SOAK to the rescue

Here is the sleeve of a new sweater I've been working on.  The yarn I used was two strands of different greys.  They weren't as soft as I would have liked, but it was such a pretty pattern in this yarn.  So, SOAK to the rescue.  I "soaked" the sleeves and the back/fronts (worked as one piece) for several days.  I drained the excess water out of the sleeves and rolled them in towels.  Then I pinned them out on my blocking grid.  When they're dry, I'll block the remaining piece.  Then I just have to sew in the sleeves and work the ribbing around the neck edge.  I'll put a picture up of the sweater when it's finished.

December 21, 2015

Progress:

Just finished a pair of fingerless gloves for my sister who has arthritis in her hands.  They're knit from cotton chenille.  It's so soft and it holds up to laundering, unlike chenilles made from rayon, etc., which fall apart in the wash.
  

I'm about halfway through a pair of socks using self-striping yarn for the first time.  It's Red Heart with Aloe I purchased a few years ago.  The design is "Nanners" by WendyKnits, so the pattern looks a little 'scrolly' over the top of the foot.  Rather than one Size 0 circular for magic loop, I'm trying out using two circs.  It seems to be working well, except somehow the yarn gets tangled in between the socks sometimes.  Not sure what that's about, but it works itself out on the next round.  I can't wait to be able to wear these.  Serendipitously, I also have a mostly finished wool sweater that boasts the same colors as the socks.  Wouldn't it be cute to wear them together.  The sweater has been a UFO for several years now, so looks like I'd better get busy on it.


Babies seem to pop up when you're least in a position to have an article knitted for them somehow.  I know four couples who recently married, within the last year, so it only stands to reason that at least one of them would get pregnant.  So I've started a baby blanket in order to be ready this time.  It's bulky cotton chenille in blues/purples/teals and I'm knitting it on Size 11 needles.  I washed and dried a swatch and it came out so soft and cushy.  I'm sure whichever baby gets it will be happy.

I'm using SOAK Wash now instead of Woolite for washing my woolly handknits.  So far I'm quite satisfied.  An infinity scarf I made was just the tiniest bit scratchy, but after an overnight soak (they say you don't even need to rinse it out), and blocking it, it's so soft.  Great for going around my sensitive neck.  It's lavendar and knit in the Japanese Feather pattern.  I have another scarf that will be an infinity scarf after I sew the ends together.  It's a reversible leaf pattern, so it lends itself well to the twists and turns of an infinity scarf.



I'm so thankful for my knitting -- what would my hands do without it?  

Mending

A friend recently brought over a beautiful intarsia wool sweater her parents had given her as a graduation present some years ago. As you can imagine, the little wooly bugs had had a snack on it and she asked if I could fix it. As I searched through my stash for just the right colors and types of yarns, I thought of the sad conversation we had of her family struggles.

As I carefully threaded my needle with the purplish-navy, knowing I could never match the original mohair exactly, I began the mending process. This was the largest hole, and as I was closing it up, I dearly wished that the widening gap between her husband and her could be drawn back together as well.

Moving to the two cream-colored holes, one in the neck ribbing and one in the sleeve (for which I had an almost exact match of wool), my thoughts turned to her two children. They are both teens with individual needs of their own. My friend is an excellent mother and has worked diligently to provide the most loving environment any child could ask for. I want more than anything to mend these two places so that the damage is undetectable.

As knitters, when we create something new for our family, friends and those in need, so much love and kind thoughts are connected with every stitch. But mending holes in a much-loved garment that bridges a person's more contented past with their tumultuous present, can play it's own small part in healing some of the wounds life can inflict.

(Excellent resources for information on clothes/wool moths: http://www.infestation.ca/insects/clothes-moths-moths.html, http://www.whatsthatbug.com/, and http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw606-e.pdf)