Small things

Life is currently throwing just about as many balls as I can handle given two arms and the occasional judicious use of my teeth. Others might deflect balls by bouncing them off their heads, but I want to catch and keep everything I see. I'm like that.

Nonetheless there is another pair of socks in my drawer:
My Ugly Socks.
Yarn: Tofutsies 722 'Stand on your own two feet' (I think).
Pattern: my own. Basketweave rib instep and leg, sole and heel ribbed for snug fit because I doubted whether the yarn would be stretchy. It's worked, and I haven't noticed the ribbing texture when I've worn them.

I had doubts about the appearance of this yarn as soon as I opened the parcel. The colours don't work particularly well for me, and I dislike (is not too strong a word) the vague heatheriness added by a strand of white in the mix. It's very splitty indeed, but as others have said, once washed it blooms and gains a slight silky sheen. The fabric is quite thin, eminently suitable for summer wear. I will knit with it again – I have another ball in a different colourway that will be socks for him, he likes thin socks – but I don't think I'll buy more unless I can inspect the colour in person.

What else is new? Well, not new, but I've been trying to find time to make the summer top that's living in my head a real project. Remember the Duct Tape Dummies? Here's mine, fully marked-up with my measurements:


Very Strange. Like people, dummies gain weight when seen through a lens. I was honestly surprised by my shape. I'm not fat, really I'm not. Just... stocky. Not wobbly, no gross bulges (other than the bust, but that's not my fault). Sturdy. Ages ago Joanne asked what it looked like wearing a piece of clothing I like; that's another Crea Concept top. I wear it over a tight-fitting camisole roughly the colour of the duct tape.
Again, I love the structure of this garment. It's so interesting. Knitted in rayon, according to the label. I'll spare you pictures of the dummy draped with a bit of cloth heavy enough to emulate the fall of knitted fabric while I tested the ways that a cowl neck (or whatever you call the thing with excess fabric falling into folds above/over the bust) might work on me. I don't know why, but the thing in my head has one. And it's just developed what could be a very interesting way of growing that excess.

Next: a quick glimpse of some spinning. This is my first attempt at silk cap, beautiful stuff hand-dyed with indigo by the Mulberry Dyer. I initially spun the singles quite thickly and very loosely as I tried to work out how to handle the slubs and variations in thickness spinning from the cap. The end result would not have knitted, so I put it on a felt plying ball and basically re-worked it thinner, and with more twist. This time the singles looked pretty (so blue! so shiny!) but still very uneven, so I plied it back on itself. And decided I'd ruined it: the yarn looked a mess. Now, after washing, I wouldn't say it's ruined. I think it will knit or weave a very nice rough fabric that gleams in the light. I have to try again for a better single, then compare singles vs 2-ply when knitted. I might need to buy more cap, though. It's a challenge, but so interesting!


Not quite last, but far, far from least:*

If you don't recognise the thing stretched out under the rocks (it's shy), go and get that fabulous hand-paint sock yarn out of the stash, the one you've reserved for a very special pattern, and take it to Nona's place. Can you resist it? More importantly, can you get gauge? This came close enough to be worth a try (there are lies, damn lies, statistics and then my swatches). Go on, what are you waiting for? Shoo!


* I abandoned my first pair of Jaywalkers for this. Just dropped them in the project bag and headed for the stash.