By the time we got outside for our first walk of the day, it was 9 am with fog and drizzle. As you can see in the picture, we don't have much color yet in SW Michigan - not even green.
Now, at lunchtime, the fog has lifted but the sky is still solid gray. It's warm, 56 F/13 C, and I'm thinking of opening some windows and letting the spring air in the house.
I finished the gansey swatch (details here) in Knitpicks Gloss, a fingering weight yarn of 70% Merino, 30% silk. The color is dusk. Needles #2. Gauge is approximately 7.5 st/inch, 10 row/inch. Approximate because the swatch is still damp.
Today's thoughts on project:
- Even after hours of tiny stitches, I still want to knit the gansey.
- Gloss might work OK, but it needs to be a different color. I don't want the sweater the same color as the jeans I plan on wearing with it. Also, a lighter color will show off the stitches better.
- Pat reported in an email about her Gloss socks:
"I'm washing them by hand and they are fuzzing/pilling quite noticeably - probably wouldn't be so bad with a sweater, but STILL - that could be really upsetting after knitting a gansey on size 2 needles!"
- I prefer not to wash this sweater by hand and I really really don't want to get upset about fuzzing and pilling. Another strike again the Gloss.
- The "gloss" is another negative. I don't want a shiny gansey. I didn't know that until I knit the swatch.
- Enabler Fluffy Knitter Deb suggested a different yarn:
"Louet Gems Pearl - the base yarn used for Koigu, Cherry Tree Hill and Claudia's handpaint but beautiful solids. A dream to knit with, brilliant stitch definition and you can get it on a cone so less ends to weave."
- From reading Deb's Blog I know she knows what she's talking about so I have to try this stuff. I ordered some swatching skeins in three weights, fingering, sport, and worsted from Handknitting. Plus a color card.
- Dorothy suggested Dale Baby Ull. I wanted to order and try some of that also, but my stash control monitor kicked in after the Handknitting order and I decided to pass for now.
All three of the above knitters, Pat, Fluffy Knitter Deb, and Dorothy have excellent blogs with beautiful knitting. If they're not on your reading list, I encourage you to give them a try.
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