Progress Report

As has recently been reported here at the Totally Knitting Universe, I am making Entrelocks from a pattern found at Men Knit. The pattern calls for 6 different colors that go nicely together. 6 balls of sock yarn, for the record, is about enough to make 6 socks, so I convinced Bevin that we should go in on this endeavor together, that we could split the materials and the cost and still have plenty left over in the end.

Oh, what a plan!

I was impatient and started mine right away. Here's a progress pic.



I mentioned to Rose that I'm sort of glad my first piece of entrelac is in the round because it has the modest advantage of not requiring the construction of left or right triangles. Just three shapes instead of five. Since this photo was taken I've progressed a little further to the point where I'm ready to start the heel flap.

Which I will do as soon as my super speed emergency project is complete.

Ladies, let's talk about Lion Brand Homespun.

Now, I hate it. It is difficult to work with, sheds great fistfuls of fiber, the boucle bunches up on the working yarn as you knit and it pills the instant you bind off. Think I'm exaggerating? Just try it yourself.

I don't buy it.

This does not mean that I don't have garbage bags full of it in my home, however. A friend who moved recently gave me great heaps of it so she wouldn't have to move it. I tried to decline, but my friend, well she's insistent. Bevin and I have been puzzling over what to do with all this stuff that I now own but don't want to use. She's in favor of me putting it on ebay and auctioning it off. Other ideas have been to get giant needles and use it to make that mythical afghan that uses like ten strands of yarn at once so we can donate it to Katrina victims who need something to snuggle with and don't care if it pills because winter is coming and all they have is a damn tent and would be happy to have a crappy blanket to cover their naked bodies as they try to stave off death for just one more day.

Well, in the midst of that conversation I landed a great new job and gave notice at my current position and I have been recieving cards and little tokens from my co-workers as I pack up and prepare to move on. One of these co-workers, the sweetest and most wonderful woman ever, presented me with a card and a nicely wrapped package containing three skeins of Lion Brand Homespun.

It is bad form to throw away gifts, and none of my knitting friends would have accepted it as a re-gift, so I decided that I absolutely must turn some portion of this into a scarf to give back to her. I could consider what ever was left over as waste, or as the 11th strand of that afghan I mentioned and which is spoken of so frequently on the purile Knitlist. I also decided that I had to have it done before I leave this job two days from now on Wednesday.

I recently came into a little miracle called Handknit Holidays which features a very interesting and very easy scarf design for heavier weight yarn. The pattern, Snowy Triangles," is a series of garter stitch triangles up the length of the scarf done with increases at the start of each right side row and a decrease at the border between triangles. Simple, and very effective.

I cast on for this scarf in Homespun and am racing along, trying to finish in the next two nights. I'll let you know how it goes. In the mean time, here's a progress pic on this project as well.



Yes, the image is upside down, which is not my preference. But Bevin is hosting the image and I have to prevail upon her to fix it. In the photograph the triangles are difficult to see, but not in person. I hope that I will be able to get a few more shots that highlight the design better before I give it away. And this Homespun business will all go away soon. Since this photo was taken the scarf has doubled it's length. I continue to barrel toward completion.

Bevin cast on the same scarf in some yarn from her stash. You can see the stitch definintion more clearly here because hers is not a boucle. The second triangle is just starting to form on the right side. You get the idea.



Of course, hers is far more glamorous.