plied and satisfied

Posted on annePosted in designing, lace/shawls, projects, spinning and fiber

ooooh, it’s bitter cold here—in the single digits all day, brr. this morning, a heavy flurry of iced snowflakes swirled across the windows facing the street. with the black trees in the background, it gives the effect of a snowfall in the forest.

these are shapes i haven’t seen on the windows before—i was entranced into taking too many photos.

i especially like the one below, with its sweeping galaxy of star-ringed clouds

i think that’s about the best i can do to make icy weather attractive for you . . .

despite the cold, people showed up for spinning class, eager for our weekly respite from the world. i finally, finally finished spinning my two-ounce packet of baby camel and silk from a verb for keeping warm (took me long enough).

i even plied it. and when that was done, i even washed it. it came out of the water and unfurled like godiva’s hair—a straight, sleek skein, neither overplied nor underplied. the wash water had no trace of tint in it—all the dye stayed right in the fiber. skeined up, it measures 609 yards—plenty for a nice-sized shawl some day. it’s hanging up to dry now; i can’t wait to see what the final yarn looks like.

a couple of my cashmere and baby camel sample skeins from rhinebeck have been hanging around, unwashed, in my spinning basket for a while, so i threw those in the water with the big skein. the cashmere one actually has enough yardage to make a little neckwarmer, so i’m glad to get that washed. and the camel one might be enough to knit some wristwarmers.

my mom has told me several times how much she likes the neckwarmer i gave her for christmas. apparently, it is just the thing to wear out walking—”better than a scarf”, she says. that tells me she might need another one, to go with the hat she’s going to make herself next (she was putting the tassles on her afghan project when i called).

i finished the henley back piece and have started the front piece.

i am seriously doubting i can finish it by the time we leave on thursday (with all else i have to do), but i can try, right? if i was able to focus on just this right now, i think i could do it. but i have deadline knitting that is gaping its jaws at me too . . .

so, every night i give a little time to the henley, then a little time to one of the secret projects. after that, i allow myself knit whatever i want til it’s time to watch TV. for the past few nights, i’ve been indulging in the new little shawl for my treat (i’m being very, very good and not cheating).

isn’t the yarn gorgeous? it’s a beautiful burnished rose color; too bad it’s discontinued. BUT zen yarn garden has a cashmere/silk lace/fingering yarn that is dyed on the same base and in equally-gorgeous colorways, so it’s not completely unattainable.

in 45 minutes or an hour i can complete about twelve rows or so, at the size it is now (i started at the hem with about 450 sts). since it’s getting smaller (and the pattern more intuitive), i can do more rows every night. plus, i’ll soon have the henley done as well as my gansey socks, so i’ll be able to devote more time to this project. for now, the pace allows me to think about and tweak the pattern in between if something is bugging me.

my TV companion sock is hurtling along toward completion as lately, we’ve been settling in to watch a movie every night (2+ solid hours without interruption).

soon, another finished pair of socks (and ones with some cashmere in ’em, yum) will be MINE. it will almost make me look forward to coming back to ohio from southern california. NOT.

once they graduate from the late night spot, one of the urgent secret projects will take their place. the urgent secret projects (there are 3 or 4) are threatening to spill over, though, into other times of the day. i will try to keep an even flow of non-secret projects going for our blog enjoyment, but there might be days when pictures of snow will have to suffice (and then there is san diego, where we are heading on thursday—i know you love those blog posts from the beach).

we had a nice, productive photo shoot yesterday of david in his new sweater—wanna see?

i swear, i begged him to smile for you—check it out

sigh, we just have to be patient; it’s a little like stalking a rare bird in the forest . . .
what i can tell you is that he likes the sweater—he says “it’s great”.

i have to say, now that it’s all completely done and buttoned (thank you, button boy!), i am very fond of this knit and i’m thinking i’d like to make another sample in a solid handspun yarn. i’ve got several batches of finished yarn that might be really nice possibilities for that.

the pattern isn’t even nearly started yet, but i’m glad we got some nice pictures before he gets serious about wearing the sweater regularly—you can never really get that nice, crisp new look back, once it’s gone.

i still have a few yarns that arrived over the holidays to parade around, but i think i’ll save those for tomorrow. something is telling me it’s time to snuggle in for the evening and knit til bedtime

33 thoughts on “plied and satisfied”

  1. David look so handsome in his sweater!

    Upstairs in our house is not insulated so we always have beautiful lace patterns on our windows…it DOES help to make one smile in the winter, doesn’t it?

