The grant writing for funding for my PhD is almost done. I have what I hope is a final draft in with my supervisor for comments. She's crazy busy too writing her own grants, but she's always so good about supporting her students. And the research is starting to pick up again. Not that I'm going to say that it's working, cause that will jynx the whole thing, but it's not messing up like it has before. Let's cross the fingers for results!
I have to send out a big horray to one of the greatest ladies around: Colleen!! Appart from being an amazing friend, and an accomplished knitter, she has the most interesting collection of pets around! Those who remember Tigger and Roscoe from a few posts back, this is she! Now's she outdone herself again with the opening of Woodhouse Reptiles. Check out her new website and meet the menagerie of animals! Some of the photos are just stunning!! And there is a new gecko being added to the family this evening. Who needs kids?
The knitting life is picking up again. It's been a while, between school and being sick. I needed something easy that I could get instant gratification from. I found just the thing in the creation of a recycled silk bag. The yarn is spun in Nepal from the trimmings of dyed silk that is being processed for the clothing industry. The result is slightly fuzzy, beautifully random riotus colours. In all the recycled silk that I've seen a rich red seems to be the prominant colour, but there are all shades mixed in from canary yellow, bermuda beach blue, christmas tree green, and everything in between.
That amazing page a day knitting calendar from my sister provided the inspiration for this creation. It's a little different in that I'm knitting in stockingette rather than the suggested garter, but I find the colour stripes stand out better this way. The bag itself is knit in four panels, in from the outside bottom corner towards the middle seam (again, patterns that start with CO3 = excellent!!) increasing on both edges every other row. Once you've got the bottom to half the width that you would like, decrease by one on one side, while continuing to increase by one on the other until you've got the middle seam as long as you'd like. Cast off, leaving the top 5 stitchs live to be worked as the handle.
Pictures!!
This is two panels sewn together to form the front. I've also sewn another panel on for the back.
This is as far as I managed to get with what I had... just the beginnings of the fourth piece...
A closeup of the fabric created. It's wonderful to look at, and everytime you do there are different colours to be found. While it looks fuzzy, it does still have that cool slide that silk does.
Unfortunately, I've got as far as I can go with this project for now... I've run out of silk!! I bought the skein months ago, without a project (I know I know, bad me) but this bag pattern appeared a few weeks later and I thought horray! But I need more silk, so, shucks, I'm going to have to go yarn shopping. I have another sock pattern in mind too, so there may be sock yarn in my future!! I have a ball of white recycled silk as well... not sure what I'm going to do with that one, but friends tell me that it can be dyed with something as simple as food colouring. I'm going to have to find something to knit and dye and I'll let you know if it really is as easy as it sounds!!
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