It hasn’t been all stockinette stitch here.  In between, yeah, well work and general life stuff, knitting on the sleeves, I’ve been spining some merino in the Mojave colorway.  Su had just opened a box of new roving when we arrived for Tuesday night knitting.  I did not need anything, or that’s what I thought.  Someone once told me that red is the color chosen when you are indicating you need a change.  Three of us quickly gravitated to the Mojave and wound off 1/2 lb. balls.  Guess change was in the air. ( The Funnel Neck is also red.  That probably dashes that theory all to hell.)  Although the merino isn’t the finest, the color is wonderful. Just what I needed.

I moved my little cd player next to my wheel last evening and spun while listening to the final disc of The Subtle Knife.  It’s juvenile fiction, book two in a trilogy and I’m hooked.  I’ve got book three, The Amber Spyglass, on order from the local library but I’m third in line, guess a six week or so wait.  Darn, I’d start it today. 

Earlier this week a box arrived.  It’s from Kpixie.  Jean, my Secret Pal 7 had sent me a gift certificate.  I’ve been holding onto it.  I wanted something I would not ordinarily buy for myself.  This silk is perfect.  Absolutely jewel toned.  It looked red, sort of magenta mostly indoors.  When I put it in the sunlight, purple dominated.  Lovely!  I’m thinking another one of Judith Pascale’s Shapely shawls.  I think I have just enough at 350 yds. 

The sleeves continue… 10 rows to the inch.  I am SO glad I decided to knit them both at once.  I’d never pick the needles up to do the second sleeve otherwise and there it would sit… forever.

Remember this?  I barely did.

It’s been sitting on the back burner since last summer.  I love the silk, I love the pattern and I loved dyeing it.  The problem, I couldn’t figure out how to hide the ends.

I couldn’t use the old standby spit splice, sewing the ends together wasn’t working for me, Fray Check fabric glue was stiff and weaving the slippery silk ends into the fabric was temporary at best.  Over the weekend, I happened to mention this problem to Cate.  She suggested I check out the Russian Join.  I think it’ll work.  This morning I dug out the scarf, and as SOON as I finish the Funnel Neck (I am so trying to be good where knitting is concerned), I will get back to it. 

This scarf was a test project for me.  I wanted to dye pure silk yarn to sell.  I love the way silk takes color.  It was a project I’d enjoy.  That was until I got stumped by the how can I graft the ends issue.  I couldn’t offer it to others without a solution.   

Check out these links for two different approaches to the Russian Join.
http://www.geocities.com/mama_bear_007/Russian_Join.html
http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/02/14/

It’s already Tuesday and I’m still catching up from the weekend away.  Not once, all weekend, did the Funnel Neck see the light of day (or night, or anything outside of the knitting bag) except for the moment it took me to stuff it into a plastic bag to keep the two balls of stretchy boucle from knotting itself around everything else crammed in along side it.  Not one stitch was knitted.   I had even put both sleeves on the one circ. so that I’d only have to go through it once.  My penance has been to set the lovely multi toned scarf aside and knit ONLY on the sleeves since my return.  Sleeve Island is feeling a lot more like a desert island. 

During the day, I’m breaking from work, not knitting, to take a 3 mile hike through the woods.  These winter days are glorious, snappy and bright, good for blowing the cobwebs out of my mind.      

You didn’t want to see six inches of red sleeves, did you?