Making progress on the blue knee socks! There are just a couple more inches left to knit on the foot, then I can start reducing down to the toes. I hope to have it done in the next day or two.

Unfortunately, I've had to temporarily abandon the bamboo socks--they're not quite laying correctly, so clearly it's a pattern problem. I think I added stitches wrong, so I'll have to check the directions and try again.

In the meantime, I've borrowed the 0000 needles to start a swatch for this new chartreuse yarn. So far this yields about 17 stitches to the inch. I'll have to figure out this toe-up sock pattern so that I can make this into a pair of socks. There is 1460 yards of this stuff--nearly 3/4 of a mile, and it knits up pretty nicely. There should be plenty for a pair of knee socks! I'd love to have a pair of really fine knee socks--at least for show. Who knows if I'd actually wear them often--after putting a few thousand hours into making them, I think I'd probably not want to wear them out too quickly or risk snagging them.

More to come, as always!

Elewys

A Few New Things

I finally finished the hat for Countess Oktavia and gave it to her on Friday evening as we were setting up the event. She requested a Greek Key pattern with crenolations to indicate her rank as a Countess. Her sweetie liked it so much, he may commission a hat from me as well. I'll have to get his colors and design requests so I can start on that.

On Sunday, I was called forth to receive an award that was received by Their Excellencies Aquaterra on my behalf at Day of Dance in November. I knew that the award was given, as they announced it at a business meeting a couple months ago (since it was going to be in the Crier anyway). I asked that it be given to me at Ursulmas, but I didn't realize that they had another surprise for me.

Instead of the Jambe de Leon, they presented me with this scroll! This is the Baronial Order of the Plate, the first level arts & sciences award. Perhaps I'll earn the higher awards once I step down from the A&S office. ;) Afterwards, they said to stay put while they gave me the Jambe.

Here are the tokens associated with both awards, as well as the token received to enter the event.

I was able to get some knitting done while I sat at the A&S booth, did a bit of chatting with mundanes and new SCAers who asked questions, and visited with some artisans who stopped by to see what was new and interesting in Aquaterra's artisan front. Mistress Goran recommended a magazine that just came out with an article on Historic knitting. I will have to check it out...

Elewys

Trying some new experiments with knitting hats--a commission for a Countess prompted a test knit with a Greek Key design. It turned out much too small for her but a perfect size for my son.

The new hat is being worked up with a slightly taller pattern with heavier yarn.

I am also currently researching, and getting ready to begin, a set of Viking clothes for myself. There is a link to the left (under "Viking - Vigdis") that has more links to further research. Vigdis takes their research and translates it into How to Make a Viking Apron Dress. I have some fabric to start making the dress, but unfortunately, I don't have a piece of chalk to mark the fabric. And the fabric is 4" too short. Grrr... Luckily, my DH found a box in the garage labeled "Costume Fabric, Woolens." Inside were a few very nice usable pieces! Now to find something to mark the fabric with....

E

Finished Tree of Life socks!

They really are the same size even though one looks a little bit bigger--it's just a little more stretched out. Blocking would fix that, though I've never blocked any of my knitting, so I don't know how that would work.

I hope to have my hat-in-trade soon!

E

First of the Tree of Life Socks for Duchess Lao.

The Tree of Life pattern is my own design; the rest of the patterns are from period sources. 100% wool yarn from Cascade Heritage.

The second sock is started and hopefully I can get it done in just a few more days. :)

Elewys

New Turkish socks for Moreleigh. The pattern is from "Fancy Feet", a book on traditional Turkish socks. (Pardon the image being 90 degrees askew--I can't, for the life of me, get the thing to turn and STAY that way.) These were knitted using 100% wool Cascade Heritage yarn, Red and Black on sz. 4 DPNs. It features a different sole and heel pattern, and has the traditional triangular heel found in Turkish socks.

At Halloween, I borrowed my husband's Lao hat, took a picture, and was teased for being a HAT THIEF! I was then offered to have another hat made in trade for socks, as I had done earlier this fall. These red-and-yellow socks in progress are the new pair for Duchess Lao. The blue and white sock is simply for size comparison. Includes "Baraka" (blessings) on the foot, and Trees of Life around the ankle, which I designed, and will be repeated around the top of the sock. Yarn is 100% wool Cascade Heritage yarn, red and a skein of formerly snow-white, but now tumeric yellow, dyed in my kitchen.

The next thing that I'm considering is whether to enter a knitted item into Kingdom A&S, as a single entry not for champion. I'm going to have to go down to Weaving Works to find some supplies to make cotton socks in the Egyptian style. I'd love to also dye them with indigo, just to try it once. I'll have to do some more research on the topic.

Elewys

More dye & sock experiments

Cloves - not as bright as the tumeric dye, but a beautiful mustardy yellow (it's a little washed out here due to the flash). And the wool smells lovely!

Finished the first Turkish sock tonight, though I'm not entirely happy with the heel closure. I may take it apart and re-do it. The construction/closure of the heel is unusual and I was going to follow the directions, but I chickened out on attempting it, thinking I could just crochet it together. That didn't really work, so I think I'll take that apart and try again.

This is the sock top. I just picked a pattern that looked fun.

As is traditional with Turkish socks, the sock sole is different than the rest of the sock. This can make for some really fun patterns and designs!

More later,

Elewys