Well, we went out on Wednesday to collect the new World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lych King expansion. And found that Lily’s left front tire was very low indeed. I decided to risk the couple of blocks to the nearest gas station but the tire wouldn’t hold any air at all. So we called for assistance and sat for 2 hours in the raw cold waiting for the truck to arrive. Finally, it did and the man not only changed the tire for me, but tested the flat and told me he felt the tire was in fine shape, could be repaired and not to let anyone try to sell me a new tire because I didn’t need one.
That was good news anyway :)
Observing the ebb and flow of customers to the gas station was fascinating. I know nothing about how these things work. I come in and park, I pump my gas and I leave. That’s all I’ve ever done and it maybe takes 5 minutes. But I watched people park and go into the attached mini-mart and not come out for half an hour. I mean, how many times can you check the price on a pack of gum or cigarettes because that’s about all the store carries. Well, soft drinks and junk food, of course plus a couple of Boston newspapers. Some folks parked, went and got a bag of chips (or the equivalent) and then sat in their vehicles in the station parking lot. Me, I’d want to be out of there: it’s small, unattractive and the scents of gasoline and oil do not enhance a gustatory experience! Maybe that’s just me…
I decided that there was no reason not to knit I-cord with whatever SWS yarn I had left. If there wasn’t enough for straps for the bag, then I could consider other options.
This has been lightly felted and is actually still damp. I’ll know better when it dries whether I have enough to be practical but I believe there’s going to be plenty. What surprised me was how long it took to knit! I-cord looks simple - and it is - but it took a day and a half to knit up about 100 yards of yarn into 4 stitch cord. Who knew?
I also finished the knitting for the cowl.
I’m liking it very much, but I’m going to block it (including blocking out the ribbing) before sewing it up. I could have done this on a circular rather than working it flat but for some reason my conscious mind isn’t picking up on, flat seemed like the way to go :)
I love this stitch pattern. And I love this yarn - an all together satisfying small project!
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It looks like penty of i-cord.
That cowl is a pretty colour - look forward to seeing the finished product.
Lynne - Well, I should know today. I haven’t chacked yet, but it should be dry and if it is, the new bag will be assembled. Assuming, of course, that I can find thread :)
Should get the cowl blocked today too!
The cowl is so pretty—and the way to go this winter, from my perspective. Is it made in a Barbara Walker stitch or is there any pattern? Curious minds ... Many thanks.
Luise - Good spot! This is adapted from a Walker pattern - Dragon Skin - from the second treasury. It’s a long time favorite of mine. In fact I remember looking at it in Walker’s book many years ago, before I ever started knitting and thinking: I have to learn how to do that!
Lovely cowl. Such a nice looking pattern.
Oh my gosh, sounds like you need a Clover WonderKnitter. I love the little sparkley plastic thing. It makes i-cord ridiculously fun. /End of unpaid advertisement. haha.
Wild Thyme - I’ve gotten it blocked and sewn up now - stay tuned for the final, finished item :)
Laura - Okay, I had to go and look that up :) I’m sold - as soon as I see one, I’m getting it. Thanks for mentioning it. It won’t always do the job, but for something like this, it would have perfect!
Robbyn, every time I see your dragon scale projects I think to myself that I have got to give that a try. I love how it looks. And the SWS colors are gorgeous. I have fallen in love with a felted jacket in the latest Twist Collective issue and am trying to figure out how I would felt it—I bought a water saving front loading washer when I moved here to drought-stricken south Texas. It would be a heck of a lot of work to do it in the bathtub!
Rob - The only reason I even contemplated doing the felting by hand is because of the number of posts I’d run across - specifically about the SWS - that indicated how fast it melted down :)
How about bringing your project to a laundromat?
