10 May 2007

A New Needleholder And Some Progress

Two days ago I got the most beautiful knitting needle case in the mail.


Here it is opened out so you can see the entire outer side. The black panels are ultrasuede, and the narrow red strips and the Hawaiian print are cotton. The Chinese knot frog is shiny red cord.


Here's the inside, with the Hawaiian print also used for the flap that keeps the needles from leaping out of the case.


And here's a photo of the cream brocade pockets. Lots and lots of pockets, aren't there? I haven't had the nerve to put my scruffy old needles into this beautiful case. I don't want to sully its perfection with reality quite yet, so now I just open it up and admire the cleverly designed pockets and stroke the ultrasuede and wonder how she knew how much I like Hawaiian prints.


It's a gift from Karen, known as sharing on Etsy. I've bought quite a bit of yarn from Karen, as has a friend of mine, and I think very highly of her. She's very talented and has an exceptional color sense. Her hand-dyed yarns are just beautiful, with wonderful color combinations. She has started offering needle cases like mine now. Go have a look at her shop; I think you'll like it very much.

I've made quite a bit of progress on my feather and fan stole. It's about half done now. It goes pretty fast since there are only 102 stitches and three of the four pattern rows are plain knitting or purling all the way across the row except for the garter-stitch edges. The actual pattern row is fairly easy, too, being six-stitch blocks of k2tog or yo, k1. We're going to have company tomorrow and Saturday, so I probably won't get a whole lot done on it this weekend.


My neat little center-pull cylinder of yarn had managed to develop a dome on top some time ago. Now it's turning into a cone.


The bottom is still quite flat:


I've pulled enough yarn out of the center of the ball that the yarn is no longer fluffing up enough to fill the hole in and the bottom is just starting to get a bit concave.


Fortunately the yarn is mostly, if not entirely, wool so the ball isn't going to fall apart into a dreadful tangle the way slippery yarn does. However, I'm handling it very gingerly, just in case it's more fragile than I think it is.

My Fiber Trends Faina's Scarf pattern arrived last week and I've been poking around in my stash for yarn for it. I've found several possibilities and now I'm wondering whether the required 450 yd of sport weight yarn includes the yarn used to make the fringe or not. And, if it does, how much that took.


Image copyright Fiber Trends.
Borrowed (not linked) without permission.

I'm thinking of putting a nice fat tassel on each end, instead of the fringe. The two points are just begging for tassels, don't you think? It has crossed my mind to use black rayon chainette and black merino fingering weight for the body of the scarf and just the chainette for the tassels. That wouldn't be the warmest scarf in the world, but it would be pretty. Or maybe silk and merino sport or DK weight for both, with the chainette added to the tassel.

3 comments:

Julia (MindofWinter) said...

Mary, Thank you so much for your comment on the Griffith Park fire. It was the first thing that anyone has said that made me feel better. I still mourn the loss of the big trees in the bird sanctuary, which do not grow quickly, but I'm hopeful for the chaparral.

Your site is really interesting - you have a wonderful blend of personal interests. I'll definitely check in on you again. I am sorry for your recent losses (mother and collie alike). I understand both all too well, and I know that it is a long road to go before the mourning is manageable. Luckily, we are like the trees. Our roots endure the fire, and we live on to regain our strength, even after devastating losses. Carry your loved ones in your heart, practice your art, and you'll find your way.

Donna said...

I came upon your blog through the knitting path ring. You have a nice blend of knitting and whatnot. The yarn you are showing is just beautiful. I will check out the dealers you mentioned. Thanks for the info and I will look in again. Happy Knitting.

NH Knitting Mama said...

I think the scarf would look good with or without tassels. As for the yarn, even if its not the warmest choice, that is too beautiful not to wear no matter what the weather!