It feels like I am coming out of a blogging hibernation. It was a long period of very little knitting and no writing. I am delighted to be back in the company of all you wonderful bloggers and readers!
As I get back into it, I would like to share my latest project: The Wild Posy, by Melodie Hoffmann. Many things make this sweater special so I will start at the beginning with the yarn.
The sweater was designed with Plötulopi, an unspun Icelandic wool. If you have ever worked with Lopi, this will feel familiar. It is a lovely, toothy wool. But it is unspun. UNSPUN, people! The yarn breaks if you look at it crossly. The yarn was given to me by my bestie who tried her darndest to like it, but soon learned it was best to part ways. As I swatched for this sweater, the yarn broke on the regular. It seems the yarn and I were coming undone. I so wanted this to work; I really loved this pattern. Not to be deterred, I decided to carry a strand of Baby Alpaca Fingering by Ice Yarns. The name is deceptive; this is really not a fingering weight. I would describe it as more of a fine lace weight yarn.
The cast:
The strand of Alpaca did the trick and knitting commenced.
In spite of its tendency to break, this yarn has some wonderful qualities. When it does break, just grab the two ends, rub between your palms and it THAT’S IT! No spit needed. (how often does a gal get to say that?)
You can see the textured yoke in the bottom photo. This is achieved by knitting stitches out of turn, much like cables. There is no need to use a cable needle, however, the stitches hang out and wait for their turn to be picked up due to the nature of the grippy wool. Finally, this has to be one of the lightest weight sweaters I have ever knit. Now that I am knitting the body, the sweater should be done in no time. Maybe in time for Christmas.
Another project recently off the needles is the Snowglobe Hat by Tin Can Knits. Knit with a strand of The Knitting Goddess BFL and that versatile Baby Alpaca mentioned above, this hat was a fun and fast knit. The pattern was easy enough to memorize. If you decide to knit one for yourself, read the pattern through before casting on. The designers create the crown decreases in pattern. It is that attention to detail that makes this a keeper. This hat is a gift for my beautiful sister!
School Shenanigans!
Nothing makes the work day fly by quite like shenanigans.
See if you can guess the references.
Two by Two Zoo came to the school as part of our Madagascar Day activities. I got kissed by this little joey. I thought we bonded, but apparently he detected the smell of cheese on my breath. I knew someday someone would find that attractive!
Let’s wrap it up, shall we?
Saint of the Day: St. John the Wonder-Worker. St. John the Wonder-Worker died on this day in the year 750. John was a fierce defender of sacred images. This position placed him in considerable danger. But fear not! This saint performed so many miracles that the ruler, Emperor Leo V was afraid to prosecute him. I am personally grateful for this man. Sacred images and icons deeply enrich my time in prayer and meditation.
What’s in my cup: This hot deliciousness:
It’s Ireland’s finest after all…Curious if my friends across the pond drink this.
In my earballs: Pardon my Stash, knitting podcast. This bunch hail from Connecticut and spend a little time talking about knitting and a lot of time laughing. They are geeks so I love them!
Be well and take care!
Love,
ReginaMary
Cosmicknitter 
What a wonderful and happy post Regina! I love all your projects and that baby kangaroo photo is just too cute ☺️
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Thanks for stopping by. That kangaroo was a lovebug!
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You’re welcome and you could tell it was☺️
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That sweater is gorgeous! As well as the hat!
Is your costume a reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds? And the printer from The Office?
Last night I was searching for a podcast and Pardon My Stash looked interesting. I’ll have to check it out.
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Patti is the winner!!! Yes! Tippi Hedren in The Birds! Mind you, I thought I would have to explain this to the students, but the number of adults who did not get the reference was astounding! “Oh, are you a crazy bird lady?” NO! Some people didn’t get it until I struck a pose. And, yes. I am obsessed with The Office and this was from Season 3, Episode 12,
This printer has been getting in the way since September. We decided it would be better to hire it than install it. LOL!
