When it Rains, It's Purple

Progress continues on Jemima. I finished knitting and blocking the front. It looks the same as the back, so I didn't bother to take any photos. Yesterday, while we sat around waiting for the electricians to fix the power in the bathroom, I managed to knit about half of a sleeve only to discover that I'd somehow knit the wrong way on one row. I must have put it down mid-row or something and forgot if I was knitting or purling. Interestingly, I only realized it from the one weird stitch. When I frogged it back, one side was two rows longer than the other. It's all better now, and there's still a chance I could finish Jemima before I head off next weekend.

Purple People Eater

Late last week, I finally received the Panda Cotton I ordered for my mom's socks. They ran out of the powder blue color (my mom's favorite), so I opted for the periwinkle. As Heather mentioned a while back, these are teeny balls of yarn. I'm skeptical that I'l get a pair of socks out of them.

Here's a shot of both skeins next to B's Winnie the Pooh tea cup. I'm not kidding, that is B's mug. That his mom gave him. I assure you that I tease him about his muggy wuggy. ;)

I cast on on Friday thinking I'd follow the Laburnum pattern (see the 4 stitch patterns) from Sensational Knitted Socks, only to discover that it's this close to impossible to k3tog in cotton. It can be done, but it slows the flow of knitting down so much as to not be enjoyable. Plus, I don't think the pattern and the yarn, which is a bit splitty, went well together. I frogged it after one pattern repeat, and am looking around for something else. I'm not going to cast on again until Thursday when Summer of Socks 2007 begins.

The Berlaine also turned up.

Unfortunately, it's as I feared: itchy scratchy. No wonder Frenchie turned up her nose up at the mention of 100% wool yarn. This is old school wool - more torture than luxury. I'm going to wash a few swatches to see if it softens up, but at the moment things aren't looking good for the Cabled V.

Next Stop: Berlin

I mentioned in passing the other day that I'm going to Berlin next weekend. I'm enrolled in a week-long yoga teacher training course with Manju Jois. For those of you who practice Ashtanga yoga, you'll recognize the name. Manju is the son of Sri Pattabhi Jois, the famous Indian yogi that developed the Ashtanga series of yoga postures. I don't exclusively practice Ashtanga yoga, but I do enjoy it. And, this is a great opportunity for me to work with an Indian master, of which there are surprisingly few.

For those who are curious, I teach an interdisciplinary style of yoga with a slight preference for vinyasa flow. That is to say, that I teach a little bit of everything, but I like to keep things moving in the class. I don't believe that one size fits all, and I think there's a lot to learn and take away from all kinds of yoga. However, there are two "foundational" styles, and Jois' Ashtanga is one of them. This is me getting back to the basics. I'm really, really, really excited about this class.

I'm also really, really, really keen to go to Berlin. It's meant to be one of the most dynamic cities in Europe, and also home to this little guy. Not to worry, I believe the apartment I rented has wireless Internet, so I will be blogging. There will also be knitting. And yarn shopping.

Comments

[Heather]

That class sounds so interesting, what a great opportunity...

Yes, that Panda Cotton is so unbelievably precious and adorable!

[Elinor]

Too bad about that wool. Scratchy wool is so hard to work with. One thing you could consider is knitting the sweater up and letting it soak in water with a wee bit of fabric softener (try it out on your swatch first, of course). I've found fabric softener really makes Lopi Lite more palatable. The reason it works is that fabric softener slowly breaks down fibers - something to be aware of in terms of your sweater's longevity.

Have a great time in Berlin! It sounds like it would be so much fun!

[Laurie L.]

I am "delurking" to tell you I love the mug...so your honey has a "honey" mug. Awwww. I would SO be teasing him about it! Oh, yeah.

Fabric softener might help with the wool, but scratchy it will always be, to some degree. Buying without being able to fondle the wool is always a tricky affair. You can always felt something with it. Scratchy wool usually felts quite nicely.

Berlin sounds nice. Should be a wonderful class. Perfect time of year to be there.

[schrodinger]

scratchy wool sucks - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that washing will help - a LOT. The panda cotton looks pretty, I'm sure it will make a lovely pair of socks for your mum.

[Jen]

Thanks for the info on the fabric softener. I'll give that a shot. Luckily this is my 'test skein' so there's no love lost if it doesn't work out.

The Panda Cotton has been interesting to try to pin down, but I think I've finally selected a stitch pattern. More details later...

[becky]

I can't wait to see Jemima finished-I'm making wedding plans for that yarn and myself.

much peace in Berlin!

[Jennie]

Wow, how fantastic! Do keep us posted about your travels.