Over the weekend I finished knitting the trim on oversized boxy linen tee. I have named it summer sunset, although that is a little bit of a stretch...
Weaving in myriad yarn ends took a full evening of knitting time and I also admit that I approached the finishing instructions — to toss the thing in the washing machine and the dryer with a bit of trepidation, even though I had done exactly this with my swatches, and I had the data to prove this was the right course. But most of my knitting choices do not lend themselves to wash and dry, and I have felted a sweater or two in my time, so experience and knowledge were at odds.
Needless to say the sweater turned out beautifully. I actually think this will work well as a summer top for all but the hottest and most humid days, but also as a layering pieces in spring and fall, perhaps even the warmer days of winter here in Tennessee. I an already imagine it with a pink-coral turtleneck and brown chinos.... but today is too cold and I am not inclined to play dress-up.
After the sweater was done I started dismantling a blanket I had knitted at the end of 2004 and into early 2005. The colors don’t really go with this house, but that was not the reason for disassembly. The blanket was too large, and I was finding it impractical. I had knit it extra big, because George was a bit of a blanket hog, but now this larger-than-king-sized blanket blanket dragged on the floor off my queen-sized bed and felt cumbersome for a solo sleeper. It also required mending and was too large and heavy when wet for me to wash it.
I spent most of the weekend taking it apart. Lint and cat hair covered every surface and my sinuses were acting up a bit. I initially thought I would start this back in August, but health issues interfered, and Moises thought it was a perfectly cuddly bed. This weekend I paid the price in sinus congestion for allowing him the luxury.
Now I am washing the individual components. Once that is done I will lay them out and think about how to reassemble them, making necessary repairs as I go. There are several threadbare spots and holes. I don’t really like the way I assembled this the first time around, so my plans are different for this iteration although I don’t know what I will do with the old border, which I removed in its entirety. I do not plan to reattach it, but it is in such good shape that it seems a waste to discard it, and I am sure some idea will eventually surface.
I had thought that this would be my “next” project. But I see now that it will take several days just to wash the many squares, laying them out n my sweater-sized blocking board. I will need something to tide me over until I can start the process of renewal and reassembly. Which means, I suppose that I will be sorting through project boxes again later today.
Last but not least, I made a minor repair to one of my favorite winter coats. The separating zipper tape on this cashmere duffle coat was pulling loose and it had become difficult to zip. I did not make this coat, but I have always loved an unlined duffle, and almost always had at least one in my closet. This one is several years old and is by Kinross. When it finally wears out, I shall make my own, but at the moment, minor mending will suffice.
Last night my eyes were too tired last night to be able to even see the eye of the needle, much less thread it, so I put it all off until this morning, when I thought I would go to the studio to use the powerful embroidery magnifier. Luckily this wasn’t necessary. Freshly rested, I threaded the needle and repaired the coat in less time than it would take for me to walk out of my bedroom and over to the studio; in less time, in fact, than it took to make my first cup of coffee. This is good, because it is chill enough that I want to wear this coat again today.
