Contrast

I have two things completed this week and they are wildly different from one another.

It isn’t blocked yet in the photos, because I just couldn’t stand to wait another week to photograph it – hence it hangs a little funny. But it’s drying now and will be ready to wear by the end of the week. I might have to undo and resew the collar, as I carefully matched the center of the collar to the center of the back neck and it still went on just the teeniest bit off center.

I rummaged in my buttons and found some pretty glass ones that were sort of mauve with black – they harmonize quite well with the sort of rosyness of the brown. I tried to get a picture of the buttons on the band but didn’t get anything you could actually see. Maybe next week.

I started knitting this in early February, but I started spinning the fiber back in October. I used just under 2 pounds of 3 ply yarn, and I have a batch of 4 ounces unspun that I bought as insurance. I haven’t decided yet what to do with it.

I can’t wait till it dries, I want to wear it.

I have to commend Vermont Fiber Designs on a classic and cleverly designed pattern.

Then there is the other thing that’s complete, so different from the first.

Somehow the pictures I took yesterday just weren’t that great. The merino/tencel is done. I spun as fine as I dared, but I guess it still isn’t fine enough, because this is not really laceweight although it’s skinnier than fingering weight. I got between 650 and 700 yards in a 4 ounce hank, and only had to throw away a teeny amount due to barfglobs during plying. It will definitely be a shawl although I’m not sure yet which one – it really does have a lovely sheen and is very soft, although I think I underplyed it a little and might feed it back through the wheel someday if I go to knit it and think it’s necessary. (Although to be honest, most commercial laceweight yarn I’ve knit with has been underplyed, if I think about it – you don’t consider that so much when you buy a yarn, it’s the overplyed ones that are noticeable – but don’t you agree that most commercial laceweight yarn is sort of floppy and loose??) The fiber was dyed by Mama E, and the last time I was in my LYS there was some of it on the shelf….