Sinuous

I like 79 and 80 a lot more than 78. Simple, but effective.

I've finished spinning wool, washed it and rolled it into balls, so I'm ready to knit.

Section Six

The next section of the Tatted Artistry of Teiko Fujito is Edgings. This is the first of them, number 78. It's not terribly interesting, though I guess it could work to decorate the scalloped edge of a tablecloth or skirt.

Two Thirds and a Thread Catcher

I've finished spinning another batch of wool, so I have two-thirds of what I need for Jack's pullover.

I was given this little orange bag as a gift last year and to  be honest I had no idea what it was. Just recently I've seen mention of thread catchers on line, for instance in this post of Diane's. I realised it's just what I need so that I don't have bits of thread all over the room. The little oblong at the top is filled with sand or something like that and holds it onto a table or, in this case, the edge of a sofa. It also has some sort of cord at the top that holds it open, ready to receive all those scraps. Neat.

Flowers and Butterflies

These are the last of the motifs inspired by nature, 71 to 77. They'd be useful for decorating cards or food covers or something.

One Third

I've spun about a third of the yarn I'll need for Jack's pullover. This is seven skeins and I'll need about 20. How do I know? Experience. But it's important to have consistent skeins. I almost always make my skeins 50 times round the niddy noddy, whatever the thickness of the yarn. That enables me to compare skeins with each other and to estimate how much I'll need for a project.

Last Of The Leaves

These are motifs 68 to 70. Leaf 69, in the middle, is quite tricky. This is my second attempt and still not right. I looked at the diagram initially and changed the direction of the outside chains at either end. That didn't look right, so I peered carefully at the photo in the book and realised that it depends for its effect on changing the tension of the chain in different areas, not the direction. In my first attempt I also made the picots in the centre too small. Here's a photo of my initial version:

I think that centre structure has potential, even though I didn't get it right. Here are all the 'leaves' together:

A New Project

Now that I've finished my cushion, I need another project to do alongside my exploration of Teiko Fujito. I'm going to knit my husband a pullover for his birthday in November. I'll have to rattle along to spin the wool as well as knit it, but two and a half months should be long enough. The first step was to choose a pattern that Jack approves of - I don't want to spend months on a garment that he's not going to wear! I have the nod for this pattern, which, funnily enough, is in the same magazine as my cardigan pattern, Knit-today, April 2012. I used wool from my stash to knit some swatches to give me an idea of how thick to spin the wool. I did contemplate spinning a yarn with three plies, but really, for such a big project I think it makes more sense to spin two slightly thicker plies. I've filled one bobbin, so that's a start.  I know I run the risk of having wool fibres caught inbetween my double stitches, but I'll do my best to keep the two project separate!