Think Warm

Oh look! Another post right after the last one. Things are looking up. Heh.

The weather here has been ridiculously warm and sunny for the last couple of months. We’ve already broken a record that’s over 100 years old. Apparently that’s all going to end by Friday and we’ll be into the usual fall rains. Darn. The trees and plants will like it though. They’ve all been suffering from a lack of water unless somebody took pity and gave them a drink. So I’ve put another blanket on the bed, fuzzy slippers on my feet and am anticipating the cooler weather to come. If you snuck a peek at the Flickr photos in my sidebar then you got a preview of my new warm sweater:

Oakmeal Cardigan

For: me

Begun: September 4, 2012
Completed: October 4, 2012

Yarn: 2-ply woolen-spun 100% wool yarn, approx. worsted weight, unknown source, nearly 1 kilo cone, colour “fawn” tweed.

Needles: Addi Lace Clik interchangeables, 4mm and 3.75mm for ribbing on hem and cuffs.

Pattern: Quercus Cardigan by Julie Turjoman, Knitty, First Fall 2011. (Knitty link, Ravelry link)

Mods: I began with the M size and because I couldn’t get row gauge even after dropping down 2 needle sizes, I rejigged some of the lengthwise calculations. I also tweaked the waist/hip shaping to fit my body better and lengthened the sleeves slightly.

Comments: This yarn came out of deep stash, so far down that I have no idea where it came from originally. I had tried to use it for a sweater last year but was unhappy with the shape so I tried again. I skeined and washed all the yarn to get rid of the dust and the smell of spinning oil and mothproofing. It helped but there was still a lot of kemp and VM in this yarn though it’s surprisingly softer after washing. Still really rustic however and an excellent choice for this sweater.

This is an attractive and very clearly written pattern. My modifications worked out pretty well (with just a few revisions on the fly) and it fits great. It took me my whole September vacation and a few extra days to finish but I am much happier with this sweater than the last one I tried to make from this yarn! I hope to get lots of wear out of it this winter because it’s very thick and toasty. I’ve pinned it with a padauk stick that was turned by T-Man on his lathe.

The title reminds me of Milady Daughter when she was very little, not much bigger than her sprout, Rosebud. “Oakmeal” is what she used to call her oatmeal porridge which this yarn resembles. And since “quercus” also means oak, there you go.

Speaking of weather and plants, my Japanese indigo is flowering but I’m really hoping that frost holds off for at least another month because they aren’t nearly ripe enough to bring in to finish the seeds. I’ve collected lots of weld, marigolds and coreopsis seeds and will let at least one or two of the woad plants flower next spring. We also plan to dig up the madder bed and try to replant more root eyes to expand the bed. Ideally I’d like to have enough to dig part of the bed and allow the other part to develop for future years. They’re best dug up every third year which gives the roots enough time to grow big enough.

On another subject entirely, Elaine Lipson, author, editor and artist, has published a talk she recently gave at the Textile Society of America Symposium, Washington, DC. Lainie has given lots of thought to the idea of “slow cloth” and articulates it very well. The PDF is here. Enjoy.