My daughter reminded me that after I finished the long plain grey wool socks (museum commission), I talked about needing COLOUR in my next project, and what happened to it?
I feel the same need now, after acres of grey stocking – lets face it, if only I had got it right first time I would have more than knitted the pair by now!
So this weekend, after knitting a respectable amount of grey stocking (I am ready to start the two-coloured knee section) I decided to think “colour”.
This is the “Almost Sock Hop” in Pink Cadillac which I managed to capture from Teyani over at Crown Mountain Farms. It was sold to me as a “slight second” because it wasn’t as tightly-spun as regular Sock Hop. This is hand-spun, hand-dyed superwash merino – oooh!
And let me tell you, this is lovely stuff! The first thing that struck me as I was winding it into a ball was the way the two colours of the ply played off against each other, to make a lovely blend from the palest pink through to the colour of a Pink Panther bar (remember them?) There are sections where it is a fleck of white against a pale sugar pink, like coconut ice. Every yard I wound conjured up another sweet-as-candy memory. Then it dawned on me that there was a distinctly sweet fragrance too…
Inhale that yarn! It is floral, definitely, like violets with perhaps a touch of lily of the valley and a peppery spice – very gentle and old-fashioned, and sweet, but not in a cloying, artificial “air freshener” sort of way. What it reminds me of most is Edinburgh Rock or “Amazing Grace” perfume, if you have ever had a sniff of that? Mmmm!
So, it looks good, it smells good… how does it knit up? Well I have to say that despite the occasionally “baggy” plying (which I was prepared for) it knits up really beautifully. I am using 2.75mm (US 2) needles (my blond Lantern Moon’s – more mmmm!) and the resulting fabric has a “deep and crisp and even” softness. The candy pinks are blending in and out in a very pleasing way.
I chose a very simple pattern, because I only have one skein of 220 yards, which I know will only be enough for little anklets. I want to make the most of the yards I have. It is the “Heel-less Sleeping Sock” from “Knitting Vintage Socks” which is knit as a simple tube all the way to the toe shaping – no turning of the heel – bizarre! The stitch pattern is very simple and easy to remember, so this is an eminently portable project. I am planning to wear these when I am doing the floorwork sections of my “NYC Ballet Workout” – for warm toes without fear of wearing them out! They are ballet pink, after all! And an incentive to do some exercise...
So if you happen to be in North East Scotland this week and see a crazy-looking woman on the bus with her nose stuck in a ball of yarn, occasionally nibbling at a bar of coconut ice, it will be me. My car is in for its MOT, and I don’t hold out much hope for it. I am going to need sweet bus-friendly projects for a while I think.
I feel the same need now, after acres of grey stocking – lets face it, if only I had got it right first time I would have more than knitted the pair by now!
So this weekend, after knitting a respectable amount of grey stocking (I am ready to start the two-coloured knee section) I decided to think “colour”.
This is the “Almost Sock Hop” in Pink Cadillac which I managed to capture from Teyani over at Crown Mountain Farms. It was sold to me as a “slight second” because it wasn’t as tightly-spun as regular Sock Hop. This is hand-spun, hand-dyed superwash merino – oooh!
And let me tell you, this is lovely stuff! The first thing that struck me as I was winding it into a ball was the way the two colours of the ply played off against each other, to make a lovely blend from the palest pink through to the colour of a Pink Panther bar (remember them?) There are sections where it is a fleck of white against a pale sugar pink, like coconut ice. Every yard I wound conjured up another sweet-as-candy memory. Then it dawned on me that there was a distinctly sweet fragrance too…
Inhale that yarn! It is floral, definitely, like violets with perhaps a touch of lily of the valley and a peppery spice – very gentle and old-fashioned, and sweet, but not in a cloying, artificial “air freshener” sort of way. What it reminds me of most is Edinburgh Rock or “Amazing Grace” perfume, if you have ever had a sniff of that? Mmmm!
So, it looks good, it smells good… how does it knit up? Well I have to say that despite the occasionally “baggy” plying (which I was prepared for) it knits up really beautifully. I am using 2.75mm (US 2) needles (my blond Lantern Moon’s – more mmmm!) and the resulting fabric has a “deep and crisp and even” softness. The candy pinks are blending in and out in a very pleasing way.
I chose a very simple pattern, because I only have one skein of 220 yards, which I know will only be enough for little anklets. I want to make the most of the yards I have. It is the “Heel-less Sleeping Sock” from “Knitting Vintage Socks” which is knit as a simple tube all the way to the toe shaping – no turning of the heel – bizarre! The stitch pattern is very simple and easy to remember, so this is an eminently portable project. I am planning to wear these when I am doing the floorwork sections of my “NYC Ballet Workout” – for warm toes without fear of wearing them out! They are ballet pink, after all! And an incentive to do some exercise...
So if you happen to be in North East Scotland this week and see a crazy-looking woman on the bus with her nose stuck in a ball of yarn, occasionally nibbling at a bar of coconut ice, it will be me. My car is in for its MOT, and I don’t hold out much hope for it. I am going to need sweet bus-friendly projects for a while I think.
2 comments:
Wow, that is one tasty looking yarn :D Definitely a kind of Campino thing going on. Mmmmm campino...
I looks like strawberry icecream! :)
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