Lace

Finally managed to get through that lace neckwarmer. More, when a) the intended receives it, b) get it photographed.

 

Concert

 I gone to a concert.

Until I get back, why don't you listen to some music?

Like THIS ONE.

I'll be back, tomorrow.

Pictures were shot in September, in Szeged, by Norbert Varga @Bodeszphoto

Error

 What do you do, when you realize, that like 5 rows down, you have done a dercease leaning to the wrong direction and a 5-6 stitch pattern unit is leaning toward the wrong side. 

Weekly whatshouldIcallit?

 As I mentioned, you-tube pushed a few knitting podcasts/vlogs, to me, and while I was knitting, I did watch a few of them. It seems, that about a year ago there was a surge of new knitting you-tubers, and there are fashionable topcics, that take rounds in these vlogs. One of these is about knitting bags, the other is stash-related content, and there are those "hot takes", or controversial opinions.

I know the saying, "opinions like ***holes, everybody has them, but nobody is interested, but yeah, I do have them. 

Originally I started a whole post of knitting "hot takes" or rather my strong opinions, but then I thought, instead of writing one long post on them, what if I break those down to one a week, and call it weekly.... dunno what to call it. Any idea? What should I call them? 

They are thoughts on things, mostly knitting, maybe sewing, or crafting, that might be controversial, or not, maybe likes or dislikes, maybe the way I do things, bits and pieces of crafting life. 

What if I call them "weekly thoughts? Or "Weekly musing"? 

Anyhow, here is the first one: 

- I do not like, and would not knit with pure acrylic yarn. which does not mean, my yarn cannot have any acrylic in it, it can (my all  time favorite sock-yarns have 20-30% of acrylic or poliamid), but it should have at least 50% natural fiber content for me to consider it, preferably at least 70%. The more natural fibers, the better. I am the same with fabric, I do not wear acrlyic, polyamid or poliester clothes (the only exceptions are my winter and rain-jackets, and those taffeta ballgowns, that should be silk taffeta, but that is a topic for another day). 

Souvenir yarn

 Which does not count, does it? LOL.

Since you asked these are the yarns, I bought back from our october trip.

The two OPAL came from Wollknoll, and the BestSocks yarns from the Czech Republik (Cesky Budovjice). You know I am a sucker for rainbow colored everything (yes, yarn too, maybe especially yarn), and refuse to care about other connotations some people would like to stick on it.

 Also, sometimes, I find myself drawn to shiny yarn, meaning yarn with some metallic in it (yes, I tend to pick them up from the second hand store too), though I have no idea what I would knit with them. NOT socks, that is for sure. Maybe a shawl, or the patterning of a yoke sweater. If you have any idea, or suggestion, throw it at me in the comments.

In my knitting bag

 I told you about the trip that took us to the Netherlands, which is considerable driving time, and since I do not drive, I can utilize that time to knit. 

However, I am prone to motion sickness, but then there are things I can knit without looking at them too much, so if I want to take advantage of that time, I have to plan my "car-knitting" carefully.

So, what I am taking to a trip like that? This bag. 

It is a canvas bag, I have two of those. I got them in the London yarn-store, LOOP, the first one, when I was there with Christopher, back in 2018, the second, when I was there with Norbert in 2022. Its advantages is that it holds a fair good amount of knitting, it is easy to put stuff in, and I can throw it on my shoulder, or cossbody style. Now, I know there are better knitting bags out there, or I could make a better one (in fact I am actually planning too, but no idea, when I get around to it). 

Anyhow, what is in that bag? 

In this trip it was this heap

There are actually two types of knitting there. One, that needs daylight, because I do need to look at it, let's say, once in every (or every couple of) rounds. 

The historical stockings I knit are like that:

They have pattern and shaping in the back, so I have to see where to put those decreases, count rows, because they are done at every 4th row, etc.  This red pair was a good way ahead, when we started, I only needed to finish one foot. There was another, from rusty orange yarn, that needed some work on one of its leg, and the feet finished, but that found a new owner in Grolle, (but you can see them in yesterday's picture. 

When I finished this two for daylight knitting I started a new pair, and continiued on another one I already had on my needles, and then, when I get to a point with them, when they would need more serious attention (counting rows, turning heels, etc, I started a third one.

And then there are the socks, my everyday, modern ones, that are much shorter, and mostly knit straight (except for the heels and toes). I had three of those on needles in my bag.

While for historical stockings I use the traditional top down method, and heel flap, I usually knit my everyday, modern socks toe up. If for nothing else, because I often knit them from yarn I found in second hand stores, that are not a full ball, and this way, I will have the least possible lefovers, withouth taking a chance of running our, before time. 

I either knit the toes before we start, or in daylight, and then, from then, it is just stockinett around and around, and I can very well do that in complete dark.

I for long trips I have more than one of those, in different stages, as when I get to the -let's say- heel, or the point I need to start the ribbing, I put them away, and do that in daylight, or at the hotelroom.

And there was one yarn, that I halved, and balled up, ready to start with, but it was there as a safety measure, in case, by any chance I'd finish everything I would not be left there without knitting. 

