Life In Colours

Already they’ve plotted the fashion colours for Fall ’07 at Pantone and I really like this collection. The Spring ones are too washed out for my taste. However, I like these ones better. Look at all the oranges and it’s much more saturated. I think colour forecasting is pretty amusing. A bunch of folks make it up and then other folks pretend that it’s important. Meanwhile most people end up getting stuck with what’s in the stores and usually go for a very conservative palette: black, blue, white, cream, pink or red (if they dare) and occasionally other colours like purples, greens and (more rarely still) oranges. Yellow in any shade is right out of the question.

Very few people of any colour in modern western society will wear yellow straight up because they think it makes them look sallow or jaundiced. That isn’t always true but seems to be an ingrained prejudice anyhow. Most people seem to be very shy about wearing bright colours or combinations. I think it’s partly tradition and partly the light in our northern clime that causes this. Look at people in warmer brighter places such as Central and South America, India, and Africa. Much more intense colour in both the light and the clothing. And of course darker skin sets off the depth of colour nicely. Here people seem to want to blend into the background more. I guess I can’t talk — today I’m wearing faded black pants and a dull green turtleneck sweater. Put me in the local forest and I would disappear!

Today I’m continuing on the Moose Stocking. I’ve got about 6 inches so far. See?

I’ve changed the needles yet again, this time to an old Aero 16” circular. It has the dreaded bend in the grey aluminum tips which I’m not fond of and the cable is one of the stiff variety that never seems to uncoil. But so far it appears to be more comfortable than either the Denise circ or the aluminum Aero dpns which were much too heavy and kept dropping out of the stitches onto the floor. I simply refuse to buy a set of bamboo dpns just for this one darn project. The pattern began with some k2p2 ribbing and is just random width stockinette stripes with a bit of a slip stitch thing going on at the changeover to mute the line a bit. The yarn is mostly handspun and hand-dyed leftovers from years of spinning and knitting. It’s about a DK to light worsted weight and the needles are 5mm. So far the circumference is nearly 18” and is stretchy enough to fit over his knee and up to his thigh. I think I will change to 4.5mm somewhere down past the knee to pull it in a bit. Don’t want it bagging around Wilfred’s ankle, now do we? I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get to the foot.

Apart from the knitting, I’m taking it easy today because I have to teach a beginner spinning class this evening. I’m definitely not up to optimum health but there’s no substitute teacher so I’m dragging myself to class. I figure if I rest as much as possible I will have enough energy to see me through the first class which is always very difficult for everyone. I have to be helping each person get their wheel set up and get started and it’s not easy when I have seven (at last count) newbies. Hope this class is as on-the-ball as the last one. They were a dream to teach and everyone was making lovely yarn by the end of four 2-hour lessons.

We will not speak of the House Next Door and the mess yesterday's backhoe has made of my garden. But they better get that leaking watermain fixed asap. Just sayin'.

BTW the Beltaine issue of The AntiCraft is up (link in my sidebar) with lots of weird and wonderful new patterns. Lots of bags and purses this time. I love the shrunken head! Go see. But you must bring a sense of humour with you, preferably a warped one.