Christine65: Some Hurricane Alpaca yarn and a WIP

I did it! I made yarn from sheared fleece.

I was really, really worried that this had felted when I washed it, but apart from it sticking together a little bit where I'd tied the skein, it was ok. It's perhaps slightly fuzzier than I'd have liked, but it's oh-so-soft (sorry for being a bit trumpet-blowy there) and I'm so pleased with it. By look and feel, I reckon it's about a DK-weight yarn and pre-washing, there was more or less 150m, which should be enough for an Awesome Hat (bought the pattern today - Mimi's patterns are always well-written). I might have to make the turney-uppey brim a bit shorter by a couple of cms, but I reckon I've got enough (famous last words - if I try to knit fast, will the yarn last longer? :D ).

So, that's the yarn. What else have I been knitting? Well, there's a pair of socks. Well, not really a pair. One sock. Which I've been knitting since the end of May. I turned the heel last week (I'm toe-upping, as per usual) and have done a couple of rows of the leg on the first one, but that's it. Rather lame really, so I won't show you a photo until I've done a bit more.

The other thing I've been - here and there (more 'there' at knitting group on a Monday) - knitting is my Reine cardigan. I think I started this around the same time as I started the socks. I have no idea why this is taking so long, other than the end of term/summer weather stuff I talked about in my last post. I think it must be summer knitting ennui. Anyway, the lack of progress is nothing to do with the pattern, which is as well-written as any other Brooklyn Tweed pattern I've knitted. Comprehensive, detailed, a good schematic, isn't crammed into as few pages as possible, etc. I'm about 12 rows away from dividing at the under-arm.

Photos? OK then!

The top one's a bit clearer, the bottom one shows a more accurate yarn colour on my laptop screen. Can you see why I like this cardigan? No ribbing at the bottom, but some garter stitch ridges instead, which makes the bottom lie flatter. A ribbed button band? No, thank you - let's have some cabling instead, working up the fronts and along the edges (I'm decreasing up the fronts at the moment - a simple matter of an ssk at the right front and a k2tog on the left, but inside the cabley bits). What's so thoughtful about this pattern is that all the shaping decreases and increases occur on the same row as the cables are done. So are the buttonholes (every third cable cross row). Inspired design thinking in my book. None of that cable on row x and then remember how many rows since you last did a buttonhole and hope you've got it right malarkey.

The yarn is my handspun (grey North Ronaldsay - bought and spun to make this cardigan). I've absolutely no idea why I'm not just getting on with it as I'm really looking forward to finishing it, choosing buttons and wearing it. I've even left it like this since early evening:

See? Started a row, got distracted/my attention or help was required, and there it's sat all night.

It's the summer though. Children hindering me (DD2 is sleeping particularly poorly at the moment). Even Jess is being more hindrance than help. She likes the alpaca (raw fleece and yarn). Jess is the reason for the poorer-than-usual photos today. Look:

See in the background? A black paw.

Zoom pulled back a bit:

And this is when she had a hopeful 'can I pick it up yet, Mum?' look about her (the answer was a firm 'no'):

We've had a funny couple of weeks with Jess. She's been in season. She's now 3-and-a-half. Prime breeding age. She's been unsettled, wanting to go out in the garden umpteen times every day and have a widdle. Hubby was worried she was unwell. I gave him one of those "for someone clever, you can be really stupid at times" looks. "She's not ill - she's feeling frisky" I told him. Not that we're going to breed her; I don't think I could cope with puppies + DD2.

Usually, Jess is more likely to be found in this position: