First up, the project I was so thrilled about, Cul-de-sac, by Elsebeth Lavold. I tried working it in a cotton/acrylic blend yarn and I don't think it's working out. Just look at the curl:
If this were wool, I'd be confident it could be blocked out. If it were cotton, I'd try to iron it flat. But with an acrylic/cotton blend, I have a strong suspicion that this is how it will lie till the end of time. I still like the yarn, but me thinks it wants to be something else. A garment that doesn't flirt with the curl. "Rip-it, rip-it!" calls Mr. Froggy.Then last night, I started working on gloves for Luke. He requested red and black as his colors and I even special ordered some red for him from the internet to get just the right shade. Yesterday the cherry red Sisu arrived from the Knitter, so I dashed up to the stash closet and in the dusky light, I grabbed the first dark ball of Kroy that came to hand. But in the bright light of morning, I saw that my haste had made waste. Luke has adamantly refused to accept NAVY and red mittens:
Mr. Froggy has already taken these to his pond and they are no more. But two inches of black cuff have grown onto my needles this morning. 
The design is my own, something I scribbled onto a sheet of paper last night that met the approval of my fussy son. So far, the knitting is simple and the design seems striking.
At least when Mr. Froggy comes riding he brings gifts with him. The last week has brought me a wealth of knitting literature.
The magazines were given to me by the friend of a co-worker who is moving and didn't want to move these with her. It was a delightful present to be handed a heavy bag of these great magazines! The old pattern books I picked up at the local library book sale, and the copy of Handknit Holidays I found at Winners for $8.00.I just can't turn down a cheap pattern book. I'd rather get rid of it later than leave it behind and end up wishing I'd bought it. I must confess to being awful stingy when it comes to buying new books and I think this is the reason why. The good ones stick around and you can usually pick them up a few years later for so much less.
I have two extra magazines that I'm willing to give away since I already own these issues. Anyone interested in them?
I would be interested, if they are still around :)
ReplyDeleteI just picked up Handknit Holidays from the library. I had looked at it a long time ago and thought the projects too difficult, but with time, my knitting skills have improved, and I feel as if I could tackle a few of these projects easily. :) Were there multiple copies at Winners, and if so, was it the one by Masonville?
ReplyDeleteNice catch on those magazines. Sometimes after a while I like patterns I didn't even dream of looking at before.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about all the frogging - I liked the gloves in red and Navy.
ReplyDeleteHandknit Holidays is a keeper; I'm always going through this book for ideas for gift projects.
It can be a bother sometimes that our children are so aware of the complexities of textile design, but I think in the long run it's a very valuable store of knowledge for them. My daughter automatically looks at the sett of fabric and the seam construction when we shop for clothes. "How many tpi in that thread, Mom?" "Do you think this dye is fast?" "Could we overdye this?"
ReplyDeleteOhhhh...a shame to frog the gloves - the navy and red worked really well together. But what can you do - if it's gotta be black, then its gotta be black.
ReplyDeleteOh, and H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y....
I hope you hung on to the navy cuff, anyway. It would have given you a head start on another pair of gloves or mittens, and navy looks good with almost ANY color.
ReplyDeleteLucky you on the treasure trove! I love the older books and magazines, too. (And I've got my hand up, if you're still giving away!)
Hey, rumor above says I missed a birthday - yours to be specific...if so, happy belated!
ReplyDeleteThe vest looks seriously beautiful (even if you had to throw it into the frog pond) and I can't wait to see what fiber you try next!