My good man Claxton is always bringing home Bargello books for me. Bargello is a type of needle point embroidery that is traditionally very vibrant and often employs many hues of a color. It is also traditionally stitched in wool on canvas. I don't embroider but I love to look at the colorful pictures!
***
This weekend Clax and I were perusing through the bargello treasury collection he has amassed for me when we both agreed that the below color combo would make a fun hand knit pouch.
***
I toyed around with a variation on a pattern idea that comes from Nina Knits. The base of the pouch is a simple back-and-forth seed stitch. Then, using double point needles you pick up stitches all around that knitted square. I spun up a deep seaweed green for the pouch base.
***
Each fiber preparation was blended to change colors as it was spun. I used a long-draw method and spun from rolags (a bit like a wool roll-up or fiber egg roll). The technique looks much like a taffy pull as fibers are drawn out, twisted and wound onto the bobbin. The resulting yarn is warm, springy and the spinning is super-fast. A spinner feels a bit like a spider drawing out these long, elastic threads.
***
Best of all, when plied these sproingy threads with their slowly migrating color changes make a great yarn for knitting that incorporates a gradual change of hue.
***
Above you can see how the green becomes lighter and lighter as the knitting progresses.
***
***
Above is a closer look at the bargello picture and one of the rolag fiber preparations. The rolag slowly changes color from white to bright yellow.
***
***
Here's the finished Daffodil pouch.
And there you have it, the highlight adventure of our Labor Day weekend.
***
Oh, and I ran walk-trotted on both Friday and Sunday! Actually, it wasn't even a walk-trot (and this is the only negative thing I'm going to say as I'm trying to be extremely upbeat and positive during my return to fitness from this present pathetically out-of-shape condition), it was more of a shuffle. I was The Shuffler.
During the trotting portions of my efforts I felt like I was part of a chain gang all linked together by the ankles and slowly trotting down the road...dragging heavy metal balls. I'm the one in the stay-puft marshmallow suit sucking wind and trying to remember to relax my face.
***
On a positive note, by utilizing the walk-trotting technique I was able to keep my heart rate in a nice, safe aerobic range for a good 40 minutes on both days, I felt energized afterward and well, I'm committed to continuing onward. My first goal is to get to the point where I can maintain a steady shuffle for that 40 minutes without the need for a walking break. I hope to achieve this before the snow flies and/or I have to start wearing long pants when I exercise. Up here I'm guessing I have about 6 weeks.
***
On another positive note, I found all of my old running clothes and some of them still fit! (I love those socks.)
No comments:
Post a Comment