  2. It’s cold here too Anne! Stay warm 🙂 I love the ice crystal shots…very nice and David, ya, I see a glimmer of a smile there too 🙂 Pensive is a good look and the sweater is fab!

  4. I love the sweater! I don’t suppose there will be a pattern for it? (When you finish all of your other projects, of course!)

  5. I really like the ice shot that looks like feathers. It would make a cool shawl pattern. 🙂 David’s sweater looks great and the buttons are perfect for it.

  7. David’s new sweater looks Great on him. The color and style compliment him nicely. You always do such a terrific job. 🙂

  11. Wonderful job on David’s sweater, Anne!! Great-looking sweater on a great-looking guy!!

  13. After seeing your winter pics, I will not complain about how cold it is in Boise. Enjoy San Diego. Nothing like winter in So. Cal. David’s sweater is perfect. The pockets were a great touch.

  14. I can’t wait for the hat pattern…my brother, my husband and my 13 year old son all have HUGE heads…beware…the cables are bulky and will make that lovely big head look even bigger, at least that’s my experience. I am working on a hat for my brother that works in Fairbanks alaska (-60 sometimes) that will also cover his ears and not look too silly on a 55 year old man. I will try to send you a picture if I’m successful. I have been reading your blog for months…I love the pictures of your garden and the little glimpes into your life! Mine too is filled with my knitting and spinning and weaving friends…looking forward to the new year with joy…looks like you are too! Cheers!

  15. I love the cold, snowy weather! I get so depressed when we get some glorious snow and then it rains away (typical for coastal Maine).

    I am seriously impressed with your knitting planning. I tried to move several projects along during the holiday week and even got reminded of how much I enjoy lace knitting. BTW, the Bricker socks I made for a gift were a huge success and worn nearly ’round the clock.

    Love David’s sweater, it looks so comfortable.

  16. I LOVE that sweater! It looks great on David even if he won’t smile. What yarn did you use? It’s just a lovely colorway.

  17. Happy New Year!
    I absolutely love the photos of the frosty windows! And I particularly like the colour of the purple henley you are in the middle of! GORGEOUS!!
    I have to say, too, your David is an amazingly handsome fellow!
    Best wishes for 2010 from the frozen north of England!

  19. David looks terrific in his sweater. He’s always a great model. Is David’s New Sweater going to be distributed in a pattern??

  20. Oh, I do like those shots of the ice on the windows! I was just in northern Michigan where it was COLD but no ice on windows…..

    I like David’s sweater more now that the buttons are on.

    My sis lives in San Diego! Enjoy!

  21. So, when are you going to publish a book with patterns for all of the great sweaters that you have knit for David? (Like you don’t have enough on your plate already I guess……)

    Most of the patterns for man sweaters are a bit “too much”. But I think all of your designs for David are totally wearable by most any guy.

    Happy New Year!

  22. David’s sweater looks amazing!! I can’t left my hubs see this or he’ll be sooo jealous. Have a great time in San Diego!

  23. hmmm, I’ll just bet that when he DOES smile, it’s really worthwhile! He looks so handsome in that sweater. I love it, I think it would make a nice woman’s sweater as well!

  25. Gorgeous sweater! Thanks for the button boy link, I was on the hunt for perfect buttons for my Elizabeth Zimmermann Green Sweater project. Just what I was envisioning.

  26. David looks great in his new sweater! I love the smiling shot 😉 Those socks look like they’d be inherently warm, just because of the color alone — maybe they’ll make the trip out here for some admiration? Can’t wait to see you!!

  27. The pictures that you and David take of each other seem to be intimate little love poems. You are so lucky to have each other.

  28. Just wanted to let you know I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now, and it’s one of the ones where after a period of time when I haven’t been keeping up, it makes my day to know I’ll get a wonderful dose of knitting, spinning, and just general bliss. Thank you and Happy New Year!

  29. I loved the plied yarn. The sweater of course is awesome! and I love nature’s little lace on your windows. We are that cold here but my patio door did freeze shut this weekend! LOL.

  30. I love David’s sweater. It looks very, very nice on him. I just finished my Gridiron socks out of Wollmeise in Kornblume today and my husband loves them. Thanks for the great sock pattern. He just asked for a sweater. This one would fill the bill. Have a nice trip. Kristi

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