progress
I finally had a chance to cast on for the hypoteneuse stole on sunday afternoon after the in-laws went home. I did a quick swatch and decided to go with 5mm needles like the pattern calls for. the fabric is light and airy and at first I thought it almost felt like paper. my fingers weren't ready for the fiber change I guess after all the sweaters I've been knitting. the summer spun* is definitely a "farm yarn" which is one of the reasons I didn't go with a vest like some people suggested. those patterns almost required a smooth, classic yarn while the summer spun is rustic. I didn't have enough yarn to knit those patterns at their smaller gauge, but I probably could've eeked out a cardigan knitting at a loose gauge as I am now. I think that I fell in love with the simplicity of this stole and knew that it would bring out the beauty of this yarn.
while this yarn is soft, I've found that it's handspun look not only creates an interesting fabric but it also creates a different texture. the light-colored ply, which I think is the cotton and silk, is spun in a thick and thin fashion; when this is plied with the wool it creates loose and tight spots in the yarn, translating to soft and, let's say, less soft spots. my fingers have gotten used to it, but I can't help stopping to check out what the fabric looks like every few rows. so far I'm done with the first hank and have six repeats done.
* I'm not sure why, but this yarn has three different names. on the yarn label it's called 'summer spun', but on the farmhouse yarn site the mention 'silk blend' and 'silk spun cotton', both leading to the same page.
for those of you more interested in the shoes from the last post (you know who you are!), they're made by cydwoq out in cali. I love their shoes and I can't recommend them enough! after a few wears they mold to your feet.
