Yarnlove

On public (Pia) demand, I now present more documentation on the shoulderette:

Slinky as it is, I might sew an elastic to the back of the garter stitch edge. Here's a back view:

For a pattern without gauge, specific yarn or needle recommendations, I think it turned out quite OK.








Next up are the gloves I'm knitting. Colours are nowhere near accurate, but you still get the picture. I'm using Drops Alpaca, which is just an excellent yarn. Perhaps not the most exciting, but it's awfully soft, has great yardage and is very affordable. Worth mentioning is that it's the same yarn I used for the Deep V Argyle Vest, but the gauge on the mittens is around 30, and the vest was 22. Yes, it was! I had the right gauge, it was something wrong with the pattern. (Seriously, I did.) My conclusion is that the recommended 23 for Alpaca doesn't apply when knitting with two colours.

Deep V Argyle? Have a look, this is the last picture of it. Ever.
I don't think I have ever knit anything as unflattering as this vest. (I do have a short memory, though.) It's just big and soft. I made the lower part longer, but only 8 rows, so it shouldn't really make a difference. I just want to say it wasn't my fault. My honest guess is that the yarn wasn't ideal for this project, and that I should have used something more conventional and maybe a bit more sturdy. As the glove above shows the stitches much better and is firm without being stiff, I say 22 is too big for Drops Alpaca and the closer to 30 the better.

Also, I learned yesterday that you can only frog downwards, not upwards. Say a last goodbye to Deep V Argyle...

The next big thing might be spinning. I have 0.5 kg of white gotlandish wool in the basement, useless for felting. According to Interweave spinning is very easy. I downloaded the brochures and read them thoroughly on the train yesterday, and I almost get it. I think practice will clear things up, but I have yet to find a spindle. Just have to figure out where to look.