Home Again, Home Again
Back home from vacation, with all the e-mails, bills, laundry and other sundry tasks that need to get done.
This is a picture of Thaddeus fishing in the back yard of his sister’s place…it was sublime.
And All I Want To Do Is Knit
I took a vacation from all knitting this past week.
I brought a hank of custom-dyed yarn from Carol at Black Bunny, thinking that I might want to use it to make a Boteh scarf for a gift (I would never sell a scarf at a craft fair using Carol’s yarn…it’s much too fine). The point is moot anyway, as I didn’t do any knitting while on vacation, except for a couple minor exceptions.
I gave my sister-out-of-law the Lavold-inspired pullover as one of her birthday gifts.
I knew the arms would be too long, so I brought some tools to adjust the length while I was there. The sweater now fits perfectly, although, I didn’t think to get a picture of her in it.
One of her neighbor friends asked me if I could show her how to make a decent button hole, so I used the leftover yarn from shortening the sleeves to knit up a swatch with five different types of button holes to show her.
Again, no picture, although, at one point, I will probably do a tutorial on button holes, and tips for making them neater looking.
Readers’ Comments/Questions
Cynthia writes, “It would be great if you could talk a bit more about drape/holes when knitting with ribbon. I have tried a variety of needle sizes, but have yet to get a good drape from ribbon without it being all holes.”
Actually, I’m not a big fan of knitting with ribbon, and even the stitch pattern I used on the latest scarf doesn’t create a very interesting fabric. I will practice a little more with it to see if I can come up with any other tips on how best to use it.
There is nothing like fishing.
But can fishing and knitting have something in common?
I think this can be considered as hobby,which can relax people.
That’s a great picture of Thaddeus. I would love to see a tutorial on making buttonholes look neater; I’m not pleased with the way my buttonholes look when I make them, either with yarn over/k2 tog method or by casting off stitches on one row and casting back on the next.
Lovely picture of Thaddeus. Thanks for sharing. It does look sublime out there.
welcome home…you were missed!
What a wonderful post. I came to your blog via an article from a magazine. I don’t remember which one. I was in B&N leafing through knitting magazines and came across the article. I jotted down your blog and find it very inspiring. Love you felted bowls. Thanks again for letting me peek in on your blog. Hope you’ll stop by my blog and leave a comment. I love comments! …Alice
Thanks Joe–I hate ribbon as well. When it is by itself, the drape is lovely. When it is knit up, it is a mess–but good for a button hole–
Look forward to the tutorial and to regular post. I know you deserve a vacation, but I missed you!
That’s a really lovely photo of Thaddeus. I love the lighting.
What were the five different buttonholes you tried, and what were the up and downsides of them?
Welcome home Joe, you somehow sound all relaxed and rested…
I wonder though if you or a reader can help me. I have purchased a mystery object (for the princely sum of $5) at a spinners and weavers get-together. No-one there knew what it was but I think it is a very large weavette loom, but it is all in pieces and I need to work out how to put it together. I seem to remember you had a picture of something like it on your blog ages ago but I can’t find it again. Does anyone recall the thing I mean? It has a lot of nails round the edges like a little weavette but it is about 2’x 18″. Unfortunately there were no instructions with it. it belonged to a very old lady originally and it is well made out of rather beautiful wood.
Any help with names, suggestions of websites and so on would be much appreciated. My email is kawabe@farmside.co.nz if you don’t want to clog up Joe’s blog with weavette nonsense!
on ribbon yarn – well, I hate working with it too. I did read an interesting bit about it in a library book from at least 40 (possibly 50 or 60) years ago, which suggested doing the unbearable annoying thing where you try and not let the ribbon twist for the whole time you work with it, and then… steam the crap out of it. Iron that baby flat. Apparently it then makes a nifty fabric.