Friday, December 28, 2012

Making magical yarn, and other excitements

I'm so excited to tell you about a new project I'm hoping to finish by the end of 2012:


which started with spinning the yarn I want to use for it.  How sad is it that it took me two months to connect my new white boots that don't match anything with the undyed, lusciously soft Polwarth fiber I've had forever?

Here is the plan:

1/ spin the yarn (done)
2/ ply the yarn (done)
3/ skein and Soak the yarn (done)
4/ once dry, cake and gauge the yarn
5/ knit a cowl
6/ knit a hat with what's left(ha)
7/ black down coat, white accessories, Mary all matchy

But there is more.  The goal here is to make magical yarn, with calming properties.  And for that, this fiber is perfect.  It's true that no artist touched it with colour, but the soft, pretty scent it came with has never left it.  And I mean never; I made a hat with some of this fiber a couple of years ago and even though it's been Soaked and set out on a shelf and worn in all weathers it still smells sweet.  Plus, it's soft and fluffy like warm snow or non-sticky marshmallow, were such things possible.

When you're making a magical thing, it's important that every step be full of magical elements.  So for the spinning, I watched some favourite British programs - which I mention because they are posted free on TV Ontario's website, here in Ontario at least (scroll down once at their site):

Lost in Austen

Foyle's War

And that is pretty much all there is to tell about the Magical Yarn Project today.  Updates next week!

* * * * *

Earlier this week I heard from Caitlin at All Free Knitting who wrote to tell me that two of my patterns - my Escapist Shawl and Milkshake Scarflet - were among the 100 most popular at the site in 2012.  So I get a button!


and I'm on a special list now at All Free Knitting (and you should check out that list by the way, because there are some really fun free patterns in it.)

* * * * *

It snowed here:


I had to take pictures, because last winter we had I think three snows of which just one looked about this deep before melting, and this winter Ottawa has had tons of snow for ages.  Toronto is never as cold as Ottawa, but we are supposed to get snow on a regular basis between December and March (inclusive) so that's a little weird.  Though now that I'm a driver, I am deeply grateful and kinda hoping any snow we do get over the rest of the winter will happen either on days I don't have to drive, or enough hours away from said drives to allow clearing up at a civilized hour, which I can tell you right now isn't going to be 5:30 am.

Because the snow started on Boxing Day and I was therefore staying up very late to milk every last minute of my special day, I can show you what it looked like at 1:30am through the lens of flash photography:


In real life, it was somewhat whiter and the brightness extended right out to the lawn owing to the reflective nature of snow under streetlamps.  sooooo pretty.

Also pretty, the next morning:


My fence.  Insert happy sigh (because it is still a holiday and I don't have to rush to clear a path to anything for any reason, as long as I don't run out of hot chocolate.)

And that is me for this week.  I hope you have something fun lined up for this weekend, and I'll see you again Monday!

1 comment:

Trish said...

Way to go, Mary! I had to go check out the top 100 patterns right away. And the white cowl and hat - perfect with your black coat!