Notes: do not forget that this was a long trip, about 2500 kilometers in all. For shorter trips, I usually take a "day knitting" and one I can knit in complete dark, though, I might take two socks if they are cose to a "stopping point (a point, where I neeed to do somethingI need to look at, heels, setting up ribbing). 

The gray/red and the dark mauve-ish colored soks are finished by now, I will show the pictures later.)

A bundle of historic stockings

 Today I am working, no time to write long stories, so here you go, a bunch of colorful historic stoskings. 

For the longest time, I want to write a lengthy blogpost on those, I have one half done in my drafts, who knows, I might even finish it one day. 

The gates of Heaven

 I have not ordered undyed wool in a long time, and though I dye a lot less than I used to (only doing the "Day of Wool" twice every year nowadays), I was  running out of things to dye. I put together my order  from the usual place I order, but then an amount of money for some work I did was delayed. Just enough that whatever I would'have ordered, would not get here in time, especially, because we were leaving for a reenactment event in the Netherlands. However, we almost never go to these event without adding a thing or two to our itiniary, and in this case, Norbert added two Technik Museum in Germany, that were in our way. Just a couple of days before we were leaving, I had an inspiration. Like someone was whispering in my ear. And looked up the address of Wollknoll, the wellknown wool purveyor of Europe, put the address on Google maps, fully prepared to find it the opposit corner of the country ... But found out that it was only about 50 km out of our way. 

So I said to Norbert, that I am going with him to not one but TWO museums, that are technically are museums of transportations, full of cars, aircrafts and the like, so he could spare me that few hours to stop by and then I can not only buy the wool I needed, but instead of looking at pictures online I can also look around, see and touch many of the wools in person. (Not to mention that I would also save the considerable shipping cost as well).

The road from Sinsheim to Oberrot was absolutely beautiful, gorgeous small towns and villages, winegroves on hillsides, winding roads. 

I called ahead, and it took a minute or two to find someone who speaks English, and they were really nice, yes, you can come in person and shop, and we are open from 8AM to 5PM, yes, I will be here tomorrow, I can help you (in English) with your shopping. 

The rest you can imagine. Like a kindergarten kid, lost in a sugarshop.

Boots

 Now, if I am planning to post everyday, I will have to do it about more than just sewing and/or knitting/fiber arts related stuff, am I now? Contrary to the popular belief, my days are also made up only for 24 hours, and in 24 hours there are only so many things I can fit into.

Also, one of the reasons I wanted to try this everyday thing is, because I miss the now closed Facebook group that went by the name of "Do not procrastinate". It was open only for a short time, twice every year, for Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (before Eastern), and we did something each day, that we kept postponing earlier for different reasons. Then the posts (at least for me) became little snippets of daily life, that may or may not included previously postponed  stuff (though I did try my best to do those stuff and include them in my posts). 

Anyhow, I had a thing that I kept postponing for at least about a year now, and it is to buy a good everyday pair of boots. 

I bought the last I, think in 2019 or 2020. I went into the shoe store with the intention of buying either a pair of ankle boots, or a pair od laced up boots and I had my eyes on one that has (and now I know there is a word for it, but the word eludes me) the type that has that derocation with stitching and cutouts. Brouging? I think that it is. 

However, in the store, Norbert said he liked this pair better, and he thoughts I might have more use of a good, sturdy, everyday pair of boots. Not that since PJ, I let people tell me what to do or what to buy, but in that particular case he was right. I mean, now, I can very well, go out and buy the things I need or want, and if I am not curious about his opinion, I do not ask. In this case I did not exactly knew just what I want and asked him. And, as often the case, he was right, and the later years proved it. 

I used that pair of boot to the death, and now I am sorry, I have to let them go. I used them trough winters, when though they were sold as "not water-resistant" (or whatever is the similar expression used im English for shoes), in snow in rain, without them being soaked through. I went to many a concert in them, I went to concerts in pouring rain, when I was drenched to my underwear, I walked though a bunch of European city in them, from London through Florance and Prague to Germany, the Netherlands and Transylvania. There are many hundreds of thousand steps, many-many walked kilometers in them. Since I bought them as a pair I do not need/want to be careful in, it did got its share of abuse. Mud, snow, whatnot. Yes, I did cleaned them, and I also creamed them with black shoe-cream (bet there is a better word for that too in English), but all that use caught up with them, and now its inside lining has holes, 

the outside leather is starting to crack 

and the sole is worn down to the point I almost slipped badly. 

So I told Norbert, I need to buy new ones, thight budget or not. As I said in my last post, big brother do watch, and kept pushing the advertisement of the shoestore, I bought my earlier pair from, but now they have a website. Good. Too bad they do not produce the style I had, anymore, but I looked through their site and choose one, then, like a good girl, I also went into their store to check if I really like that one (yes, I did). Unfortunately, that store did not had it in my size, so I ordered the one I had before. Now I have a pair of nice, shiny black pair of boots. (Oh, yes, I have more boots, colorful ones, especially red, and even purple), but those are the ones, I am careful about. 

This one is destined for the faith of the same abuse, rainy days, walking, concerts, and all.