Sunday, September 04, 2022

New socks, old blanket and cross stitch, maybe

So it is fall, no doubt about it. The wind has come from the Arctic the whole week and it has been brutal. I have build a fire couple of times and enjoyed the smell of wood burning and the sound of wood crackling. Talking about fire, we have been filling the wood shed up to the brim last week and the same job continues this coming week also. The shortage of energy and the price of it has been the topic of the last month and this coming winter will be a difficult one up here. Woolens and wood, both in demand.

I was going through my sock drawer the other day (thanks to the northerly winds), sadly to discover that many (most) of my socks would need serious mending, some are in such a bad state that I would really need to rip the foot part and only save the long cuffs (I do love my socks to have long cuffs) and knit new bottoms. What should I do as the sock mojo has been long absent, and I hate cold feet. 

While I was grocery shopping and walked past the yarn aisle in the store, I took a good look at the sock yarns there. I picked up three skeins of white with the thought that I would dye them - maybe knitting from my own hand dyed yarn would spark up the desire to knit socks.

I spent some time in the kitchen mixing colors and this is the result. I do like how the yarn turned out and immediately cast on for a pair of socks and finished them, but it did not spark my sock knitting, not much at least. I wonder if it would return if I just kept knitting socks… I did that, but knitting is so much more fun if you enjoy the project. However, another pair is almost done.



So, now that I know I need socks and should knit them, and have no desire to take that route, my knitway is blocked. I took another turn and returned to blanket crochet. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen this blanket I crocheted last year I think.



I love the basic square (Tombola by Maria Gullberg) and I started another blanket almost immediately after the first one. I have crocheted squares here and there since and



I will add new squares until the knitting resolves its route blocks or finds a new path to proceed. I have eyed my quilting fabrics. I would love to sew something…  a project bag or something bigger…


But now a confession. I know I really don’t need any new yarn/thread adventures, but I have a serious hankering to do some cross stitch. During the past two years, I have made some small projects, and these two are my last ones.

I love to look at the colors of the floss, and make tiny crosses, it is meditative and slow. While I was making these two, I thought that the other one is for Piisku and the other for Väinö. They are best friends and love playing together, but do get into mischief a lot. These are Plum Street Samplers Olga and Boris. I cross stitched on Aida (16 count?) with my own colors, as I have plenty of floss but not the called for colors and just made the pictures with what I had. 

Ok, so those two above pictures are very me. I am very much an animal person, and a country girl who loves rough wool… so how can I explain that now I would really love to make a Mirabilia… have you seen those? I just love Red and Persephone … and the mermaids. I love the tiny crosses and especially the sparkling beads, I love how vivid the colors are. Just absolutely beautiful. Up till now I have not ordered anything, but I am not sure for how long I can resist… I am trying and seriously fighting the urge… but then…Have you seen this? And there is a lot more to see of Chris Dunn’s work at Painefreecrafts?

I am sighing. What should I do? Make a small Christmas ornament in cross stitch and then think again of the bigger projects…

In the meantime, hope you are well and as always,

Wool with you,

Lene 


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