SpaceMika

I’d picked up some yarn to go with the Merry Blues yarn, and when it didn’t turn out as I anticipated, I used the yarn to make a blue scarf.

Today I brought it outside for a photoshoot in the sun. I don’t want to admit how many photos I took, and I’m not really satisfied that any of them illustrate how soft yet geometric it is. Pretty good for an accidental project!

The white & purple shawls are from the yarn leftover from Georgie’s scarf

I picked up possum-yarn when I was in New Zealand, but didn’t get around to knitting it until recently. I agree with the knitty review to some extent. I didn’t find it split at all, but that might be the amazing (also NZ) Quill-brand needles. It tears incredibly easily if you give it a yank, but doesn’t break while knitting.

I am finding the possum a bit itchier than I’d anticipated (again, departing from the knitty review). All the advertising calls it ecologically responsible fur because in New Zealand, possums are a pest killing all the endangered flightless birds, but at the same time I can’t quite wrap my heart around moral-fur, so that also rubs me a little wrong about the yarn.

The gloves are a simple-knit, just a ribbed tube with a thumb stuck on, but are very warm and comfy. Pattern: co 30 on six 6 needles, k2p2 rib for a while, k2tg x2, knit flat for a few rows, mk2, rejoin in circle, knit a bit more, cast off. Pick up stitches along the thumb hole, kit in a rib in the round for a while, cast off. Done!

The hat is equally simple — co 120 in one colour, knit next row in main colour, k10, p2, k6, p2 rib, decrease by a bit each row (I did k2tog & decs on either side of the k10 blocks until they were down to k4, and on the k6 blocks until they were down to k2), then keep pattern for a while. Alternate colours by 1 row, main colour for 1 row, 5 rows, main colour for 1 row, 1 row, return to main colour and continue on. To decrease at the top, I did some k2togs & decs until all stiches were knits, then k2togs until only 5 stitches remained, cast off, and wove the end in.

The scarf is the only item without any of the possum-wool. I photographed it before, here

All projects are plain weave on a Rigid Heddle loom.

I’m knitting less than any other point in time in the past 2.5 years (hello, warm climate!), but I still dream of yarn. I’m on the second row of a very simple lace scarf. Once I get the hang of it, I think I’ll aim to make Juno out of the gorgeous yarn dad gave me, and if I find a yarn store in Melbourne I think the Cute Boy is aching for a fishie hat. For those in the north & knitting for Christmas (Jodie, Andrea, I’m looking at you!), I saw a cute way to wrap scarves — cupcakes!

As for all the people hitting this blog as part of trying to troubleshoot their own Christmas knitting, I’ve found a great resource to improve your technique & interpret obscure pattern directions.