Yarn Porn!

Zak and Sara
Originally uploaded by cob_web

I found this shop through Ravelry and I have fallen in love with this sock yarn. The colourway is called Zak and Sara and it would go SO WELL with my new trainers.

The website is here: Snarky

Sadly the international postage is more than the yarn, which I just can't justify to myself. But isn't it FABULOUS? So unashamedly '80s. So PERFECT for my trainers.

*wants*

Replying to comments?

Two people kindly replied to my post about casting on socks - but I have no idea how to reply!! I know this isn't LJ, but I'd have thought you could reply to people? Any ideas?

I have a knitting in public story to tell, but I think I'll wait until I am less ill so I can tell it properly.

calorimetry

calorimetry2
Originally uploaded by cob_web

Today I finished off Calorimetry from Knitty. I finished knitting it on tuesday, but had to cast on my socks for travelling, so didn't finish it off.

I'm quite pleased with it, its a nice pattern. I cast on 10 less stitches than the pattern cos I know my sister and I have tiny heads. Good job too cos its slightly big. I think Soph has a bigger ehad than me so it will probably be fine for her.

I picked a 100% organic rare breed wool for this, as Soph is very much into organic and animal welfare. It was a nice yarn to work with but it shed quite a bit and made me sneeze! There was also bits of hay - but I like that in this kind of yarn I think!

I had to cast off one row early due to running out of yarn, but I don't think it matters.

Casting on socks

So, I have to spend the evening in a hotel by myself tomorrow night. I HATE hotels and I HATE being in them by myself. So I obviously have to take some knitting to do. There isn't much left to do on my Calorimetry, so I am going to cast on a sock tonight. I finished its friend ages ago, so it will be nice to have a pair!

I hate casting on for socks. I always have to do it a number of times. The main problem is the joining bit - I often end up with a gap, which is annoying. Do most people cast onto one needle and then redistribute?

Organic Yarn

I'm knitting Calorimetry in a Soil Association Certified Organic 100% Wool from rare breed sheep. Its a very different type of yarn. Very rough and ready, but I guess that is to be expected. Its undyed, and is a lovely dark brown with little pale flecks in it. It sheds a bit as I knit it, but it knitting up well so far. We'll see how it goes.

Finished Scarf

hayley_4
Originally uploaded by cob_web

I finished Hayley's scarf last night. I'm quite please with it. The yarn problems (see previous post) didn't help, and meant a lot of weaving in of ends (bleurgh) but its done, and its fat and long and cozy. Hurrah!

My first attempt at a fringe, which worked well.

Obsevations about scarf knitting and skeins

So, I've been moaning about knitting scarves. Scarves are generally a beginner knitter type of project, but I have never actually knitted a scarf before. My very first project was a cushion cover, and then I jumped in at the deep end with eeyore.

I was getting very fed up of eyelash yarn, but took a break and knitted the mobius strip pattern and now I'm knitting a drop stitch scarf with some lovely Collinette yarn.

One thing that these two scarves have given me is the chance to learn a couple of new techniques. The first (from Moibus) was some basic lace stitches, which were very cool. Plus the challenge of figuring out the cast-on. then with Hayley's scarf its the drop stitches. So simple, but as with everything there are a couple of tricks that have meant my technique has improved over the length of the scarf.

Usually when I knit he first stitch of a row I pull it much tighter than for the rest of the row - otherwise I end up with flabby bits of yarn making my edges look messy. Not so much of a problem where the edges become seems, but important in a scarf. However, you can't do this with a drop stitch, otherwise you distort the knitting too much. I found after a while that if I put my finger on the yarn when I had it how I wanted it while I knit the next stitch, just for the first 3 stitches, then the fabric stabilised and I could pull as tight as I wanted and it wouldn't change the stitches (if that makes sense - its hard to describe).

So this is only the third lot of yarn I've used where its in skeins. I have a chair I can hang them over now while I wind them into balls - but I am intrigued by talk about "swifts" and "yarn winders". They seem terribly expensive to me (swifts at least) and I'm not sure it would be worth the investment. I've also seen no clear explanation about how they work anywhere. I wonder if yarn is sold in skeins more int eh US, as its Americans I see talking about them more. Maybe I have just been knitting with crap yarn?!

I'm glad I'm knitting a scarf with this Collinette, the skeins had been attacked by the cats a bit, and as I wound it into a ball it broke in a number of places so I've had to keep joining new bits in. I hate hiding ends though. HATE IT!

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post :-)