socks'n'colours

here are the "ayer's rock" socks - the yarn is from Stahl Socka "country". I think the name is apt, at least this is how I imagine the colours of "uluru", to be correct. I saw photos of it (I doubt that I'll ever see it in person - it's far too hot for a polar bear like me!) and it had a range of reds and browns and dark areas all over .... I also like the new range of "country2" by the same company - the colours are 2 each of water, fire, earth and air. when I talked about it DS became all excited - because he is a fan of the kid's series "avatar" - master of the 4 elements:)) I think those colour ways might tempt him far more than the new opal series about harry potter. I don't know if the designer of the colour scheme has ever read a hp book or even just saw a film - but he or she obviously has no idea about the colours that most fans would call typical - no house colours on sight or any other connection one could associate with the hp theme. I have my doubts that it will be a major success - but there is no accounting for taste:))

anyway, I have ordered a lot of small balls from Martina - but for my own hp sock designs, which might differ rather a lot from opal's version! I just hope I can knit 12 different pairs quickly enough, so that I make it in time for xmas - there it is, the dreaded word, already looming over me in the middle of summer! I am also looking forward to the sock book by Cat Bordhi - have been meaning to order it for some time now, but never got around to do it. I heard rave reviews about it - a totally new way to knit socks:)

this is a photo of my favourite fuchsia right now. I bought it "blind", no pix, no info - but I am delighted with the colour of the flowers - and their shape! they look a bit like a tutu in dark purple:)) or rather a crinoline with a flouncy skirt on top! the colours are less pink and purple, more reddish and nearly black in real life, but I think they are gorgeous and I am going to try to dye some silk in similar colours. well, one can try:))

I also finished a small hank of soy silk, dyed during the olg challenge. I had started to spin dark red and blue together to form a marl yarn, but after spinning half a bobbin I decided that I don't really like it all that much. I plied it together on itself - and still don't like it any better. and anyway, after all the veggies and silks - I felt like spinning some fluffy wool. given the fact that I need to start on the baby "sleeping bag cum cardie" design again soon - I've chosen the wool I dyed with the leftover of the "hummingbird challenge", a soft and squishy nz lamb. I haven't spun wool in a while - amazing how fast a bobbin (I am talking about large louet bobbins, not the tiny ones from ashford:) can fill up with a chunkier spin! before I finish the bobbin however I am going to test-ply - to see whether it looks better as a 2ply or a navajo 3ply! lots to do - off to have some fun!