The Learning Curve

So the OH has gone off to Leeds for some meetings. He was horribly lergied before he went and took all the paracetamol away with him. He left some of his germs behind and I am now lergied and far too poorly to walk to the shop and back to get any more. So it's suffer and sleep until the bugs go away, or he brings back the 'mol.

Meanwhile in keeping with my determination to record all finished knitting on the blog as soon as,  I give yew

No we didn't need a tea cosy because we rarely drink tea and even more rarely do we make it in a teapot. And in fact I was rather surprised that this even fitted the tea pot because it looked horribly small as it was being knitted.

I did this as part of a KAL (knitalong) in one of my Ravelry groups, where the challenge was to learn a new technique. At about the same time as this was decided someone had this kit up for sale so I bought it and it taught me, not one new technique, but three. One was I-cord, one was vikkel braid - that's the stuff that looks like plaits - and the other was steeking. For the uninitiated steeking is where you knit in the round then cut holes in your knitting for sleeves, front fastenings, or as in this case, handles and spouts. It is a scary thing to do if you have not been brought up to it and many knitters are afraid of it, and not without cause. That said I managed it OK, buoyed up by the knowledge that this was knitted in Shetland wool which is notorious for sticking to itself, so that chances were that however badly I did the prep it would not end in an unravelling disaster.  

I have to say that although I did it relatively competently and it was not, in the end, as scary as I thought it would be, I do not see a huge place for steeking in my knitting future. Never say never, but after all the new technique excitement I am currently at work on a nice plain pair of socks. And eyeing up a small embroidery.