Twilight Plum blossom*

I've told you about my lackadasical design style before, it's an organic, evolving thing...oh yes I can get stuck in, work like billy-o and produce designs in short order, but I prefer to let things flow.

I have been the former for the past month or so, and while I was working on a set commission, my brain was overflowing with ideas, this one just had to come out first - with a string of friends expecting daughters this cardi was inevitable. The moment I sent the last parcel off to my delightful employers I set to finding the perfect yarn...then realising I had the perfect yarn, and I could dye it to the perfect colour.

The yarn is a sportweight merino/silk, the caridgan is plain jane round neck, set in sleeves (with a twist, they are knitted from the top down, with the sts being picked up around the armhole, then a bit of short row shaping and it's done, easy peasy and very fulfilling. The embellishments are embroidered and crocheted, but once again simple-as.

The blossom branch needs to be slightly larger, that's easily fixed, the fact Blaise wants me to knit one for...not so easy in sportweight...we will see, Christmas is coming.

I have a job for you Ravellers - if you think this pattern should be available for sale let me know on this thread in the JustJussi group. If I do decide to offer it for sale, the charts will be larger with each size.

*no vampire connection at all!

Busy busy

WIP update:

Flash's vest is 20% finished - not certain if he will get it this winter, we'll see!

I started a Baktus this morning, using my hand dyed handspun superwash merino (above) in the "60 seconds" colourway (you know the ad - lichen, moss and mildew - just spray and walk away!) I blame Ailsa for this - her Baktus was so lovely and versatile, I just had to make one for myself. It is racing along, very addictive and great tv knitting.

and this is a version of the Ruffle lace scarf I cast on 200 sts and am working in garter st, increasing every 4th row, using 2 skeins of Madil Kid Seta in the the 681 colourway...love this yarn despite the imaginative colour description, it makes other Mohairs feel like a brillo pad.

I'm also working on a mitred square baby blanket - no photos yet.

I have finally finished most of my secret projects - phew! I can start sharing my work with you again soon.

Busy doing other things

This week I have mostly been doing...other things - other in that I have not been knitting up, writing up or dreaming up designs. I have still been engaged in the knitterly arts.Charlotte's sweater is near completion, after 2 attempts at the front ( the first resulting in a backwards "C" (should have seen that coming) I am now knitting the neckband and then all that remains is the seaming, I am so happy that both my nephew and my daughter will get whole garments from me this winter...the husband is still niggling for a cardigan, I wish he would learn to knit!

More books arrived today, this time from Interweave books hurt book sale - although none of them look hurt! even with the postage they cost much less than they would have had I bought them in NZ (if I could find them) so I am also very happy about this haul...we love books in this household, my book stash more than rivals my yarn stash, and we are constantly running out of bookshelf space, Blaise has resorted to stacks in her room, and Flash's office looks more like a library. The book that I think will get the most use is the Compendium of finishing techniques, I am always striving to improve my finishing, and this book is comprehensive and clear - isn't it funny, I always think my finishing is terrible - but I remember my friend Lara commenting that my finishing is always beautiful...I have hung onto those words and try to remind myself when I get picky about something that no one else can see.

I also managed to dye my damaged yarn on monday, Frasier had decided to protect a bag of Dale baby ull from the marauding neigbourhood cats by marking it for me (gee thanks) he is neutered so his musk doesn't have the volume and voracity of an tomcat, there were only one or two drops on 6 of the skeins, but I wasn't taking any risks - into the bucket it went for a two day soak, and then I underdyed it by boiling in dye, and finished with hand painting, now I have 3 baby outfit lots of hand dyed Baby Ull, some special garments are on the horizon...that's when I have finished the kimono jacket, the skirts patterns, the Riverstone pattern testing...and the plans I have for some exquisite yarn which arrived a wee while back and which I still haven't told you about - all in good time, it will be worth the wait, back to Frasier and those neighbourhood marauders...we had a magnetic cat door installed to stop them coming into the house and spraying(they were entering though the normal cat door) - the smell and Frasier's distress were very much evident and the vet advised this as the best solution, Frasier of course figured out how to open the door within moments (well he had supervised the installation) and Layla had it sussed within days, the funniest moments were at 3am the morning after it was installed, I was home alone and awoke to banging and crashing outside the laundry door which is below our bedroom window...looking out I saw the burly seal point siamese from over the road trying to muscle his way in - no luck sunshine!

developments

The last time I posted I was hard at work on the organic dyes, the light fastness tests are finished, and most of the colours passed with...well...flying colours! I am still having problems finding safe greens, as I mentioned previously I am not interested in using any poisons to get these colours, however there are a couple of plants (fennel and parsley) which I have yet to try for greens, and I have some woad arriving soon, for blues, so fingers crossed!

Other projects underway include yummy cuddly blankets, we are currently testing a beautiful, casually elegant denim blanket - great for those wee darlings with wool sensitivities, and a cosy organic merino one, these should not be far off, see the photo above for a taster.

frustration

the posting has not been regular as I wished, the move has gone as smoothly as is realistic to expect. I am currently in Christchurch - where my eldest daughter is studying, I am enjoying the quiet time walking in the beatiful parks around the Avon River, the weather has been gorgeous and the atmosphere conducive to the design process, my head is full of ideas - now I just have to get them onto paper.

I had news today that our wireless router has arrived and is at the courier depot, so will be ready for me when I get home, all that is left is to get the broadband actually connected, which is apparently a formality...we'll see!

Today I visited the local craft store and purchased organic plant material, so that I can experiment with dyeing the organic merino yarn, I'm looking for colourfast, even coverage and an elegant palette. I don't want to use poisonous metal salts to fix the colours, so will have to keep careful records and put the samples through some punishing laundering. Commercial dyes often use a lot of dangerous chemicals which can end up in the environment, I agree that babies look gorgeous in bright colours, but there is an element of subtlety and sophistication to plant dyes, which adds a new dimension to the preciousness of heirloom garments.