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We are watching The Office reruns on Peacock. We’re on season 8. I hope Michael comes back as James Spader just isn’t working for us.
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It’s my favorite show! I can’t tell you how often I find myself quoting scenes.
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I’ve never knit with Plotulopi (excuse the lack of diacritical markings), but I love Lopi in general. Your sweater is going to be a fabulous cloud!
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Michelle, it was challenging at first but the beauty is in learning what the yarns strengths are. Being able to move stitches around without a cable needle was so fun! This wool taught me a lot about a lot.
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I look forward to seeing a photo of the sweater knitted from unspun yarn. The yoke looks beautiful! And I think you Halloween costume is something from “The Birds”. That movie traumatized me when I saw it in 7th grade, and birds have creeped me out ever since.
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You’re right! I was terrified of that movie as a child, too! So many people did not get my costume until I struck that pose. It was so funny!
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My wool allergies kicked in just reading this. But what a beautiful sweater! I’m so happy to see you back to blogging, you’ve been missed. Also, I love being educated about the saints.
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Thanks so much!!!! Sorry about your allergy! I have been interested in the lives of saints since childhood. They helped me put life’s challenges in perspective and even see them as blessings.
I’m happy to be back in touch!
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I’m so glad you’re back! Your costume: The Birds? And everyone loves cheese.
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Hi Alissa! Missed all you wonderful folks! Yes, I dressed as Tippi Hedren. Middle schoolers thought I was the “crazy bird lady”. They aren’t wrong tho…
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Love the sweater progress… Lovely pattern… And your snow-globe hat… gorgeous… Love little Joey… How cute is he or she.. 🙂
Have fun catching up with your knitting and writing ReginaMary…
My knitting needles have been rather busy too… Which is why I have been extra quiet..
Sending Hugs your way xx and Enjoy more
Shenanigans… Its nearly Christmas after all 🙂 xx ❤
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I think the kangaroo was a male. We had a moment… 🙂 Glad to hear you are getting time to knit. I have been enjoying my latest projects; each one has been a joy.
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They are lovely.. It’s good to get back to creating xx
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Your new sweater is beautiful! I’m glad the strand of laceweight did the trip to give the yarn more stability 🙂
Are you Tippi Hedren’s character from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds?
Love the update of the Saint of the day and also what’s in your earballs right now 🙂
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Thank you! This pattern is so lovely. I am Tippi!!! (sans blood). You’d be amazed at how many people are unfamiliar with The Birds.
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Great costume! Very well done 🙂
I am amazed – I thought everyone knew The Birds!
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They do now!!!
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I have missed your updates on your teas etc., Regina Mary, in addition to the knitting talk. 🙂 So glad that I guessed your costume right!! That was a pretty creepy movie, indeed.
The sweater looks heavenly–so much texture! So glad the alpaca trick worked. Does the unspun nature of the yarn affect the strength of the finished fabric in any way? Will it break and create holes if handled without much care, or will it be stronger because the fibers in the stitches grip one another better?
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Hi and thank you for the sweetness!! This wool is so unique. If you were to hold a long strand of the wool and pull, it would come apart. If you held a very short strand and pulled, it would not. If you tried to pull the plies widthwise, it would not come apart. Now, we all know what happens when we knit-the yarn naturally gets twisted, right? Right!!! It gets twisted! Brilliant! So, once it is knit up, the really toothy nature of the wool enables it to cling and bond and all that jazz. Places that get a lot of action, like under the arm will see some mild felting.
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Thank you for the explanation! 🙂
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I love the post and so glad you are out your blogging hibernation🥰
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Thank you!! It feels so good to be back in touch! ❤️
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Oh my goodness – that baby joey was so cute and how lucky you are you got to snuggle with it. How fun to have work shenanigans! Love the hats, the yarn and work in progress!
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The Birds?? So nice to “hear” from you. How clever to use the lace to give strength to the unspun yarn. It looks beautiful.
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Yes, The Birds! It’s nice to be back online. 💚
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