Episode 2: From High-Vis to Hand-Dyed
It’s been a busy eight weeks in my corner of Cape Town. I've been dyeing a lot of yarn for the upcoming Cape Town Yarn Festival where I'll be vending, so I am literally drowning in yarn. But, the needles haven’t had much rest either. I have a lot of projects finished in the last two months.
Finished Objects
Monday Sweater – PetiteKnit
This is my third time knitting the Monday Sweater. It’s such a reliable staple that I can practically knit it in my sleep now.
The Yarn: A mix of "high and low." A few years ago, I found a lot of Joelle Superwash on FB Marketplace for a total steal (R80 for 250g cone!) that I've slowly been working through. In this project I held one strand of that yarn, held with a strand of Cowgirlblues mohair. Let’s just say the mohair cost quite a bit more than the wool, but the result is so plush.
Lost in Dunes Hat – Celeste Knitwear
I knit this one for my mom, and it might be the most practical thing I’ve made lately. She does a lot of early morning walking in her high-vis vest, so I went for a "lumo" yellow held with a strand of silver sparkle thread for extra visibility.
The Yarn: One ball of Cowgirlblues sock yarn held double. It’s incredibly squishy and soft. Perfect for those chilly morning walks.
Tombo Tee - Florence Miller
I finally got some of my own Wildest Wool yarn onto the needles for this one! I used two balls of the Sunbird colorway. I’m really happy with how the variegation played out in this pattern. This is also the third time I've knit this pattern. I didn't realise how much I repeat patterns!
Cape Sugarbird Socks - My Latest Design!
The biggest news of the last two months is the release of this pattern. These socks feature a stranded colourwork motif of a Cape Sugarbird perched on a pincushion flower - a little piece of the fynbos for your feet.
The Yarn: Wildest Wool in the Kingfisher colourway, paired with a mini-skein I using avocado pits.
Heres a photo I took while hiking of a Cape Sugarbird that sparked the design.
Works in Progress
The "Jaunty-ish" Shawl
My current main project is my own rendition of the Jaunty shawl by Andrea Mowry. It’s a triangular scarf worked in half-fisherman’s rib, which is a mindless enough stitch that this is a nice evening wind-down project.
The Combo: I’m holding a strand of hand-dyed yarn by LilyRose Dyeworks with a strand of beige African Expressions mohair. I’m actually loving this colour combination way more than I thought I would!
It feels good to have so many FOs to show for the last two months. Now that the Sugarbird socks are out in the world, I’m looking forward to some easy knitting on this shawl.
With the exception of the Wildest Wool yarn that is recently dyed, I've been working only from my stash this year in an attempt to get my yarn collection back under control. Its been nice to see the cupboard clear out some yarn (500g of stash for these last two months), but I still have a way to go... I still have so much of that Joelle yarn left.
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