Woolgathering

Clapotis Mk II is under way.

Clapotis Mk I, if we recall, was a doomed project. I sent for some Hipknits Silk Aran, in Vibrant. The parcel went missing and there was no more Vibrant in stick, so Kerrie replaced my yarn with Knox. I cast on, and found I had many breaks in the yarn. I loved the weight and the body of the yarn, but was very uncertain about the way that the colours were knitting up. When I reached the end of the first of two large skeins, I realised that I was not only well short of yarn, but that the second skein was rather differently dyed, having far more white in it than the first skein. The options, as I saw them, were to frog it and re-knit it from alternate strands, and to either send for more yarn or make the Clapotis narrower, OR frog it and forget it and knit something else.

It languished, while I thought about it.

In the meantime, the original order arrived and after discussing with Kerrie, who assured me that the Knox must have been a rogue skein, I paid for the original parcel (at half price) and kept it for a second Clapotis.

I also cast on one new project after another. Avoidance. I know.

Months later…

…the Clapotis still languished at the halfway stage.

So, recently I decided that I needed to attack my stash and get some projects completed. I looked at the damn Clapotis, realised that I would probably never wear it, because I really didn’t like the way that the colours had knitted up… and I mentally frogged it. The second, unused, skein became my Sunset Strip version of the My So Called Scarf pattern. The colours knitted up far more agreeably in this project, but the skein turned out to be only slightly less of a problem than the other one had. Perhaps the Knox had just been a poor batch…

Last night I de-skeined my Vibrant, because I wanted to cast on the new Clapotis for Craft Club tonight.

The first skein that we wound was really poor. I mean, really poor. White undyed patches, and tangles where the yarn appeared to be damaged [photo coming] and when I got to the fourth break in it, I gave up. I decided to try another skein and see if it was the same.

Of the remaining three skeins, none were in the same completely useless condition, though none were as nice and silky as the Knox. One of the skeins had a white patch, though smaller than that in the first skein. I decided to send photos of the really bad one to Kerrie to see if she might replace it and I elected to soldier on with the remainder.

Casting on today, I knitted the increase rows (deliberately making it two patterns smaller this time.) I am very struck by the lack of weight in this piece. It doesn’t have half the body that the original Clapotis had. On the other hand, the yarn is going further. Much, much further, by the looks of it. This explains, to me at least, why I was so puzzled by some people saying that they got their full size Clapotis out of three skeins of the Silk Aran when I was not going to get one out of four skeins equivalent. Clearly, the skeins vary wildly in their yardage.

The verdict thus far is that I much prefer the colours in this second attempt, though I could live without the blue… but the gloss and the weight of the Knox was far more appealing and satisfying. I suspect that, with the lack of body in this yarn, I would certainly get a full size Clapotis from it, but I still intend to make this one narrower as I think that will be more useful to me. Overall, I wish this Vibrant were similar in weight to the Knox. Ultimately, I shall buy no more of this yarn, as it seems that I have less than my fair share of luck where “rogue” skeins are involved.

I shall be knitting the middle section tonight, or some of it at least. If there is suitable light tomorrow, I’ll do WIP photos.

A sunny day today so I took three FOs out to photograph in daylight. Coincidentally, all scarves. Also by horrible coincidence, all three present real problems in colour consistency. I am sure one or two of them must be close to true colour…ish.

Plagued by a 3 day migraine again this weekend, plus terminal apathy, and a massive cook load… so I found myself sewing in ends and fringing the birthday scarf by the light of a red sun this morning. The gift has been suitably received, declared not to be too long and not in need of shortening. That’s kind. But it does require shortening, really. “Very Dr Who,” he said. See?

I balked at picking up the gusset on my Green ‘n Growlly sock so actually ended up casting on another sock project, Thorfinn, this weekend. More of that later.

Next on the needles is Vibrotis (aka Clapotis Mk II) - a project about which I have deep misgivings, but we will see what happens. I plan to take Vibrotis to Craft Club tonight, so may cast it on this afternoon. I feel drained from the headache and all that cooking[1] yesterday, so need a quick and easy knit rather than picking up tiny stitches on sock gussets. More on Vibrotis later, too.

Over the holidays, I plan to nail that toe-up Firestarter sock pattern, though as yet have received no offers of assistance with the parts that I don’t understand (this may be due to the fact that Support still say it must be that I have changed my password… rather than that nobody has tried to get in touch)  It will have to be trial and error, but I do not intend to be beaten by it.

And now for a quite and recuperative day. I still need to make a somewhat belated birthday card, and make a light lunch after yesterday’s excess (fish, I think) - but I anticipate feet up all afternoon, if I hope to go out tonight. Maybe I’ll have one more battle with Support, but I am not sure that I have the stomach for it.

Oh, good heavens. I also need to bake for tonight as well… I forgot about that!

[1] Baked goats’ cheese and chutney; fillet steak, proper chunky chips, onion rings, baked tomatoes, mushrooms, veg, garlic mayo, black pepper and cognac butter; christmas pudding ice cream in brandy snap basket.

