Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Snakes and Ladders

I have a new pair of socks on the go.


The stitch is an adaptation of the gansey snake cable pattern from Polperro. I love the way the curving cable stands out in relief from the straight lines of the background. Not sure what I'll do for the heel and foot--probably end the cable at the ankles and simply continue the background stitch. Cables don't work well inside shoes, and practicality is important in handknits. The yarn is a new one for me. I picked it up yesterday at Wool on Wellington and it's a wool/alpaca blend, incredibly soft and wonderful.
Earlier today I wound my new handspun into a cake. There's a little less than a hundred grams of it and it's more uneven, as in thick and thin, than my usual worsted-spun wool. At the same time, it's super soft and fluffy. A good practice skein. Most likely it'll become a cowl--


unless anyone has suggestions for what to do with a relatively small amount of aran weight yarn in a gradient colour scheme--and sparkles (which don't show here, alas).