were far more there that I didn’t buy! But these ones I couldn’t resist:

Patons ‘Fair Isles’ book, no. 262 In the 1970s, my older sister used an old pattern of my mother’s to knit a fair-isle jumper quite a lot like this, excpet in yellows and oranges – it was gorgeous! Most of the patterns in this book are the same sort of slim-fitting shape, so I’m not planning on knitting any of them just now – but it’s fun looking at the pictures 🙂 Incidentally, my mother told me that she used to knit while listening to 78rpm records. When she was knitting a fair-isle like this, (fine yarns, fine needles) she always aimed to get a row done in the time it took to play one side of a 78 – which, for those young enough not to know, is about 3 minutes!

Patons Knitting Book, No. 204

There are some cute glove patterns in here that I can see myself adapting:

Holiday gloves, from Patons Knitting Book No. 204 (oops! Sorry about it being sidewise!)

Springtime gloves, from Patons Knitting Book No. 204

Voyager gloves, from Patons Knitting Book No. 204

Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 236 (Jackets). I’ve been on the lookout for jacket patterns, and there are some gorgeous ones in this book! (We won’t mention the fact that some of them are sized for women somewhat smaller than me – because I should be able to upsize patterns and downsize me, right?)

‘City Bound’ from Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 236

‘Knocker’ from Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 236 (Jackets)

‘Patio’ from Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 236 (Jackets)

‘Roamer’ from Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 236 (Jackets)

Patons vintage knitting pattern book – no 6 – socks and gloves. This has a range of basic sock and glove patterns in it.

Australian Womens Weekly vintage knitting pattern book. This has a range of patterns, including jumpers, cardigans, accessories, and also an elegant, long woman’s dressing gown!

I’ve had such fun looking through these that I can see that I’m going to have to resist the urge to begin a large collection of vintage knitting patterns 🙂

Nundle stash enhancement

Posted on March 2, 2008 by Bron

A friend and I had a trip on Friday to Tamworth, and Nundle Woollen Mills. We’d been to Nundle a few months ago, with our partners, but the menfolk weren’t interested in spending as much time (or money!) at the Woollen Mill as we were, so it was a bit rushed, and we decided we’d have a Girls’ Day Out. Friday was it!

We went to Tamworth first, to Spotlight, where Kerry bought some backing fabrics for her quilting. I didn’t see much to tempt me in the fabric area – I was looking for linen/cotton blends in browns, but there was nothing. In the yarn section, I was quite restrained. Firstly, because I’ve got enough for quite a few projects in the stash, but mostly because my exer-stash fund was only at $57.50, so that was my limit for yarn and fibre spending for the day! However, I did buy a ball of Moda Vera sock yarn, in varying shades of brown, for another pair of socks for my Dad for his birthday in April.

After browsing in Spotlight, we then got back in the car and headed for Nundle, which is about 54km from Tamworth, along some lovely back roads. First stop in Nundle was a coffee shop for morning tea! Then to a small pottery shop and an antique shop across the road. At the antique shop, I bought a couple of old pattern books – more on those in the next post! Then to the Woollen Mill, which was just behind the antique shop.

For those who haven’t been to Nundle, the Mill is a working woollen mill, with a gallery where you can look down on the machinery. It wasn’t operating when we were there, which I’m kinda glad of because it can be noisy and hot when it’s all going! There’s also two large shop rooms, with plenty of yarn, including seconds and specials as well as the standard ranges, and a large selection of beautiful clothes, made of high-quality wool. I resisted the clothes on this trip, because I still haven’t lost much weight, so it’s no sense buying form-fitting clothes just as the moment. But it was a lot of fun to encourage Kerry’s wardrobe enhancement!

Yarn-wise, I bought four balls of Retro 4ply yarn, for socks.

After the Mill, we had lunch in the pub in the centre of town – very pleasant sitting out on the veranda watching the town go quietly by. Then to the antique store near the pub – where I bought some more old pattern books!

All in all, it was a very pleasant day. I spent a total of $23 on yarn, so that leaves $34.50 in the exer-stash fund. I’d better get back to that dreadmill a bit more often!

Decisions, decisions

Posted on February 17, 2008 by Bron

Knitting lately seems to be two steps forward, one step back. In particular, I’ve been having trouble deciding on contrast colours for heels and toes for the two pairs of socks I’m currently knitting. I have a selection of 5-ply yarns that I use for contrasts, but none of them really worked very well for either pair. For the blue/green/mauve patonyle socks, I knitted the heel first in the same jade green I used last time I used this yarn, but decided it would be boring having two pairs the same. So, I used a purple yarn and knitted the heel – blerch, too strong a colour and it didn;t really pick up the mauve that’s in the main yarn.

So, I’ve now knitted the heel a third time, using a blue yarn, and I think it works well enough.

