Noro madness

If you don't know it, there's a color-changing yarn around that has lots of people under its spell. A clever fellow in Brooklyn designed a 1X1 ribbed striped scarf that is so addictive that people all over the country are making them. I even know a woman who is working on TWO. You can find hundred of pictures of these on Flickr. Here's my first one in progress, made with Noro Silk Garden, a blend of silk, wool, and mohair. It's going to Caleb, who will be instructed to keep it on the outside of his coat, not next to his skin -- or he can hang it in his bedroom as a banner. The colors are really richer than shown here. The wonderful thing about working with this yarn, is that you never know which colors are going to turn up and what the juxtapositions will look like. I started with two colors, one quite bright and one quite dark, but in places they become almost the same. Time to buy some more. (Warning: it's not cheap. But it's worth it.)

Colorful, if not shiny

Actually, Lambs' Pride wool IS a bit shiny, compared to most worsteds. That's probably because it's 15% mohair. This is a hat and scarf I made for Lute Lute. I learned to knit many decades ago but have never gotten very proficient at it. I attribute that lack to my preference for reading over TV. And to speed. I knit the continental way, which is quick and efficient, and I can't see why anybody would choose the more laborious yarn-in-the-right-hand-wrap-around-the-needle way. But most people are a lot more error-free than me. i just do it for fun and because I love the feel of wool yarn, and the colors. My mother-in-law was a wonderful and perfectionist knitter who once made an Aran Isles pullover for Ben and also a Kaffe Fassett sweater. I stick to scarves and hats. I once took a class to learn to make socks, made a lovely wool pair, then wore out the heels within weeks by walking barefoot around the hosue in them. That was a lot of work for holey socks. Hats are much more durable, although most of them seems to drift to other parts of the family. That's okay -- i enjoy seeing them on my relatives. I'm experimenting with felting, but in a guesswork way. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes not. If you'd like a hat, let me know, and tell me your colors.

I just joined the huge knitting site Ravelry but won't submit pictures to it because my creations are not perfect. But knitting's fun and satisfying.

Wool

Inspired by Mimi's doll (and other creations) blog and her links to the blogs of other artists and craftspeople, I thought I'd post a couple of my little projects, just because they're colorful and they're made of wool. I don't do a lot of knitting because I'd usually rather read, but I love the feel and look of wool. Some people can read and knit, but I can't. And I love to wear my knitted hats and see family members wearing them. I've been experimenting with felting them to make them warm enough for sensitive ears, but I still need to make them longer to accommodate for the shrinkage. In the last picture, of the unfinished hat, the dark green band doesn't show up well, but the colors are really very nice.

This last picture is some wonderful slipper socks my friend Rob gave me for Christmas. They're neither wool nor knitting, but acrylic and crochet, and they are great.