As usual, my mental image of what I could accomplish in a weekend and the actual output did not even begin to compare. I always seem to start out with great plans, as if I have some kind of unrealistic expectations of what I can do in a given period of time. I wanted to get Posh sewn and basted together, check the fit on the first sleeve, and hopefully start the last sleeve. Of course I wanted to work on Tesla as well and do a little sewing. Posh is still neatly folded next to my knitting chair, waiting to be assembled. I cut a garment out to be sewed, and otherwise zippo, nada, nothing, zilch on the creative front.
Of course other things were going on: I spent time with my honey, and I suppose that is the primary purpose of the weekend anyway, we certainly don't usually get to see a lot of each other during the work week. I did get about half the irises transferred from their temporary holding bed in the vegetable garden to the new front flower bed (iris bed). The poppies and daffodil bulbs arrived on Friday evening so I also managed to get them planted in the same flower bed. I am waiting for lilies, tulips, and rock-garden iris for the shallow area along the ledge on one side. I usually order my tulip bulbs from a nursery rather than buying them locally because I seem to get significantly bigger flowers. I am a glutton for big beautiful tulips and I love to put them in bowls to overflowing and bring them in the house every spring. I buy my tulips based on what color combinations I want in the bowls and vases and how long I can extend the cut tulip season.
The bulbs weren't all planted until Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon was already slated for another trip to Pittsfileld, as are the next two Sundays as well, for our annual September chamber music series. This time I drove up and the sweetie drove back so I only got in half the knitting time, but it was a beautiful day for a drive, there is a good bit more red in the trees, especially as we get closer to the Berkshires. The arthritis in my hands, especially the right, has been acting up lately, and as it is primarily in my fingers at the moment, knitting has been slow. It doesn’t stop me, just slows me down a little, especially manipulating the needle around the little wire loops of Tesla. Still, the arthritis is still more of an intermittent thing than it is a constant annoyance, I know it is there, but I shall continue to ignore it for a little while longer at least.
Tesla is coming along beautifully, if slowly. I had initially worried that I would loose the stainless steel effect at the smaller gauge I am using but it is turning out quite nicely. You see the wire and the cotton slubs and the fabric has a nice texture and drape and a nice firm, almost scrunchy yet still soft, hand with some body. It is not as stretchy as some knits so I will have to double check the fit as I go along, which reminds me that I should do that soon, perhaps at the end of the next skein. I am about three-quarters through the third skein and I have about 4 inches of the body done, so I am definitely glad that I ordered the extra yarn. We have yet to see whose calculations are correct, mine, or Artfibers when I called them up and the recalculated the yardage at my gauge. There is about a 5 skein difference in the two calculations so I think I will find this very interesting.
And wonder of wonders, I learned today that there is indeed pink or purple in the yarn. The trusty old Ott Light was right (see previous photo). When I had the yarn out in sunlight today I could see the pink, it is more subtle than in the photo in my sewing room at night under lights, but it is there, and it intensifies if placed next to anything in the pink-purple range. This is really cool. I think I like metallic gray with subtle pink tones even more than plain gray.
How different the fabric of Tesla looks at a smaller gauge. Pretty, but quite different.
Tabasco is looking very beautiful.
Posted by: claudia | Monday, September 19, 2005 at 11:18 AM