The very-colourful jaywalkers have been stalled for a while. My choices of colour for contrast heels for it were a pink that made it almost fluorescent, or a blue, which I used, but I’m pretty ‘meh’ about. There is a very similar shade blue in the main yarn, but I don’t think it’s working well to pick it up as the contrast.

Then I (re)discovered this dark purple in the back of the cupboard. And now I’m wondering if that would work better than the blue?? I think it will, which means frogging the foot and doing the heel and foot again. Opinions, anyone??

With doing the first sock of the Veronik socks three times, I sure have been frogging a lot lately!

I’m also trying to knit gloves for a friend, but am having trouble with the fact that the angora yarn I spun quite a while back is finer than I need, and there probably isn’t, in reality, quite enough for the gloves. I’ve started a pair, but I’m also mulling over maybe using one of the merino-cashmere yarns from The Knittery instead, and stranding the angora inside for extra warmth, or knitting a lining for the main part of the hand from the angora. My friend’s hands and fingers get very cold in winter, but she needs to be able to draw and work at the computer, so these can’t be too bulky. Hhhmmmmm. I’ve never knitted a lining for gloves, so I’m not sure which way to go.

New shoes – and socks!

Posted on February 6, 2008 by Bron

I have to wear ‘sensible’ shoes most of the time, and I bought these the other day on special – thinking as I did that they’d go well with handknit socks. And they do. (I think this is the middle-aged equivalent of a little girl wearing pink frilly party socks – although I’ll be wearing mine with trousers, not a dress. So it will mostly be only me who sees them.)

I ordered sock blockers yesterday from The Knittery. I’m hoping they’ll arrive tomorrow, but it may not be until Friday.

And yes, I put in an order at The Knittery but didn’t order any more yarn. How virtuous is that? However, I’ve only earned $47.60 in my exer-stash program, and I have to earn the $70 for the gift voucher from Wool on Wheels before I can spend it, so that’s my first target. Plus, there’s the little incidental fact that I have three skeins of sock yarn from The Knittery already that I haven’t started knitting yet. (Although I’ll probably start one of them this afternoon 🙂 ) So, sock-blockers and several sets of dpns were all I ordered yesterday. It’s only fibre and yarn that I have to walk to ‘earn’, so tools are exempt. And books. Which I don’t buy very often, but there’s a shipment on its way from amazon.com at this moment. They’ll probably be at least another week away.

Project details:

Pattern: Socks for Veronik, Interweave Knits. Holiday 2007

Yarn: Nundle Woollen Mills’ Retro 4ply, shade 147, 100% pure wool

Needles: 2.75mm

Modifications: I didn’t like the toe decrease as per the pattern, so I worked side decreases every second row until 30 sts remained, then every row until 14 sts remained, then grafted.

A Veronik sock

Posted on February 3, 2008 by Bron

I have finished a sock. (But don’t ask me about the book revisions. Just. Don’t.)

They’re cruddy photos because I have neither a sock blocker or an attractive leg, but I’ll try and get some better ones later (photos, not legs – although maybe some weight loss might eventually help the legs.)

I didn’t do the toe decrease as written for the pattern. I looked around on Ravelry, and the P3tog decrease down the centre front of the toe just didn’t work for me. I know some people love it, but I kept thinking it looked like a butt crack 🙂 So, I did a variation of my standard toe decrease. The garter stitch down the side of the heel doesn’t really work for me, either, but I’m not going to frog and redo that. I’ll make the 2nd sock matching, but if I make this pattern again (and I probably will), I’ll leave out the garter stitch heel band.

And, as far as progress on other fronts goes:

Patonyle socks: up to heel on first sock
Jaywalker socks: no progress
Weaving: still stalled
Fisherman’s gansey: front bottom band knitted
Book revisions: will be finished tonight!

The Knittery yarns

Posted on January 28, 2008 by Bron

After weeks of being buried under revisions for my book, and an unexpected trip to Canberra for the funeral of a friend, I’m finally posting pictures of the luscious yarns that I received from The Knittery at the beginning of the month.

Merino silk lace yarn – this will be a shawl.

Merino cashmere sock yarn – Water Lilies shade

Merino cashmere sock yarn – Midnight shade

Merino cashmere sock yarn – Dark reds

Posmerino yarn – natural shade. This will be a jacket or jumper.

All I’ve done so far with these yarns (other than some serious drooling and fondling!) is wind the red sock yarn from a skein into balls.

I’ve not done heaps of knitting lately, due to other priorities absorbing my time. I really wish one could still knit on planes, as I had a fair few hours in airports that I could have gainfully used that way, but alas, the needles had to go in the suitcase, and I didn’t get much chance to pull them out in Canberra.

