Brioche

As I may have mentioned before, my friend Nancy is not (yet) a knitter, but she is becoming fiber-conscious. On her last visit to Tucson, she brought back several beautiful skeins from Unique Designs by Kathy.

The challenge is to use the short yardage (88 yards, wool-llama blend, in this case) to show off the yarn. I ended up combining it with two skeins (107 yards per skein) of Jo Sharp 8-ply DK wool in a color called Owl.

I cast on 24 stitches and knit the Jo Sharp in brioche stitch for 29 rows. Then I used half of the Kathy wool-llama for 66 rows, followed by a whole lot more brioche in Jo Sharp; then 66 rows of Kathy and 29 rows of Jo Sharp. By weighing the yarn carefully, frequently and in grams, I was able to use up almost every inch.

The final size is about 6.25 inches by 67 inches.

The Journey Continues

I am moving closer to size 100 thread. Much closer.

The details:

• Pattern: Lavori Artistici #11, Design #38, 100 rounds
  
• Thread: Valdani Hand Dyed Variegated, Silver Foam, 35 wt. (somewhere in the size 70 to 80 neighborhood)
• Needles: 1.5mm
• Finished Size: Approximately 14 inches in diameter

Do the Puyallup

The Western Washington Fair has not used the "Do the Puyallup" theme for many years but I still think of going to the fair as doing the Puyallup. And I still like the "Do the Puyallup" song. Listen here (I prefer the country version). Today's sunny but not-too-hot weather made for a perfect fair day.

All of the knitting on display was stunning. I am glad that I am not a judge. I only wish there had been more entries. A lot of knitters live in Western Washington; it would be terrific to see their work on display. Hey, you knitters! Think about entering in 2009!

I won two blue ribbons in the lace section, one for a large doily and one for a small doily. The large doily is from the Kazuko Ichida (blue) book, knit in size 30 thread.

The small doily is from Lavori Artistici #11, in size 50 thread. (I did not mount it on the hoop; the fair display people did, but I kind of like it.)

I also won a third place for a man's vest and honorable mentions for a shawl and a scarf. Sorry, those photos did not turn out very well through the glass cases.

You can do it at a trot, you can do it at a gallop...do the Puyallup!