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Friday 14 September 2018

autumn

the weather has changed.... you can smell autumn. it's wetter, windier and the sunny spells are less frequent - or it only seems that way because we had a decent summer for once? in the header picture you can see the bog down in the valley - the pink heather is mostly gone, left are the greens and browns and you have to get very close to find small spots of colour. scabious in lavender, the darker purple devil's bit scabious with the little drumstick flowers, elderberries, blackberries, some red, most black - and some light rose blackberry flowers in between:) the colours are all muted, but I like this time of the year. not so cold that you have to wrap up, but when you walk, cycle or work you won't melt either!
 
this is the time for pumpkins - not my own in the garden, because for some reason they never want to grow for me. but if I can't grow them - I can always knit some!
this is a free pattern on the net, but I didn't save the link. there are plenty of pumpkin patterns around though. I added the little tendril and the leave from another pattern... the orange is handspun teeswater, dyed with food dyes. the green is commercial sock wool, dyed with reed flowers.
it's going to go to a new home tomorrow though, as a little thank you. 
the socks are a bit late for the season, but I wanted them finished; they can "rest" until next summer. I like wearing cotton sneaker socks in my gardening clogs - the woolly ones are to warm for summer! why the colourway is called kiwi though - I have no idea! and I think it's the first time that I managed twin sock without trying...


I also (finally) finished DH's birthday present from june, ahem:) it was nearly done, but the weather turned so hot that I couldn't bring myself to knit wool tweed yarn to finish it in time. and even though the weather turned cooler in august, I lost my wool knitting mojo - it only came back at the beginning of september!
the pattern is a very simple, straight one, with a bit of "fair isle" basket weave at the bottom. the yarn on a cone (directly from kilkarra donegal yarns) is prepared for knitting machines, a fine singles, slightly oiled. this gives it a bit of an odd feel when spinning by hand, but once washed it has a very nice hand. my husband likes it warm and he loves anything woolly to wear over shirts etc. 
remember the colourful sweater my son didn't want to wear? this is the yarn after taking it all apart. it's a single, but with practically no wear it was easy to unravel. I think I will use it for a larger knit/felted bag for me, knitted in domino style, to make the short colour changes less fussy. have to do a sample first though - I always find it surprising how different the shrinkage rate during felting can be, not only with different yarns, but also with different stitch patterns and esp. between knitting and crochet! I have 750 g - should be plenty for even a larger bag.







 
but now I better pack up my stuff for tomorrow - because it's WWSIP - worldwide spin in public day! we have set up our first ever event at the museum, where our textile craft group meets - and I hope we'll have some visiting spinners on the day. the weather will not be great - but we can sit inside and spin away the day:)

6 comments:

Delighted Hands said...

Beautiful view on your header-I love all the different colors and textures!
The pumpkin is cute with its tendrils but the cables really make it special!
the Vest is beautiful-you finished it just in time for Fall! Nice job!
I can't believe you were able un unravel the singles so well-they will make a beautiful bag! Have a wonderful time tomorrow!!!!!

Woolly Bits said...

Cindy - thanks. I esp. like the little tree in front - it looks like a little elf family lives in the roots at the bottom:)
and the pumpkin has gone to a new home - I lack space for decorations like that or I'd make myself a bunch of them. good use for orange yarn that I wouldn't want to use in garments:)
we did have fun at the wwsip day - though we had french visitors by the bus load - and my french has become veeery rusty over the years! good thing that some things are easier to demonstrate than to explain...

Anonymous said...

das ist ja sehr interessantes Muster wie gewebt!! danke für deine beiträge bei mir und ich mag nun auch nicht den Wetterwechsel, immer neue Sturmattacken . zu Kürbis im Garten, hast du es mal mit dem unreifen Komposthaufen versucht..da wachsen sie zu gerne. liebe Grüße Wiebke

Woolly Bits said...

Wiebke - ich hab laenger gesucht fuer ein muster nur mit 2 farben, das trotzdem nicht untergeht (die farben haben nicht viel kontrast). irgendwann werde ich aber auch mal eins machen, das aussieht wie vergroesserte strickmaschen:)
und der naechste sturm ist hier schon unterwegs:( nicht nur die sommer aendern sich! und ja, ich hab kuerbis schon an mehreren empfohlenen stellen gepflanzt, aber erfolgreich war ich nirgendwo:( draussen waren die sommer immer zu kuehl und die herbste dann zu windig:( aber es ist wohl ueberall so: manche sachen wachsen super, andere wieder nicht. damit muss man als gaertner eben leben - oder seine pflanzen wie verrueckt verhaetscheln....

Leigh said...

I love the pumpkin and I love the basket weave design on you husband's sweater! You're right about weather motivation, though. I find it true not only in fiber content, but also in the size of the project!

Woolly Bits said...

Leigh - the basket weave was fun to knit, but in hindsight I should have made the vest a bit longer:( either I mismeasured - or the thing shrank after the first wash (assuming my husband has stopped growing of course:) and it's true - I tend to make larger projects during the colder months, but that might be down to too much gardening work during summer? at least it's rare to be so hot over here that I don't want to knit or spin anymore....