sunnudagur, september 04, 2005

I say potato - you say bonsai

"I say tomato, you say tomato,
I say potato, you say potato..."
...well, I know this does not work in writing.

Having spent now the first full year circle in my garden it is harvesting time! I have to admit, I am a gardening greenhorn. Consequently, a lot is trial and error.
For example the idea of harvesting potatoes in early september.

Bonsai potatoes on Cable Rib socksOr the idea to plant potatoes at all?
Other endeavours without success are the tomatoes, the sunflowers, the raspberries..
Imagine, the tomatoes only grow in a 'greenhouse', that is the southern window of our living room.
The sunflowers, foresightedly seeded and nursed early as march are TINY and will not bloom at all - since we already face the first frosty nights. AHRG!
And I rather not talk/think about the berries at all!

So we'll just have a look at the potato background, shouldn't we.
Yes, right, that's a Cable Rib sock. (I called them Rib and Cable socks all the time - what's wrong with me?)
edit: What's wrong with me? You have to excuse this confusion, they are Rib and Cable socks. I'm ill these days, inflamed ears, must have infected my brain, sorry.

Cable Rib socks

Pattern: Cable Rib socks by Erica Alexander (in InterweaveKnits Spring 2005)
Rib and Cable Socks by Nancy Bush in InterweaveKnits Fall 2005
Yarn: Meilenweit Multiringel (Lana Grossa), colour 5050
Needles: 2,5 mm dpn bamboo

I have to say the pattern is pure joy and happiness! It was so much fun to knit the socks and I really like the effect of having simple rib socks with a little twist. The only problem I encountered was the counting. I knitted up the sock so fast that I frequently had to rip back for the cable twist. Fortunately, I could rely on a row counter later in the project. [Thanks again, Jenn]
Talking about the Lana Grossa yarn: It was the first time I knitted with it and comparing it to Regia sock yarn it was not as pleasant. The yarn is somewhat dry and not as soft as Regia but apparently this had no impact on my knitting speed. The strands are somewhat loosely spun, but again I had no serious problems with fragmented strands while knitting blind.
They softened up a little after their first "bath". Until now they are not really hard and far from being scratchy. But they are not as soft as other sock yarn I have used so far. Nevertheless, the cool "Multiringel" striping, the beautiful colours and the nice and subtle pattern make them favourites. You bet, I'm definitely making more of these in the future.

3 ummæli:

Suzanne sagði...

Love them! One of my knit buds in my group made the same pattern and she said it was great-easy but with a satisfying result. Beautiful work!

WandaWoman sagði...

I really will have to try that pattern. And I have a ringel pattern that might just look great with it. I really like them, they're so cute. You knit up a pair of socks so fast!

Nafnlaus sagði...

Those are cute little potatoes. After several years of trying to grow things in pots outside my apartments I've finally given up and searched for farmers markets!