Worth the Wait

In 2014, I bought this excellent book. It tells you absolutely everything you need to know about rugs made of braided roving, including how to make them yourself.

In 2015, I bought three giant balls of roving. I planned out how I wanted the colors to flow: 3 orange strands, then 2 orange/1 multi, 1 orange/2 multi, 3 multi, 2 multi/1 grey, 1 multi/2 grey, 3 grey. I made one giant braid, trying to keep the tension and width even, although the places where a new strand started were usually thicker than I would have liked.

Life intervened for a couple of years. Somewhere along the way I took The Braid up to the Felting Machine, and then made my only irretrievable error - I dried it slung over a clothesline without regard to whether or not the braid was twisted.

In 2020 I decided it was high time I sewed the rug together. I had purchased a set of waxed linen thread which happily contained both orange and grey. I carefully worked out the measurements for the first loop, and then discovered the book spelled that out for me. Never mind, it was reassuring that it matched what I figured out for myself.

I cut off the knots I had tied in the end of the braid before felting. I worked the first rounds three times, learning to "cap" the initial cut end, learning not to pull the thread too tight, and eventually learning that, because of the twisted felting, the rug was never going to lay completely flat. Trying to untwist the braid usually resulted in the rest of the rug twisting in the opposite direction. I also learned, towards the end, that I should have used up all the orange thread before switching to the grey -- 2 spools of thread was enough, but I had to go back and use the rest of the orange thread at the end. I wasn't about to go back just to fix the thread color.

Not bad for a first effort; would definitely try again. The recipient, who owns a felting needle, gets to finish off the grey cut end for me.

Christmas Project Number 7

One of the legacy yarns I acquired from my sister was a non-wool sock yarn -- a real find, since I know a few people who love hand-knit socks but struggle to wear wool. So onto my Christmas knitting list went a pair of socks made from this yarn. I chose Grumperina's classic pattern as the best way to show off the jacquard stripes.

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm)
Yarn: Loops & Thread Perfect Pair (acrylic/bamboo/polyester) in colorway Drive All Night, 318 yards
Pattern: Grumperina's Jaywalker

There was a tiny bit of yarn left over. I used a scale to estimate the yardage, then used the search function on Ravelry to find a use for it. What did we do before Ravelry? I had a lot more leftover or waste yarn, I suppose. I whipped out an adorable newborn hat in an afternoon, then cast around among my acquaintance and found a young woman about to be delivered of a daughter. Tucked the hat into the mail, daughter obligingly arrived just before the hat was delivered, and soon I had a modelling shot.

 

Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm)
Yarn: Loops & Thread Perfect Pair (acrylic/bamboo/polyester) in colorway Drive All Night, 75 yards
Pattern: Julie Tarsha's Super Stretchy Baby Hat>
Mods: Not a fan of the knot-on-top hats, so finished it off with simple decreases

Christmas Project Number 6

In the midst of all my Christmas knitting this fall, I came across some legacy yarn and could not stop myself from casting on. It was already measured into two equal balls, and clearly meant to be socks. All I needed to do was find the perfect sock pattern to preserve the stripes, and use up every bit of the yarn, because it was too perfectly dyed to waste any of it.

I was inspired by this pattern. I soon realized I had enough yarn for a full sock and abandoned the instep ribbing and short length. But I kept the number of stitches and heel instructions (always fun to learn a new way to turn a heel). It took several tries, since the pattern was top-down, to use up all the yarn - you can't just keep making the foot longer, the extra has to go in the leg. I thought the second sock would fly by, and it did for the most part, right until I ran out of yarn just as it was time to weave the toe closed.

I had a length of yarn the right color still attached to the first sock, so I just threaded it onto a needle and wove the second sock closed.

I wound up with this much left over:

I can't tell you what yarn it is (no label), what it's made of (best guess: high-twist merino with some nylon), or who is responsible for the incredible dye job. My favorite bit is at the end of the rainbow, where one row's worth of yarn runs quickly through every color before starting the long repeats again.

I don't know who my sister had in mind when she bought the yarn, but her niece is enjoying the socks very much.

Christmas Project Number 5

I was looking for a project to use up some leftover acrylic worsted. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew it would be perfect. I have a real soft spot for stuffies that don't require a lot of sewing together. And although the polar bear was adorable, I saw no reason it wouldn't do for a black bear. And I had the perfect recipient in mind.

I cast on in September.

Soon all four legs were stuffed and joined to the tummy section, and the body formed swiftly. Then I ran out of yarn and had to order another skein, which is mildly annoying since now I have leftover acrylic worsted again, but that's a problem for future me. At least I knew it would stand.

The new skein finally arrived and despite being a different dye lot, there wasn't a noticeable difference, so I proceeded to make the head. Then, on to the face -- and here things went seriously astray. I had a little black animal nose, which attached the same way safety eyes do. But it was out-of-proportion small to the eyes I had chosen, plus I put it in the wrong place. I got the eyes in the right spot, but there's some sculpting that goes on to form the muzzle and eyes, and by now I was completely off my game. The more I tweaked it, the worse it looked, in the tradition of some famous plastic surgeries. Finally I gave up and took everything apart back to the beginning of knitting the muzzle.

This time I opted for an embroidered nose, swapped for a slightly different eye size, and sculpted with a gentle hand.

Before

After (it's subtle)

I added the little ears and tail, and he was ready to present to the family's newest fan of Long Lake.

Needles: US 4 (3.5mm)
Yarn: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch in Black
Pattern: Lorraine Pistorio's Polar Bear Cub (five stars, will probably make again)