Cardi, Socks and Shawl

I really should work on blogging more often. But I prefer to get on and do rather than write about doing... I'm over the whole pneumonia/influenza now, and it's school holidays, so I have been 'doing' the 'doing'.

The Kundalini Woolganics Cardi is coming along nicely - I'm below the bust line heading for the waist. It is all stocking stitch though, so it is my mindless knitting project at the moment. It is a bit longer than in this picture below.



I have also been plodding along on a pair of Froot Loop socks in the Dream in Color Smooshy Cloud Jungle yarn from the frogged Leyburns. I started these just before I fell ill two months ago and have typically knit a pattern repeat per day most days. The first sock is finished and its mate has just had the heel turned.



Between the cardi and the socks, I wasn't feeling challenged enough, so I cast on another lace shawl - the Moonlight Sonata Shawl in Dream in Color Starry in the colour "Black Pearl". The yarn is 'interesting' - it is labelled as "98% superfine Australian merino superwash, 2% silver fibres". It feels kind of like acrylic to me, and it is crocking too, so after 4-5 rows I have black fingers. I'm not really worried by it as I expect it will feel nicer and stop crocking once I give it a good bath before blocking. The pattern was a real bugger to start with - perhaps it isn't right to have complaints when the pattern is free, but Chart 2 was a nightmare for the first few repeats. The instructions are also written out, so I followed them for the first repeat, then switched to the chart. It wasn't until the third repeat that I realised there were three different double decrease methods - I hadn't picked S2KP and SK2P were not the same thing. I didn't bother ripping back because I honestly can't tell the difference! I colour-coded about 10 of the 12 or so symbols on the chart with textas so I could keep track. I've finished 7 repeats, but the photo below is from half way through the sixth. I'm hoping to do at least 10-12 repeats in total, or more if this ball of yarn will go that far. The silver does give it sparkle, but it is hard to capture in a photo.



I have been spinning too, with the aim of doing a little each day (oops! I missed yesterday!). I'm spinning up 100 grams of the merino/silk blend I bought at Ashford last December, which I will probably ply with some natural grey merino from the stash. Sorry, I haven't got a photo of the single on the bobbin. Maybe next post.