Some Knitting and Some More

In all this quilting activity, please don't think I've not been sticking to my knitting.  :-)

Isn't she lovely?  I made the hat at left with THIS FREE PATTERN and Bravo Crazy Color yarn in a darker colour-way featuring deep blue, wine and a hint of gold.

As you can tell from the photo on the right, I'm no model, and it's hard to photograph oneself!  LOL!  However, it'll give you some idea of the colour (#85 in the Bravo Crazy Color scheme of things).

And I've been knitting away on the fingerless mittens I mentioned a wee bit ago, a birthday gift for my friend B.  I've finished the one for the right hand (this pattern is specific) and the cuff for the left, and I'm just about to start the gusset for the left thumb.  Although I've not washed and blocked it, you can get a good idea how it looks in this photo:.  Isn't that cuff simply too pretty?

The pattern is Short & Sweet Fingerless Mitts by Anne Sahakian, and the yarn is Elann Collection Peruvian Baby Silk -- a luscious blend of baby alpaca and silk -- in Raspberry.  The ribbing for the top and thumb isn't tricky, but it takes a bit of juggling to do it on double-pointed needles!

And for those who may be curious, here's the results of my 'snowverdye' experiment.  I laid all 4 pieces (2 large, 2 small) on my cutting table here:

And the same group, taken from the top (I stood on a step-stool):

A close-up of one of the large pieces (muslin):

And the two small pieces (cotton sheeting - originally white):

As these pieces will be cut/torn into strips for sunsets and sunrises, for the most part, I'm very happy with the results.  The colour reminds me of the inside of a fresh peach, and I managed to achieve enough pink amid the scarlet and golden yellow.

The neat thing about dyeing, for me, is that I do it in very small batches, and even if I use a recipe, it's rare to get pieces that turn out the same way twice.  That bit of mystery keeps me coming back to it.

I think my next experiment is going to be with a natural dye -- for the first time.  Christmas Day an anonymous giver left a package of goodies on my back stoop -- including two packets of black Ceylon tea.  Now, I'm not much of a tea-drinker; I've tried it, and it's OK.  But two large packets!  Then I read arlee's blog, with a link to Wendy's blog  with a link to a list of plants for eco-printing.  If you scroll down far enough you'll find this entry:  "Black tea, dried leaves".  Well, duh!  Now to do some reading on the how-to (as in, how to get the best results, how to prep the fabric etc.)...and go for it.  Yes, I know it'll give me blacks, browns, and perhaps greys -- and these will be perfect for skies, gravel roads and bush...I see more landscapes in my future!

I Think I'm in Love

Those of you who've followed me for a bit know that before I was a quilter, I was an embroiderer, and before that, a knitter.  I am all three all the time now (phew! no wonder I get tired!), but I am always and forever will be a knitter.  In fact, I imagine Heaven is the home of the most fabulous yarn shoppe... but I digress.

For the past decade (or so it seems), I've been inordinately fond of knitting socks.  My favourite needles for socks are 2.75 mm. double points (DPNs).  I've used bamboo (merely okay) and birch (okay) but far and away prefer metal.  Until recently, my collection of 2.5 mm - 3.00 mm. DPNs looked like this:

What a motley crew!  My grandfather would've described this collection as 'six of a dozen, assorted' -- and rightly so!  Bent, misshapen, varying lengths and quantities.  Sigh.

What's a sock-knitter to do?

Well. 'Nuff said.  I went to Lori at The Crafty Lady in Lacombe for a DPN 'fix', and came home with a set of these babies:

Knitter's Pride Nova

They're Knitter's Pride Nova DPNs, 2.75 mm, five in a set, 6" long, shiny, lightweight, smooth, sharp-pointed (but not so you'd prick your finger), and perfect for my latest project.  Here you see them being modelled in the first of a pair of Short n Sweet Fingerless Mitts, designed by Anne Sahakian, and available as a free download on Ravelry.

The yarn is Peruvian Baby Silk (80% baby alpaca; 20% silk), from Elann's Peruvian collection.  I amassed an inordinate amount of this (and it's look-alike, Baby Cashmere) in raspberry -- and a bit in other colours -- several years ago, and tend to knit it up in delicious 1, 2 or 3-ball projects (this one takes 2) for special people's special occasions.  (In this case, my friend B is having a birthday at the beginning of February.)  My hands love to knit with this yarn, and now, on these needles...well, as I said, I think I'm in love!