Rediscovery

This weekend I took some time to explore the forgotten portions of my stash. I'm often rifling through the fingering weight baskets but it's rather less often that I look at the rest of the beautiful things I've picked up over time.

When I started buying yarn I knew nothing about fibre and little about what there was to like (or not) about yarn. Soon after I took a long trip out to the US and discovered a fantastic yarn shop - my lessons in yarn began there.

Initial purchases were often from the bargain bins - some perhaps a mistake, but others are clearly just waiting for the right project to come along. I've recently knit a very successful summer project and this heavy-worsted cotton feels like it fits right in with this trend:

Queensland Collection Pima Fresca in colourway Sapphire
from Natural Stitches, Pittsburgh

On a subsequent trip to the states my yarn purchases were more about buying good quantities of well-known American yarns to be able to knit a garment with sometime in the future when I'd got my brave up:

Dream in Colour Classy in colourway Midnight Derby
from Natural Stitches, Pittsburgh

More recently my yarn purchases are typically focussed on a specific project that I've deluded myself into thinking I will start right away. Strangely I'm often wrong...

Noro Kureyon in colourway 206.

In this case I was pretty sure this yarn was about to become an Entrelac Scarf. I'd never tried entrelac (I still haven't) and it seemed like a great project to learn a new skill. Soon after purchase doubts crept in and having rediscovered the yarn this weekend I'm now wondering about a Lanesplitter skirt instead.

How do you buy stash?

Growing Things

I recently switched desks in my office so that I could see out of the windows. One entire wall of our office is windows. With my new easy-reach windowsills, and a sudden interest in growing things (I think I've suddenly turned middle-aged), I've set about seeing what I can achieve.

First, my chilli's and a lone pepper (one of eight planted). These were first in and are the most recent plants to start looking like plants rather than just pots of soil. There's a slight chance that it's one chilli and a few peppers coming up, my labeling wasn't quite up to the job when I started planting.

One of a my Chillis?	A lone pepper?

Next, some sugar snap peas:

And finally, some very keen tomatoes:

There's a few more bits and bobs that haven't shown themselves yet, I look forward to introducing them when they do :)

Easter Break

I'm back at work following a much appreciated Easter break. Following a successful swatching process, I started my Blisco in the break and got more done than I could have reasonably expected:

Perfect for a one-armed bandit!

The pattern is clear and well-written and has a quirky start to catch your interest. The yarn is knitting up nicely and should wash well too - what's not to like?

FO: Calorimetry

My Blisco swatch is drying. In the meantime, despite lovely sunshine last week, this week I'm back to wearing the winter accessories:

This is my Calorimetry, knit with what remained of the Malabrigo twist after my Bandana Cowl. The yarn is still gorgeous and I like the pattern (mostly).

This is warm and practical for those days where I just can't face leaving my hair down. Only slight issue is it's a little big/slippy-offy. I'm not sure if this is my button placement or a feature of the ribbing stretching out once on my head.

Pattern: Caliometry by Kathryn Schoendorf.
Yarn: Malabrigo Twist in the Olive colourway.
Mods: Cast on fewer (92) stitches and knit fewer repeats of rows five and seven.
Projects: online on Ravelry.

Not Socks

I've not had much luck with socks lately. The lovely Effervesce socks would make excellent flight socks but are a little tighter than I usually like for everyday wear. At this point I can't bear to frog them so they're sat in time out until my feet shrink or I get a grip on myself and get on with what must be done. In the meantime, I started some alpaca socks to cheer me up: long story short, they didn't. They pooled something chronic.

So I've gone back to a yarn I know: Patons Linen Touch in colourways Carnation and Lilac.


And a pattern I don't: Blisco by Lily Kate France.

And I've swatched. Three needle sizes, measured before washing and blocking.

Now I just have to pop it in the wash and hope I can find the right gauge in there somewhere.

Just one more end

A little while ago I finally blocked and got photos of my Andrea's Shawl.

As is traditional with shawls, this was an interesting and beautiful knit but I've now finished up with a shawl I'm not sure how to wear. I love the fact that this is two colours and it's probably this that meant I did actually wear it to work a couple of weeks ago.

To my surprise, after wearing it much of the day I discovered just one more end that had escaped being woven in. There's always one.

A metephor for life I suspect: nothing is ever finished.

WIP: Effervesce

Twisted stitches and cables are my all-time favourite features for socks and yet it's been a while since I last knit a pair that met that description. I've been working hard to dig out patterns for the many variegated yarns I'd acquired and so had deliberately neglected all beautiful cabled patterns. Until now...

These are my Effervesce socks in a Flamboyance Yarns sock club yarn - Pharos sock in colourway "Sea Dreams".
I really like the way they're coming out. The yarn has just a touch of green amongst all that blue adding a bit of interest without masking the stitch pattern. The cable pattern has plenty going on but is predictable enough that I don't have to stare intently at the chart whilst juggling yarn and needles (which is obviously how I do my knitting).

Project: online at Ravelry.com