Friday, September 30, 2011


We had a great time.

Kristie and Kath are first cousins, Rachel’s age, seeming like sisters. They have just finished walking the Cateran Trail, in my beloved Strathardle and thereabouts. We had been planning for months to meet in Kirkmichael – it turned out much better this way. They say they were utterly exhausted on their Kirkmichael evening – and we were in London.

Whereas yesterday, we met at K1 Yarns – in fact, we met in the street outside, and recognised each other at once. Kristie bought some splendid blue Scappa Aran. I had been wondering, as I knit Thomas’ sweater, whether perhaps the primary colours can appear in a full, rich, saturated form which is impossible for any other colour, however wonderful, because all the others are mixtures.

If true or if not, Kristie’s blue Aran corresponds absolutely to Thomas’s red madelinetosh. Utter blue.

I bought a pattern for a Dr-Suess-type red felted hat, the design of the shop-owner, but it says on it not to let you see it.

And Kristie gave me a Crazy Zauberball:


(Everybody knows that sock yarn doesn’t count as stash.) 

I have admired this yarn from afar, and will knit it as the very next pair of socks. The label specifically says that you can’t persuade the yarn to produce identical-twin socks: “Kein Socken gleicht dem Anderen.”

Then we had lunch in a pleasant, cool, quiet pub – everybody else was sitting out in the crowded, sticky sun.

Kath took a picture of me and Kristie before we parted. I was surprised, looking at it, to find that I was a whole generation older than they are. While we sat and ate and talked and laughed, I felt myself their age.

Do go look at their wonderful pictures of the Cateran Trail.

Knitting

I should finish the second Brownstone sleeve today. I spent a few moments just now, while the synapses were firing, or whatever it is they do in the early morning, calculating the number of stitches needed for the body and the number to cast on. Jared increases about 10% from ribbing to body.

Stash

Wren, thanks. I have joined the p/hop group on Ravelry and think I understand about donating yarn, although the process is not absolutely as clear as it might be.

Beverly in NJ, you’re right, of course, that knitting bulky diminishes stash faster than knitting lace. But I think my problem has reached the stage where even that wouldn’t make enough difference. One of the great things about life, Annie, is that there’s always somebody somewhere who’s worse than you are at whatever it is.

6 comments:

  1. It is a little free form! It's probably best to look at some of the old threads and see which form appeals to you.

    The advantage of doing it through Ravelry is that if it's commercial yarn (or recent hand-dyed) it will probably already be in the database and photos of the yarn become less necessary.

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  2. Anonymous10:02 AM

    I think if you're honest about it, you're really more like two generations older than Kristie & Kath! Sorry...

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  3. I am very tempted by the Crazy Zauberball as well. I think the store displays in Toronto stated one had to use the yarn from the outside of the ball, not as a centre pull ball.
    There is another type of Zauberball wound on a spool, which is meant to sit on what is perhaps a Continental window handle - I don't think those are much in use in Toronto (not in the old housing stock anyway).
    So much temptation!
    I agree that sock yarn shouldn't be considered the same as other stash, but I still need to knit it up ...

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  4. =Tamar1:05 AM

    It depends on how long your family's generations are. My family tended to have children later in life, so our generations are longer.

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  5. You're as old as you feel, so if you felt just a little and not a lot north of 49 in Kristie's company then that's how old you were right then, and don't let anyone tell you different!

    On the subject of stash ... I think if I'm honest Jean there are a lot of people with a worse yarn collecting habit than mine ... but I aspire to rooms full of the stuff so I'm clearly travelling in the right direction ;D

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  6. It was a wonderful afternoon Jean! Kath and I have switched from whiskey to cider for our daily refreshment. I did tell Kath that when we go home we have go follow your rule of only having cider one day of the week. :-)

    As far as age is concerned I hadn't noticed there was a difference.

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