Last night the boy was invited to a sleepover and my husband was home from work . . . a late Christmas miracle! We had a date night at home which is a rare treat. We watched the first episode of a DVD set he put in my stocking: Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home
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.Of course, the occasion called for a glass of wine and a new knitting project. My cast on compulsion was really driven by my desire to try out my hand-dyed sock yarn. So I browsed Knit, Sock, Love
for something that would work well with this yarn that came out of the dye pot darker than expected:
for something that would work well with this yarn that came out of the dye pot darker than expected:
The variegation was a happy accident that saved this otherwise dark yarn. It was caused by less dye reaching the areas where I tied the skein to prevent tangling in the dye pot. Even though I didn't achieve the expected color, I like how the slight variegation is similar to that of the original yarn used for the Mona socks in the book:
The lighter spots are highlighted by the texture of Cookie A's clever pattern. And luckily for me it's proving to be an easily memorized pattern which I could continue even after drinking a glass of wine while watching Jacques' and Julia's culinary skills. Here are some highlights from the show which I am finding to be the perfect knitting accompaniment:
I love it that they didn't always agree and demonstrated that there is more than one "right" way. Julia's attitude in the kitchen reminds me of Elizabeth Zimmermann's approach to knitting! I wonder if those two masters of their crafts ever crossed paths?
For more post-holiday knitting visit the WIP Wednesday list at Tami's Amis, and check back here soon for a New Year's contest!
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Thank you for sharing that clever clip Shannon. What a fun Christmas present - Jacques and Julia are so entertaining! The Cookie A. pattern is absolutely perfect for that yarn. I'm anxious to see the actual color in person.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfect night!
ReplyDeleteThose socks are going to be gorgeous in that earthy color. I actually prefer your color to the one in the book. Such a pretty pattern. I envy your date night in...must plan one soon with my own!
ReplyDeleteI love dyeing yarn -- even when you don't get quite what you planned, it's likely to be a happy surprise. Your yarn is terrific, filled with depth. Those socks are going to be fabulous.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome date night! And I'm so impressed with your mad yarn dyeing skillz. Those socks are going to be amazing!
ReplyDeleteThose socks are going to be amazing, the yarn is perfect for them (and definitely a happy dyepot accident, I love the richness of the colours and the slight variegation).
ReplyDeleteI really like the yarn color. It's dark, but everyone needs a pair of dark socks!
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those old cooking shows that taught me my favorite method of cooking fish. Thanks for the clip. I had forgotten the name of the series. I prefer Jacques' approach most of the time. Julia at this age reminds me of my 90-year-old neighbor--set in her opinions and constantly expressing them.
Those socks look like they will turn out great with that yarn.
ReplyDeleteI love to watch Julia and Jacques cooking.
How fun of a night! I like the slight variation in your hand-dyed yarn.
ReplyDelete