Graft (and corruption)
21 Jan 2007
The grafting at my house co-incided with the resignation of the CEO at the local government body for which I work.
You may remember a few months ago our offices were 'raided' by the Independent Commission Against Corruption ("good morning public servants. Pens down please, we wish to examine your files. We are authorised to do so under subsection z of the a to z act, nineteen o one. Please place your documents in a neat pile on the right hand side of your desk. You will, of course, be required to fill out a b23 form on your way out. Refreshments will be served on level 2, and we apologise for the inconvenience.")
Anyway, the sudden departure of our fearless leader is claimed to have nothing to do with the ICAC investigation. And how does the city feel? Rudderless, I imagine. What will become of us?
OK, quitting the sarcasm now, after all it is the lowest form of wit. The grafting at our house was of the knitting kind. Purl yarns had a stash buster buster sale earlier on in the month, and I bought a hank of handmaiden cashmere silk 2 ply in the vintage colourway.
Oh my good lord there are no words to describe the lofty softness of this yarn. And the way the colours blended gently from one to another, with a flash of something something here and there, it was pure joy to admire in the hank.
But what to make of it? I wanted to really show the colours, and I figured at 300 or so yards it would need to be lacy to get a decent sized scarf or wrap from it. I hand wound the ball of yarn, in the hope it would speak to me as I did so. I'm so glad I did this, as I became intimately acquainted with every inch of it before I even started knitting it. I was a little bit in love when I finished winding the ball, and in fact, the yarn had indeed spoken to me. It wanted to be knitted in a vintage lace pattern in tribute to it's name, and it wanted to be knitted sideways.
Here's what she wanted to be.
If you've ever wondered what you might make of a single hank of something special, I'd recommend this pattern. It's airy, quick, and the simplicity of the lace really shows off any varigation you might have in the colours - something which can be quite elusive when knitting lace with handpainted yarns, particularly those with distinct and contrasting colour changes.
Who designed the pattern?
Why, me of course!
If you're interested in hearing more about it, leave a comment and I'll document it. It's quite fun, it's got a lot of stitches and only about 60 or so rows. And a great big graft down the centre.
I'm very pleased with how it came out actually. What do you think?
And, that's not the only finished item for 2007!
In November last year I recieved 5 balls of Muench Touch me for my birthday from some of my knitting pals. It was for the vintage velvet scarf from Scarf Style.
Never before had I coveted a knitted item like I coveted this scarf.
But I am a process knitter. And to me, the process of knitting this scarf was tortuous. Firstly I couldn't get the pattern right, and ripped back two full balls of the yarn twice. Secondly, the fluff emanating from the re-knitted balls went up my nose and in my eyes and all over my clothes and the carpet and drove me up the wall. Thirdly, it just would not end.
But I picked it up on Thursday last week and persevered. I really really wanted the scarf, and I've committed myself to a bit of FIFO (first in first out) WIP project mangement too. And I finally got the knitting done.
So, what do you do with almost a hundred US dollars of yarn knitted into a scarf? The instructions say to felt it in a hot wash and then put it in the tumble dryer. The ballband says dry clean only. Oh I was terrified. Terrified I say. I consulted the lord of the grunt and received a grunt of a reply. It was almost midnight. The clock was ticking.
I closed my eyes and set the machine. I closed my eyes when the cycle ended and put it in the dryer.
Presto!
It's so shiny and smooth it is very difficult to photograph the after shots. I couldn't be happier with it. So, it feels like my birthday all over again, thank you to D and D and S and J for making me a very happy knitabulous.
And finally, there's something going on across the road. I don't want to talk about it.
You may remember a few months ago our offices were 'raided' by the Independent Commission Against Corruption ("good morning public servants. Pens down please, we wish to examine your files. We are authorised to do so under subsection z of the a to z act, nineteen o one. Please place your documents in a neat pile on the right hand side of your desk. You will, of course, be required to fill out a b23 form on your way out. Refreshments will be served on level 2, and we apologise for the inconvenience.")
Anyway, the sudden departure of our fearless leader is claimed to have nothing to do with the ICAC investigation. And how does the city feel? Rudderless, I imagine. What will become of us?
OK, quitting the sarcasm now, after all it is the lowest form of wit. The grafting at our house was of the knitting kind. Purl yarns had a stash buster buster sale earlier on in the month, and I bought a hank of handmaiden cashmere silk 2 ply in the vintage colourway.
Oh my good lord there are no words to describe the lofty softness of this yarn. And the way the colours blended gently from one to another, with a flash of something something here and there, it was pure joy to admire in the hank.
But what to make of it? I wanted to really show the colours, and I figured at 300 or so yards it would need to be lacy to get a decent sized scarf or wrap from it. I hand wound the ball of yarn, in the hope it would speak to me as I did so. I'm so glad I did this, as I became intimately acquainted with every inch of it before I even started knitting it. I was a little bit in love when I finished winding the ball, and in fact, the yarn had indeed spoken to me. It wanted to be knitted in a vintage lace pattern in tribute to it's name, and it wanted to be knitted sideways.
Here's what she wanted to be.
If you've ever wondered what you might make of a single hank of something special, I'd recommend this pattern. It's airy, quick, and the simplicity of the lace really shows off any varigation you might have in the colours - something which can be quite elusive when knitting lace with handpainted yarns, particularly those with distinct and contrasting colour changes.
Who designed the pattern?
Why, me of course!
If you're interested in hearing more about it, leave a comment and I'll document it. It's quite fun, it's got a lot of stitches and only about 60 or so rows. And a great big graft down the centre.
I'm very pleased with how it came out actually. What do you think?
And, that's not the only finished item for 2007!
In November last year I recieved 5 balls of Muench Touch me for my birthday from some of my knitting pals. It was for the vintage velvet scarf from Scarf Style.
Never before had I coveted a knitted item like I coveted this scarf.
But I am a process knitter. And to me, the process of knitting this scarf was tortuous. Firstly I couldn't get the pattern right, and ripped back two full balls of the yarn twice. Secondly, the fluff emanating from the re-knitted balls went up my nose and in my eyes and all over my clothes and the carpet and drove me up the wall. Thirdly, it just would not end.
But I picked it up on Thursday last week and persevered. I really really wanted the scarf, and I've committed myself to a bit of FIFO (first in first out) WIP project mangement too. And I finally got the knitting done.
So, what do you do with almost a hundred US dollars of yarn knitted into a scarf? The instructions say to felt it in a hot wash and then put it in the tumble dryer. The ballband says dry clean only. Oh I was terrified. Terrified I say. I consulted the lord of the grunt and received a grunt of a reply. It was almost midnight. The clock was ticking.
I closed my eyes and set the machine. I closed my eyes when the cycle ended and put it in the dryer.
Presto!
It's so shiny and smooth it is very difficult to photograph the after shots. I couldn't be happier with it. So, it feels like my birthday all over again, thank you to D and D and S and J for making me a very happy knitabulous.
And finally, there's something going on across the road. I don't want to talk about it.
posted by knitabulous at Sunday, January 21, 2007 |
