Blithe Dance - Sam's Knitting Pages

Waving goodbye to the prettiest socks in the world

The Waving Lace socks are finished, packed, and on their way to London for the Rowanette Seasons exchange.

I don't have any sock blocking templates but a hastily-bent coathanger did suffice.  I think the pinks and mauves here are so very pretty, I do hope I've read my recipient's colour tastes correctly.  They will certainly be warm!

They look rather nice on feet as well, (Is it cheeky to try on socks meant for a gift, even for modelling?)

Last year in the Rowanette Exchange, I knitted a cushion and received a cushion too  .  This year, I have knitted socks and also received a pair of socks. And a scarf.  And biscuits.  And toys.  And sprinkles.  THANK YOU KARIN - I LOVE THEM ALL!!

They came on Monday, when my neighbour brought round Saturday's parcels.  This also included my first-day Harry Potter which I was cussing Amazon about all through Saturday, to the point where the husband went and bought me another copy. But, the parcel from Karin...

She wrote that the scarf was for spring and the socks for autumn.  I love them and they look great on. The biscuits didn't last long.  The little wooden animals were made by her dad - the boys love them especially the crocodile.

The socks are a feather-and-fan pattern, light and lacy (like I thought mine would be!) and here's a close-up:

It's been a week of many parcels, because I've also received Patons Fairytale Colour to knit my competition entry.  One of the colours was not the one I specified, but they are sorting that, you know how I have to have the perfect shade!  The yarn is good though, very like the old Rowan Designer DK but seems a little thicker.  I think it will make a stable rather than drapey fabric, which is what I like for children.  In fact, I'm quite excited about the swing back from blends and trends to pure merino double knitting in lots of colours from Rowan, Patons, Sublime etc. Good Ol' Proper Knitting Wool.

P.S.  Barely had I uploaded this posting, when I received an email to say that the Jaeger range is being discontinued, including all the Matchmaker Merino, Baby Merino and Extra Fine lines.  So much for that!  Perhaps I should amend the last comment to say thank goodness that Good Ol' Proper Knitting Wool is not dying out completely despite severe attacks.  Oh, I'm gutted. Jaeger! I have Jaeger yarn that's older than I am in my stash. Sorry, what's that? On sale? OK, where's the credit card...

good news, bad news

I have to blog this - there is no one at home but me and the babies and I have to tell someone! The post has just arrived! Time for a quick post while the children are having their Weetabix.

I submitted two designs to the Knitting mag. competition.  I worked late into the night and this was what the kitchen looked like when I'd finished!

Into one of them I poured all my ideas and inspiration, fair isle, knitting in the round, shading colours, clever design details.  But it was not quite a tradtional knitting pattern for children, so on my husband's advice I quickly cobbled together a second design with some intarsia motifs and stripes, that's more the usual thing you see in childrens books. I have a horror of picture sweaters, you see, I like my intarsia geometric and subtly coloured. 

You can guess which one is through to the final! Yes, not my darling creation, but the last-minute one. ?Ha! Serves me right, that.  Really I am very chuffed to have got into the last six, and of course have another knitting deadline, but can I have some knitterly commiserations for my suffering design muse in my hour of need?

They are going to have to remain shrouded in mystery though. I'm going to work the Fair Isle one up in Rowan Pure Wool and try it for submission to Knitty - might even introduce a steek.  But it would need to be an original design, not blogged about.

Rowan Exchange - one sock finished, one two inches in.  Looking good, progressing slowly. T'was ever so.

Added later

I've realised that I might have come across as rather ungracious about being a finalist! I'm thrilled to bits, really I am.  I think I should give Coats the credit for knowing what their target knitting public want to see. And can't wait to get knitting, either.  Note to self: never blog before having a cup of tea in the morning.

On a mission

I haven't gone away again

but..

I can't blog about what I'm knitting!  I'm entering the competition in June/July Knitting magazine, to design a child's garment.  Since I don't like to do things by halves, I'm entering two designs and am currently in the final stages of colouring/photographing/swatching. 

I hope you understand I don't really want to blog my ideas at the moment, particularly if they get through to the next round, you will have to go to Ally Pally to vote on them at the Knitting and Stitching Show.  If I don't, I'll reveal all in a couple of weeks, which is a lot more likely.

Worst of all, the competition deadline is just a couple of days before the Rowanette  Exchange next week, and I'm still on my first sock!  I can show you a picture of that one:

The colours in this Natural Dye Studio sock yarn are lovely.  I thought the sock was coming out to be quite thick, but I think that's characteristic of any sock with texture.

It's been lovely to read people's accounts of Woolfest.  I did hope to go this year, and started planning, but all kinds of family events took it over in the end.  Maybe next time...