Home dyeing

I've just dyed my first batch of yarn. Well, that's probably a slight exaggeration. I bought some sock yarn (Cygnet Wool-Rich 4-ply) from the John Lewis bargain bin, and decided its colour (lilac solid) was insufficient. So, using these instructions, I dyed them in artificial cochineal on one end of the skein and blue food colouring on the other end. It's now a sort of maroon/blueish/brownish/occasionally lilacish colour, drying in the airing cupboard, and will be made into socks shortly (albeit probably very simple ones). Photos will follow when they're done. Quick note to add - the heating was done in the microwave - 2 minutes on High, 10 minutes on Simmer, then took the bowl out and placed it in the (empty) bathtub to cool.

Other knitting news:

• No real progress to speak of on the headband. Will try again later with another yarn, and am donating the yarn I'd used so far to a friend who's just learning to knit.
  
• No progress whatsoever on the hats for the imminent choir babies (different choirs, but both due in August AFAIK). This will be remedied forthwith.
  
• I'm teaching a friend of mine to knit. This is fun.
  
• I started an Irish Hiking Scarf (mind out, link to PDF) for an unsuspecting friend of mine. Nearly halfway done now. Yay!
  

headbands and baby hats

Currently working on: a headband, which looks not too difficult, and is helping me use up some yarn that's been driving me N-V-T-S (nuts!) lately. This one is intended purely for at-home wear. If it works out nicely, I'll make another one to wear in public.

Currently arghing over: a hat for the soonishly-due (well, August) baby belonging to one of the altos in one of my choirs. From trying to decipher the original Norwegian pattern, I *think* my mistake is to count 18 after knitting front and back of one loop; am guessing that it ought to be 17, or that normally the increase would be done by picking up the middle bar between two stitches (in which case 18)? Oh well, I'll try that a little later. Would really like to have it finished by Sunday, so I can hand it over to the prospective mother at the performance that afternoon. Here's hoping...

I can has frist psot, oh yeah

First posts in blogs are often pretty much meaningless. This one is no different.

In 1988 or 1989, in primary school, anyway, I learnt to knit. Badly. So I stopped. Having, however, fallen in love with yarn, I kept intermittently reading about it, but didn't have the courage to actually attempt to knit anything, certainly not while I didn't have anyone to show me. I suppose with some initiative I could have found someone, but I was busy doing ten million other things (TM). OK, I was mostly busy singing. Anyway, at the end of this past March, I finally decided to pull my finger out and just try again. Since then, I've made three pairs of socks, a few hats, and some birds (I really need to get better at embroidery).

I guess I'm just trying to document my attempts at making things, as I have generally been quite clumsy all my life, and am trying to remedy that.

Very helpful: Knitting Help
Very addictive: Ravelry