pair #40 - i can't believe it's that many already! - is made from Atelier Zitron Trekking XXL 565. i love this yarn. i love the colours, the random stripes, the fact that it absolutely doesn't matter if there's a knot in the ball where the yarn has been tied (to a new cone or because it broke somewhere in the machine during the process of winding) and there is a stretch of colour missing and you would never notice if you didn't knit it yourself and knew exactly where it was. if i designed sock yarn - and i would love to design sock yarn - this is the kind of yarn i'd go for... sorry to all the OCD sock matchers out there. hihi!
(these are caterpillar socks again and you can find instructions here if you'd like to make some too.)
i'm currently working on a pair of Opal Sweet&Spicy3 Kiwi socklets for my husband. yes - he chose the yarn himself. it's awesome and i love my husband even more for liking funky socks just as much as i do.
i'll cast on the second one tonight.
i've also started to knit a sweater for my little girl... i went online shopping for clothes for her a while ago and was really frustrated because there seem to be so little nice kids' clothes available these days. everything looks either like doll stuff or like miniature adult fashion. i know there are great companies that make awesome clothes for kids - using organic and locally sourced materials and everything and i'm really all for that - but as long as i need new clothes for my kids basically every three months i just can't afford those... i'd love to but that will have to wait until they stop growing that quickly. until then i'll just have to make their sweaters myself if i can - and it turns out i can:
i have knitted two sweaters before. one that took me forever because the yarn i used required 3,5mm needles and another that didn't take quite so long but turned out horrible beause of everything: yarn that looked and felt great in the ball but not when knitted, shape, pattern, fuzzyness... everything. so i kind of gave up on the whole idea of knitting sweaters for a while. then i found this post and absolutely loved this sweater made from sock yarn leftovers. i know - even thinner 2,5mm needles, but i'm used to those by now.
so i started searching for ways to make sweater knitting easier which meant: find a way around all the sewing of individual pieces. i did find patterns for sweaters made from sock yarn but didn't really like any of them. then i found a series for blog posts that teaches you to knit a top-down sweater (or cardigan) using any kind of yarn and needle size you may have in your stash (no more "i like the pattern but not the yarn", etc.) and you can add any kind of decorative elements (lace, cables, etc.) if you feel up to it. i read the entire instruction, made sure i understood all of it (it's really easy to understand and follow) and then i just used my calculator to do some basic math and figure out how many stitches i needed to make a sweater that will fit an almost two-and-a-half-year-old.
(another great thing about working top-down is that the bind-off is at the bottom hem and the wrists. should it get too short before it gets to tight i can just make it longer!)
i guess i just made that sound much more complicated that it actually is.
i guess i'll be done with the body really soon and can start the sleeves. i think i'll add a hood as well. i'm using my sock yarn leftovers and i just love how it's turning out. i almost wish i had made it bigger so i could keep it myself - hehe! - but i look forward to seeing my little one in it. T has already requested a sweater for himself when he saw me knitting on this and asked what it was. he was very cute and asked if it was for him when i told him i was knitting a sweater. when i said "no, it's for R." he asked why not for him and i explained that i had never made something like this before and wanted to start with the smallest size first to see how it goes. he's a very understanding boy and was satisfied to know that he will get one as well once this one is done. and the great thing is: i'm not scared of it any more! i'm actually looking forward to a whole load of handknitted sweaters in all shapes and sizes using all different kinds of yarns, with hoods or not, pouch pockets or not, ribbing or rolled edges, v-necks, round necks, boat necks... i'm turning into Mrs. Weasley...
this is on my spinning wheel at the moment - or rather was. i finished the single today and started navajo-plying right away. it's the finest single i've spun so far. the fiber is blue faced leicester which is lovely and easy to spin and has appropriately been named "rolling hills" by the dyer.
i still have issues with the yarn being slightly overtwisted when plied but i'm working on it.
i can see lots of shawls knitted with handspun yarn in my future...
happy yarning everyone!