The colourful jaywalker socks are half-way done in the first foot, now. The lacy Veronik socks are still only at the heel of the first sock, but now knitted for the third time – I’ve decided that 2.75mm needles are right for this, having tried both 2.5 and 3mm. However, both the jaywalker and Veronik socks take a little too much concentration to knit while I’m writing, and since that’s about all I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks, I haven’t made much progress.

Today I did start another, plain pair of socks, which I can knit while writing. I’m using a Patonyle ‘fairisle’ yarn that I’ve used before and love; Last time, I knitted heels and toes in a jade green, but this time I’ll do them in purple. I like these colours, and they are pleasant to knit with!

On other matters, the exer-stash fund is slowly growing – I haven’t been as good at exercising as I should have been, but I’m over $40 now.

My weaving, however, is still stalled as it has been for months. Maybe once this book is revised and in, I’ll give myself a few hours to play on the looms, and finally get them threaded so I can start to weave.

Running late

Posted on January 3, 2008 by Bron

My package of yarn from The Knittery arrived yesterday – 3 luscious skeins of hand-dyed merino/cashmere sock yarn, a skein of gorgeous merino silk lace-weight yarn, and enough merino/possum yarn of a jumper.

Unfortunately, not enough time to fondle it adequately or photograph it, as I’ve been rushing around getting ready to fly off to Sydney this morning. So, photos after I get back on Monday.

The exer-stash is at ~~$12.60~~ $14.90 (I squeezed in a walk this morning!) The yarn that arrived yesterday doesn’t count, because I’d ordered that days before I started the resolution. However, my spending in Sydney on yarn/fibre will be limited to a maximum ~~$12.60~~ $14.90. Yep, I’m being tough. I’ve also decided that the gift voucher that I was given for my LYS when I finished my job in December is going to have to be earned – so, I have to walk for the privilege of spending that $70.

And now I’d better run to get ready to leave in time – still haven’t finished packing!!

Comment gremlins

Posted on January 2, 2008 by Bron

I don’t know how or why, but the gremlims seem to be playing with the comments. I’m assuming it’s some kind of wordpress.com problem. Comments will sometimes appear under one post, then another. I think each time a post is loaded, the comments are randomly allocated.

It’s bizarre.

It’s annoying.

Not to mention, confusing.

So, if you think you’ve commented on a post, you probably have – it just may appear elsewhere!

I’ll try and find somewhere at wordpress.com to raise the issue, but that will have to wait until later as I have to go into town shortly.

New Year's Day achievements

Posted on January 1, 2008 by Bron

I now have $8 in the exer-stash fund. That’s 8km since yesterday morning (5 miles in US-speak).
There are now only 2769 people ahead of me in the Ravelry queue. I guess my invite will arrive sometime while I’m in Sydney
I threaded 56 ends through the heddles today on the plain weave warp on my baby loom that I’ve not worked on for a while (another 5 x 28 ends to go). When it’s warped, I can move the lease sticks over to the other warp draped and waiting on my small floor loom, which will be a) easier to thread, since I can do it sitting down, and b) potentially a more interesting weave (fine black wool warp, twill pattern in various coloured wefts).
I’ve knitted the heel flap on the lairy-coloured jaywalker sock, but I think I want to do the heel in a plain colour – I’ll just have to search my stash to find one that works.
Last night, I finished the sleeves for the Fisherman’s Gansey. There’s now just the front to knit.

I didn’t get a heap achieved, textile-wise, in 2007, but I’m happy with what I did in a busy year. In 2008 I’ll be giving my writing and PhD a priority, but since I won’t be working a full-time job other than those, I expect to squeeze in some relaxation time for textiles, in between editing a book, finishing another book, starting the third book, and launching and promoting the first book in September!

Some of the things I’m hoping to make in 2008 include:

sewing two jackets from the 2 lots of yardage I wove a few years ago – the current two warps include plain-weave sections for contrast fabrics for collars etc
Bianca’s jacket from the Fall 2006 IK. There’s photos here of another Bron’s completed version of this jacket. Because of my shape, I plan to make it longer, and a little fuller in the body over the hips. (Of course, if I ‘earn’ enough funds in the exer-stash to make this in silk mix rather than wool, I’ll probably have walked a fair amount off my hips 🙂 )
more socks – I’d like to do some different patterns, try out some different techniques. Plus my Dad likes his handknitted socks, and my sister who can only wear natural fibres probably needs some more
a couple more jackets/pullovers, as my existing hand-knitted ones are getting old and good only for around-the-house wear.
silk – weaving it, spinning it, knitting it. I think I’m suffering from silk deprivation!

That all should keep my busy and out of mischief!

Yarnosophy

Creating beautiful, functional things with yarn, thread and fabric

Progress report

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Vintage pattern books

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Nundle stash enhancement

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Decisions, decisions

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New shoes – and socks!

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A Veronik sock

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The Knittery yarns

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Running late

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Comment gremlins

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New Year's Day achievements

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