Lest you think there's no knitting...

Picture from amazon.ca

Never fear!  Sock knitting proceeds apace, with the 'Veil of Rosebuds' pattern designed by Anne Hanson, from Clara Parkes' new book, given me by my daughter for Christmas.  Whoot!

Needless to say, I had to get started on a pair of socks right away, and this was the perfect choice for the Patons Kroy FX yarn I had in hand.  These are a gift, so I can't show too much -- despite the fact that the recipient (to my knowledge) never reads my blog.



However, I can tell you that the pattern is  24-rows, with every even row a simple K6, P1; these 24 rows are knit a total of three times, and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm already half-way through the second set of 24.  Pretty, no?

P.S.: In the OBMQ Part 6, I've now finished 26 blocks -- 13 in each colour way.  Here are the first 8, playing nicely on my design wall.  The challenge in these is to select quarter-square triangles that complement the black, white and red squares, making those centre squares pop and avoiding an arrangement that could be too 'busy'.

All this bodes well for the next few Activities in my C&G Module 5, as I've come to the part of the program that requires I design my own pieced block(s).  I'm to begin by researching a favourite block or blocks -- history, name(s), etc.  I've been reading Quilts and Other Bed Coverings in the Canadian Tradition by Ruth McKendry (now out of print, but available in the Parkland Regional Library system), and it's leading me in the direction in which I want to go.

Canadian quilting history is sparse.  I suspect that this is due primarily to the practical nature of quilts, which were made to keep bodies warm in our cold Canadian winters, rather than to be preserved as artifacts.  Secondarily, though, unlike our neighbours to the south, Canada hasn't devoted museum space solely to quilts; that is, it has no Canadian Quilt Museum.  Rather, any historic quilts and other textiles have formed part and parcel of broader displays in  museums coast to coast, and are shown in special exhibits from time to time, but not all together in one central location.

McKendry's research and writing attempted to rectify our lack of knowledge in this area, and I am enjoying it very much.  More to come as I finish my reading and begin to work on my C&G blocks.