Stumbling through stash
Remember these rovings?
I've finally figured out what I'm going to do with the one of the left-hand side. It is a Lorna's Laces roving in the Seaside colourway. After seeing this waaaay back, I decided that this roving would be perfect stranded together with another merino/silk roving that still needs to be spun.
Here's what I've managed to accomplish so far on this project. Needless to say this is a long-term/post-exams sort of project.
I've been drooling over Eunny's Venezia pullover from the Winter issue of Interweave Knits since she gave us the first sneak peak on her blog.
Seeing as how I still haven't finished a sweater project (details on why to come), have never done stranded colour-work, and start to hyperventilate when a pattern calls for little needles (except socks) it was clear that a warm-up project was in order. These mitts were perfect since they are small (both in size and in yarn investment), require fair-isle, and use Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift (the same yarn called for in Venezia).
Here is the front just short of the halfway mark.
And the finished product, nicely posed with a napping dog (click for larger):
The yarn seemed a little scratchy after being knit up but blocking has turned it into a soft and uniform fabric. I didn't make any modifications to the pattern but next time I knit these I will be sure to make the thumb a few rows longer for a better fit.
I've also been working on some spinning that is moving slowly. Details tomorrow
The weather here was gorgeous today. Everywhere you looked, jackets were undone, hats and mittens were discarded, and winter boots were replaced with summer shoes. In some ways it makes me sad to see winter go and with it the sheepy goodness of warm woolly layers and the beauty of fresh snow. On the other hand the warmer weather means balmy afternoons on patios, summer cottons and silks, and the start of Toronto's best outdoor festivals.
The change in the weather has also inspired me to pick up a project that was cast aside when the cold took over the city back in November. This is the beginning of the Sand Dollar Pullover from Norah Gaughan's amazingly inspiring book, Knitting Nature.
This is my first project from the book, but I have the yarn for at least three others when I finally get around to working on them.
I'm using Posh Yarn's Victoria which is a cotton/silk/cashmere blend in a colour called Lagoon (and is pretty accurate in the photo below). It is a bit splitty but is a dream to work with and blocks beautifully.
So far, I've made it through all of the pieces for the front and back, and am now working to finish the sleeves so I can block all the pieces and start seaming it up. I'm hoping to finish the sleeves in the next couple of weeks so I can get some wear out of this during the summer (if I can bring myself to get the seaming done).
Here's a close-up of the sand dollar part of the sweater. I've had to re-knit it three times so far and I'm still not positive that I'm happy with the way that it has turned out. I do love the way the leaf points meet to form a pentagon in the center. The construction of this garment is really stunning.
First up, I thought I should show you some of the stuff I've been working on for Project Spectrum before April comes along and the colours change on me.
The above photo is taken pre-blocking and this next one was taken post-blocking. It still amazes me how much of a difference a simple dip in the sink makes with most yarns.
I made many of the same modifications mentioned here. In addition to those I also eliminated the purl ridge at the end of the crown and shortened the depth of the hat.
Now back to my Sand Dollar Pullover. Details on that next time.
