It's a Wrap

One skein of Noro Sock Yarn has evolved into this lovely lacy wrap.

The pattern is One Skein - a Stole by Katja Jordan. I used colorway S184 which is bright pinks, oranges, and peacock blue.

I am always amazed at how fibers transition with blocking. This is the stole drying on the blocking board.  My version is this interlocking foam puzzle with blocking wires and many T-pins to hold it in place on the foam.

It dried really fast, so I had to give it several sprays with the water bottle.

It is difficult to see the texture change as much as you can feel it. It is less "puffy" with more discrete stitches and the lace "holes" are more open and obvious. It is also longer after blocking . . . my stole is at least 10 inches longer after blocking today. Total about 64 inches long.

The cast on in the pattern calls for 50 stitches. I cast on 75 to make more like a wrap than a scarf.

So what's next you ask???

Check out this beautiful softness from Tess' Designer Yarns. I purchased these 3 skeins of this hand-dyed Angora and Merino at Stitches South in 2009. It seemed I must use it before starting on stuff I got in 2010.

This is the humble beginnings of a poncho-wrap for Baby Annette - who will be a toddler by winter!

It is from a pattern from the Tess website. This is a beautiful website just to explore. The  rainbow of colors is lovely to behold.  This yarn is so soft . . . I think I will have a difficult time putting this project down. I expect it to go very fast. . . More pictures to come!! 

Baby Aspen Hat

Philip thinks this little baby hat will look great when the new babies take to the slopes at Aspen! It is a cute little hat from Susan B. Anderson's collection "Pure and Sweet Layette". I used one strand each of Rowan kidsilk haze and Rowan Purelife. I was able to finish it in one day . . . which is exeptional for me. You can be sure another one will follow. I can't make this picture turn in the right direction, so here's the "upside down" hat . . . I love the little top knot!!

Two Down . . . Two To Go

Philip and I had a fun weekend travelling to Anderson, S. C. to visit with friends and enjoy their Kentucky Derby party!! They did it up "right" with mint juleps, lots of roses, and fabulous food and entertainment. I do not claim to be a horse enthusiast, but I have to admit that it was an exciting two minutes . . . I love those "come-from-behind winners"! The weekend was not ALL about horses!! I made my first pair of baby bootees!! I think they are precious and can't wait to make pair #2 for beautiful baby #2. (Did I mention that Ashley and David are expecting twins?) I used a combination of Rowan Milk Cotton DK and Rowan Kidsilk Haze - one strand of each held together. I used Susan B. Anderson's pattern for booties found in her book Itty Bitty Nursery. This book has some really cute baby things . . . I suspect you'll be seeing more of her designs on my blog.

A Few More Blooms

We are still enjoying some of these camellias as they bloom. The camellia above is Jean Clere! This is a japonica camellia that originated in New Zealand and is named for the wife of its propagator Richard Clere. It has a beautiful full peony form and blooms mid-season.

Above is pictured Emperor of Russia. This one is a japonica that also blooms mid-season. Another beauty that performs well in this climate.

Philip has decided to try his hand at grafting. We have a few of these "mini-greenhouses" around the yard. The grafting procedure is akin to surgery, requiring great care for clean cutting instruments and following tried and true procedures. The new graft is housed in this cylinder and covered with a piece of plexiglass, moss, and a brick! This will stay on for at least 2 months before uncovering to be sure the graft has "taken".

As I understand this, one reason for grafting is to propagate the growth of a beautiful (but perhaps slow-growing) variety on "root stock" from a plant that is more hearty, rapid-growing, and has better tolerance for the growing conditions of the area. Another reason for grafting is to propagate a plant that is not commercially available. A cutting may be taken from a desired species and grafted to produce a new plant.

Update on knitting projects:

The Baby Surprise Jacket and the Christmas Stocking knitting projects are progressing. I am waiting for a little pink cotton cashmere to arive in the mail to add in for stripes in the BSJ. The size is going to be larger than I expected and will require more yarn than I had on hand. I think the pink will be perfect to add a little interest. Will post a picture as soon as we get a little pink going .

Mending

I am so happy to tell you that I got a good progress report from the orthopedic surgeon today. I had more xrays taken and you can see the new bone forming in the fractured area. The ankle parts are still in good alignment. So this is going well. I am to wear the lovely boot for another week and then transition into a much less obtrusive ankle brace. I can wear the ankle brace with shoes . . . AND with the ankle brace . . . I can drive!!!! Definitely, good news!!

After my doctor's appointment, Philip and I had a chance to check out some beautiful old camellia gardens in Savannah. We were so amazed at how old, mature, and beautiful some of these trees are. We came home and admired our own few specimens. This is one called Georgia National Fair. You can see a little cold damage on a few of the petals, but still very pretty.

Another one we found blooming today is one of favorites: Frank Houser variegated. This is a reticulata which has bigger blooms than the japonicas.

I know I need to be working on other knitting projects that are already begging for attention, but I felt the need to have one more item in my baby gift stash. So I found some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmereand cast on Baby Surprise Jacket #2. This is a pretty cream color. This is pattern is always fascinating to watch evolve. Too early to tell much here, but we will disect it as we progress. I'm hoping to find some pretty feminine buttons for the ending.

Block Blankie

The weekend has gone by quickly, as most do! Sister Cathy was kind enough to help me run some errands yesterday, as I'm still sporting the Herman Munster boot. No driving yet. We are all trying to get ready for the big event in February. Only two more weeks until wedding time for Dow and Melissa. I need to add a few items to the baby gift collection, so I tried Block Blankie by Corrina Ferguson. I used the Muench Big Baby on size 13 needles. Colorway 5503 which is bluish-green/yellow. The yarn is really thick and soft. This pattern works up very quickly -and is a great size for a baby carrier or stroller blanket. I've also started on the Christmas stocking and slowly trying to learn the technique of intarsia. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but it's difficult to ignore the chaos of the different colors hanging at the back of the work. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. I've also been intrigued reading all the news about the Bohus Exhibit currently at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An interesting history of this knitting style can be found on this blog. Here's a small sample of bohus collars. I would love to take a class on this technique.