'S'up?"

Lot's 'o stuff...

The Class...

Today is the first class of the second session.  5 of my original 9 students are returning to take it up a notch from their simple garter stitch, self designed projects into the world of stockinette and patterns. In preparation for this I've been swatching and doodling and surfing around on line costing out needles and yarn. I will also have a new student who doesn't know how to knit so that adds another level of complexity. I have $15.00 per student for supplies and each child will need new needles. It isn't much to work with.

So the first project will take advantage of the remaining yarn from the first session which is largely red and pinks. I've designed a heart sachet project that will be all shaping all the time, a bit of assembly, decorating with embroidery and then felting. After the felting we'll block them to shape. 'Amazing how many techniques you can work into one small project!

I incorporated a little cleavage into my heart - it will add some dimension and minimize any other puckering they end up with as they kitchener around all those curves.

I'm planning three weeks for this with everyone working together through class - maybe into the fourth.  Beyond that, I'm not sure where we'll head.,

 Working with cotton might be interesting - it'll really show up the quality of their tension and fresh from a felting project, highlight just how sticky wool can be compared to another type of fiber.

Future projects...
I mentioned in Monday's post I'd spread out my stash to see what was there. I've got yarn for...

4 pairs socks

A "Backyard Leaves" Scarf

A white mohair wrap

several cotton bags

I also have a quantity of worsted. My colour work ambitions feel like they're heading towards finer gauge so I'm thinking about using up the worsted but in combinations that don't remind me of their origins in other FO's.  so I started by grouping things by colour. Yellow....makes me think about a small afghan like Lion Brand Artful Elegance.

And this grouping makes me think of a steeked cardigan...

This bunch is saying yoke neck pullover...

The exercise has me thinking it might be fun to put off new yarn purchases until all of it is gone. Its a nice variety of projects and yarns. It could keep me amused for months!


Sweater WIP...

And speaking of amusing - the Minimalist Cardigan isn't.

Knitting Continental is unpleasant because unlike my English technique its not automatic. It is getting faster though and my tension is improving in terms of consistency. I've completed the back and one side of the front and I'm a couple of inches into the second front section.

I worked at spring cleaning bedrooms and laundering bedding yesterday - flipping and vacuuming mattresses, wiping down walls, woodwork and furniture and cleaning out the closets and dressers. (Other than me, everyone in the family is very allergic to dust - for two of them it triggers asthma for the other it prompts violent and unrelenting sneezes so this kind of cleaning a couple of times a year is really important and I'm the only one who can do it while still breathing.) I used my left hand as much as possible and taking about 4 breaks through the day to ice my elbow. I did knit, wearing my brace for a couple of hours in the evening. In the end I slept better last night than I have in several nights previous. What a relief!

My projects aren't the only ones in the hopper around here though.  Number One Son, like his mother, always needs a project and his current one is to build a wake surf board...

Its a reinforced plywood base, with the top now covered in four cans of foam insulation. The wood was curved at both ends by hauling pot after pot of boiling water out to the driveway to douse and soften the board then suspended at either end and weighted down in the middle. (All this prior to applying the foam of course.) The shot below kind of shows the curve along the lower edge. He shaved and sanded the foam covered surface down smooth and plans to add fins to the bottom and then fiberglass the whole thing.

His clean up of the garage even met with his father's approval which is hard to believe given the mess he made!

So that's what's up around here!

Thanks for dropping by!