Dreaming Kool-Aid Dreams

So there is a company called White Rabbit Fibers LLC that I found through an ad on facebook that always seems to tease me with their white yarns. These yarns are just begging me to buy them, love them, and give them some personality. It's gotten pretty bad lately as they have 400 yards of lace weight silk for 10.99. Ten. Ninety. Nine. I've always wanted to knit myself up a pretty silk shawl or stole or wrap or something to throw on to make it through these chilly evenings before spring really gets here, but I want colors that scream "I am a shawl, and I OBVIOUSLY belong to Catrina." I've heard about dyeing with Kool-aid, but I know that kool-aid only works on protien based fibers like wool and alpaca. Cotton need not apply. But silk? Silk is in it's own category, and even though it's a protien, is it a kool-aid acceptable protien? I'm hoping that it is a possibility, and I plan to try it sometime in my near future. Or maybe I'll just stick with some merino. I do like merino...

Frogging away the day

So about 6 months ago, I had found myself yet again walking through the yarn vendors of the Garlic and Arts festival that takes place every October in Orange, Massachusetts. Normally, I'll find some funky hand dyed something that makes me go, "oooh! that's obnoxious!" And, of course, I buy it. Last year however, something magical happened. I had walked past the same booth about three or five or fifty (whatever...) times, and didn't really see anything that caught my eye. Then. Suddenly. There it was. An obvious hank of silk something or other. Seafoam green with specks of pink, sage, blue, purple... very pastel colors. Not usually something I would go for. I made the mistake of touching it. It was soft. Unbelievably soft. And shine? Out there in the setting sun, it was as if it was lit from within. I paid a hefty price for it, but I knew it would be worth it.

It sat for a while. Waiting for it's pattern to be found. I searched the books. I scoured the internet. I finally, finally found it. It was the Twisted Leaves Cowl, only I didn't want just a cowl. Oh no, not for this yarn. This yarn needed something more. So I added three more repeats, and had myself one of those infinity scarves. It was close to 300 stitches around. There were yarn overs, and K3tog's, and the pattern just made the colors pop. Halfway through however, I realized I had made a fatal mistake.

I had twisted my stitches when I joined to begin working in the round.

Now, of course I didn't want to rip it out and go back and start all over. It was too much of a pain. It would turn out fine, I told myself repeatedly. Nobody will ever notice. So with gritted teeth and a knot in my stomach, I continued on. I finished it. I bound it off. I was almost satisfied. But that twist, oh that twist.. It got to me. It hurt me in a place deep within my being. I wore it proudly. I pointed out my mistake. Then, the warm weather arrived. It sat, lonely, balled up and tucked away, eating at my thoughts.

I couldn't take it anymore. Thus, the frogging began. This yarn was too special to just sit in a corner, like a resident of the Island of Misfit toys. It's been a painstaking process, gently pulling apart the stitches that have tried to fuse themselves together over time. Slowly, ever so slowly the ball is growing and the cowl is shrinking, and the hunt for a pattern resumes. This time, It's not going to be knit in the round. I'm not taking that chance again. But what, what will it become?

Starting Again

Now that I have a laptop again, I think I might actually post to my little blog here.

Fine, I'll do it

Sooo my sister's knitting was contagious, and about a year ago I decided to learn how to do it. And now, I have my very first pattern! Go me. Friend's and I have named it the "mySock" as not to impose on any sort of copyright infringement blah blah... and it was a cute little name. I used Bambool for a few reasons. I love the colors I had left over from a scarf, it was one of the only yarns I had that would work on a size two, and the sock itself will double as a smudge remover for the screen without scratching it. Didn't take too long to make, and probably would have gone faster if this wasn't my first time magic looping. Tricky business. I left an opening at the bottom for the charger cable, and thanks to the two rows of k2tog, there is a conveniently located hole for the headphone jack. anywho, here we go:

Yarn used: Elsebeth Lavold Bambool in Hot Pink and Juicy Green
Amount: Not much. Didn't really keep track of total yards, but it was far less than a ball of the pink, and just a scrap of the green.
Needle Size: size 2 on extra long circulars (I wanted a tight stitch to protect that oh so precious screen...)
Gauge: 8sts and 8rows in 1X1 rib

CO 40 sts, pull cable through at 20sts.
Work in 1x1 rib
cont in pat for 12 rows, change to green. cont in pat with green for 2 rows. change back to pink.
cont in pat for 20 rows
k2tog for next two rows
BO, weave in all ends.