I meant to post much earlier today but Trish put out a Vintage Linen Alert, so I had to dash off to a show-n-sale. Back now, and grateful to be in the warm again. This *is* May, right? Because it feels like February out there. Let's cosy up with a pretty sock:
This was knit by a friend's younger sister, who died tragically young from cancer, leaving many unfinished projects. If you've been around here long enough you may recall that I finished a different pair for my friend many years ago. Recently she discovered this sock, which not only needs its mate but is unfinished, itself:
and also, knit on three steel needles, aiiieeee! But I said I would finish the pair for her and so I shall. I've already snipped the grey yarn so I can start the second and take it up to the same point, then see if there's enough yarn to finish them without striping.
My friend used to sit beside her sister and wind her skeins for her, but always too tight in her sister's opinion, and I can guarantee you there's no way the yarn in these balls would have held up, as stretched thin as they were for so many years.
So, I reskeined them...
didn't they look beautiful just starting to relax again? and bathed them in Soak Wash, and hung them to dry. Then: the cakening.
All done now and ready to cast on, once I count out the stitches in the sock I have, and recreate the pattern she was using from that information, plus the base pattern book she had left in the bag.
I'm not looking forward to those steel needles, but I can't see how else I'd come close to the right gauge! and I would like the mate to be as near as possible to what it would have been in her sister's hands.
But first, I gotta make supper. I can't believe I left this week's Hug so late! especially on a day when I'm prepping eggplant, which needs its sweating time. Lately I've been cooking barley to toss in with roasted bell peppers and a sauteed mix of shallots and cherry tomatoes under a dusting of fresh parmesan, but today I'm adding roasted eggplant too. With a side of buckwheat baguette! We've got all healthy here at Hugs lately.
Hope your Saturday's been lovely and that you have a delicious dinner coming up soon, if not tonight! See you next week and thanks for spending this time with me today.
