Thursday, July 29, 2010

Almost August

Summer up here has been mostly warm and even hot at times. While this is very good and a nice change, it is not so good for the knitting. Wool has a tendency to get sticky when it is humid and hot and it is so easy to ignore its calling while it is lingering in its basket. So unfortunately that is what I have been doing all summer, just walking past the sticky pile.


But while the above has been what I have mostly done, there has been little bit of knitting and mostly garter stitch shawlettes. Perfectly mindless and easy but with variegated yarns quite entertaining and the task occupies the idle hands.

Tour de Fleece was finished last weekend and I am sure with all this spinning going on in various places of the earth has been sending spinning fumes far and some of them have landed here. I have been spinning a little bit, very little but for not touching the wheels for months, this feels like a change. I just washed the one skein I have done, about 320 meters of BFL and silk mixture. It was beautifully prepared and a joy to spin. I did start spinning another batch of wool and this time chocolate brown corriedale. Another well prepared 100 grams. I have two wheels and I have been using my old Louet S10, and I just love that wheel. I am not sure if the reason for the deep love is the fact that the miracle of spinning happened on that wheel. This was the equipment that taught me the basics and thus our bond is tight.


Earlier this summer I did some sort of stir in my stash and examined my sock yarns and lace yarns. I have few truly bad colors of few yarns as a result of online shopping where it is sometimes hard to really know what you are getting. I find this very difficult when ordering beige yarns (and I just love beige) and thus I have some sock yarn that is this ugly flesh color. So I threw them into dye pots and managed to turn them into orange, which is a lot better that the previous color and I plan to do this with the rest of the ugly ones too.


Talking about yarns and thinking about the fall (which is hopefully still far away), it will be great to be heading towards the time (not just yet) when all kinds of new yarns come to market. I am really looking forward to some new stuff. Some time ago I bought couple of skeins of DUO, yarn made in Denmark by Design Club, quite lovely Merino, thin, 100 grams has 540 meters and the feel is not the usual Merino, that is very smooth and very soft, this felt little more earthy and natural and a bit robust maybe. Really, a happy surprise. I know there are two more versions of this yarn, with alpaca and with silk and at some point I am going to get those too.


I love pincushions and really every now and then I have to make a new one, and here are two that are quite new. While knitting the other one, it had me thinking about knitting different shapes, and I think I have to experiment a little more.



So again, I could not say wool with you, because with these hot temperatures, even saying wool could make one sweat and choke. If this is not the time to be knitting much, now is a really good time to make plans for the cooler times. Make a list of all those interesting shawls or socks or mittens or hats or sweaters... you get the idea.

Lene

17 comments:

  1. Great idea to turn flesh into orange. :) Love it! Oh yeah, I've had my share of online colour mis-picks. :(

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  2. Oh Lene I adore that knitted pin cushion!! See, this is why I love my beloved bloggers...so amazing what everyone is doing in different seasons. Do you have a pattern for your pin cushion?
    I love to spin in the garden under a tree every summer...have to be so careful not to get a sunburn!
    How is the new puppy? A. xx

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  3. I have missed seeing your posts and reading what you are up to in your part of the world. and I am surprized to read that at oppisite ends of the world we are probable doing the same things. my knitting is also sitting idlely in its basket the last few weeks. Although I have been doing a few shawlettes i don't want to tackle anything big. I have been working on backing a few quilts tops that I found in a thrift store. I am dyeing up yarns with the summer flowers. but I have yet to learn to spin my own yarn.

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  4. That orange is gorgeous!

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  5. I love knitting even in the summer, I don't care about the heat!
    I love your first pincussion, and as for ideas for the knitted ones, have you seen these: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/posey-2

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  6. eileen19:14

    I just love your knitted pin cushion. Would you consider sharing your pattern - maybe on ravelry? What did you stuff it with?

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  7. It is so good to hear from you again...and the meat colored yarn? That is exactly what i did with the meat colored yarn I found in a second hand shop. It was merino and silk: I could't leave it there could I? but the color was awful... until I gave it a kool aid bath :-D

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  8. That orange became very nice! So much power in it!

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  9. Lene, how good to read something from you again!- I started a knitted cotton towel in beige. I never knitted a towel, but as the cotton yarn is very thin, it is going to be quite nice.
    Kind regards from
    Claudia

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  10. Anonymous02:23

    I've really, really missed your blogging! So glad to be able to hear what you are up to.

    Love the orange yarn and can't wait to see what it becomes!

    I knit all during the summer, no matter what the temps. My hands just itch to knit and I can't go without my "fix"! It's good you have other things to keep you occupied! ~Jan

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  11. Anonymous04:32

    I know what you mean about heat and wool. Here in Georgia, it was in the high 90s (97 I think was the high!). I'm finally getting back in the mood to knit; not just a few rows here and there.

    The dyed wool is quite lovely and so are the pincushions.

    Melody

    PS It's great to see you back! Please post a picture of your shawlettes.

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  12. I have an S-10, too. Bought my first one in the mid-80's and sold it when we moved in the early 90's. About two years ago, one of my friends found another for me. And last Thursday I brought it out into the living room and got to work.

    My next wheel will be a double-treadle Lendrum, for ergonomic reasons, but I don't see myself ever letting go of S-10.2

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  13. Anonymous16:32

    There's a folk song that goes:

    Three men went hunting....until they came to a porcupine as they were on their way.
    The englishman said it's a porcupine,
    the scotman he said nay.
    Be jeebers said Pat it's pincushion with the pins stuck in the wrong way!"

    Let's ignore the implied slur against the poor Irishman.

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  14. So good to see a new post from you! I click on your blog every day...hoping. It's hot hot hot here, too, but I manage some small projects by knitting first in the back yard before the sun hits, then I move into the air conditioned house.
    I favor the first pincushion. It would be nice just have nearby.

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  15. Anonymous02:40

    nice to hear from you. I love your blog. You are who I want to be as a craft person.mary in Cincinnati

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  16. I am LOVING the orange! and your pincushions! I saw where you'd faved the Posies (name?) one on Ravelry :^)
    Even though it's dreadfully hot here, with high humidity.. my husband is a big fan of climate control indoors thereby making the wool friendly to handle all year round.
    Looking forward to seeing your spun yarn and shawlettes. :^) I've also been enjoying spinning lately and first time Navajo plying.
    Cheers for your Summer Light and Warmth :^)

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  17. Lene, I also adore that knitted pin cushion! Yes, is there a pattern available for that?

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