I am seeking a good hat pattern that I can adapt to match my Sea Fever scarf. To knit in aran weight and (hopefully, though it seems unrealistic) from 1 skein of approx 135 yards. All I want is a good shape that fits the yardage, and a simple pattern that will allow me to fit a band or some panels of the 2 row pattern from the scarf into it… somewhere. Free is good, but will pay small amount for a download pattern.

Manos stats:
8 WPI
16-18 st = 4″
US size 8-10 needles
Yardage 135 yards per 100gms skein

Ob: will get 2 skeins if I have to, but really want to squeeze a hat out of one, if I can.

Can you  recommend one, please? In the comments, below, if you can.

I am pretty much banned from the office this week so, being away from the computer, am spending my time with knitting needles. So far today I have finished the Sea Fever scarf, have 7/10 of the leg pattern done on one Green ‘n Growlly, and have some more Sunset Strip done. Tonight I will try to get the Green ‘n Growlly heel turned. (thinks: should I have called that project Grreen ‘n Grrowlly?)

In the post today, my bottle of Eucalan. I unwrapped it and read the directions, then left it on the table while I made a risotto for lunch.

I heard Nell barking furiously, and went to see what the problem was…

…I guess she didn’t like the taste of Eucalyptus and Lavender!

I have now decanted what was left of the Eucalan into a glass pickle jar and plan to wash the pine cone scarf tomorrow, while Mr L is otherwise engaged in a conference call for several hours and I am on animal-minding duties for the day, and cannot go spinning.

I kept a close eye on the pup this afternoon. She seems unsettled, with a slightly squitty tummy, but none too bad for her adventure, all things considered. On the other hand, if she does needs a trip to the vet tomorrow, well - I can at least do some more green sock knitting… and the Pine Cone can wait until part 2 of the conference call, on Friday. Busy week this week.

And now I have to vacate the office again. *sigh*

(I wonder if this will post? There is a large download going on and we don’t have much bandwidth here until February)

Gill - if you read this, can you call in tomorrow en route to spinning if you have time, please? I have something for you to take along and to think about. (I can’t get into my mail just now.)

Sea Fever is off the needles.

This is it at the halfway point, this morning. The colours are a bit off, as I took the photos around about sunrise. The inside one was flashed, due to lack of available light, so that was a bit bleached and false in colour too.

In the event, it’s not that short - though I would have preferred +9″ or so.

I really need to make time to spin.

But I am having so much fun with my knitting needles right now.

*sigh*

Where can I get another 6 hours a day from, and a further pair of hands?

And I shall miss spinning group this week, too. I am on puppy duty this week.

I just couldn’t resist it. I sat down after lunch and cast in the Manos del Uruguay - just to knit a few rows and see how the colour looks when knit up. I have now knitted the first skein off and it is too dark to have a look and see what the colours are like

It’s fabulous yarn - really warm and soft, and a treat to knit with.

One thing I do know is that this is going to be a disappointingly short scarf. I can’t send  for another skein, it’s far too expensive and, more importantly, there would be a dye lot problem. *sigh* I don’t know, I have never seen the point in a scarf that doesn’t wrap all the way around one’s neck and still dangle satisfactorily.

The other thing I do know, is that I would dearly love to get hold of another skein or two - with which to knit a matching hat.

No photos yet. It’s pitch dark here.

These socks are not going to be a fast knit. I’m half way down the first leg, with 5  of 10 pattern repeats completed.

I don’t like knitting on four needles, much preferring the triangular stability of knitting across three. I find four very floppy and fiddly. Add this to the 10 row pattern, with lots of changes from knit to purl, and the loose ply of the cashmere tending to split… well, very slow work - and a total inability to hit any kind of rhythm at all.

On the other hand, these are going to be very fine socks indeed. The two colours of yarn form an agreeable and subtle contrast, the stitch pattern is attractive, and the soft yarn is very agreeable in the hand indeed. They will be worth the perseverance. I might just squeak in by 31st December. Maybe…

…If…

… I can keep my hands off this lusciousness…

Glorious, glorious colours!

This is Manos del Uruguay, Wool Clasica. 100% wool, kettle dyed by hand, and destined for a “My so called scarf” at the moment. It would not be difficult to feel cheerful in the depth of winter and a knifing wind, in a scarf like that - would it?

This is brilliant

www.kissyourshadow.com

It would be useful in determining the stripes for the socks I plan to do with my angora/lambswool samples [Ravelry] [Flickr] I bought from Orkney Angora, which might turn out something lie this.

It just needs a way of entering the proportion of each colour to be used overall, so that the stripes are constrained to available resources, rather than truly randomised.

It has been decided. Mr L gets a pair of # One Husband Socks. Reading the directions suggests that one skein will  be insufficient - the pattern suggest 150 gms of fingering. However, this yarn is very lengthy, at over 500 yards a 100g skein, and should be plenty. Time is short, though, so I’ll hedge my bets. Grreengage and Growlly are very similar in shade - I’ll knit cuffs and heels in the darker of the two, and legs and feet in the lighter. If there is enough left over, I’ll get a pair of socks by reversing the colours.

Balls have been wound. All I have to do now is cast on. Which is what I plan to do right now.

Mr Plumbum’s Green ‘n Growlly Socks at Ravelry

# One Husband Socks at Ravelry