Between blotch and blok

I'm giving myself a generous 6/10 for it.

Knitting up, it's like a Shetland yarn, grippy. It's also very forgiving: I've pulled or knit back several rows and it's not broken or tangled and has knit up again quite happily. It's a little splitty in places, but not horrendously so. And the big test, the nupps with the make 5 from one and purl 5 together on the next row, is fine. Possibly the easiest experience I've had with that particular technique.

Maybe 6 1/2 out of ten for the quality of the yarn.

As for the pattern I chose: "Crunchy Leaves". (I called the yarn "Parsnip" so I suppose my project is "Crunchy Parsnip".) It's a long narrow lace scarf with nupps. I worried that the lace and texture would not work with a more than slightly irregular yarn with flecks of colour in it. But, the irregularities are mostly evening out and the nupps and coloured nepps are hamonising nicely with one another. "Crunchy Leaves" is a first for me in that it's a lace pattern with a changing stitch count going from row to row. I've always fought shy of that particular complication. I like my rectangles or regular patterns of increases or decreases. But it's fine. I had, admittedly, worked out the stitch count for each row and I check pretty much every row. The first time it was off, I unpicked a couple of rows until I trusted things to be right and recommenced. The second time, I saw the problem and fixed it on the next row so it doesn't show.

I'm three-and-a-half repeats (of a suggested nineteen) in and the slightly stiff beginnings to the fabric are now loosening of as it develops some length. The lace pattern is clear (if place on a dark background) and it doesn't feel too prickly. Washing and blocking is going to be necessary to produce the wavy-edged shape and soften the fabric a little more.

I have no worries about continuing with this successfully. It's a comfortable yarn to knit with. And a pattern that's crunchy without being too hard. (I happily carried on with it whilst watching "The Secret Agent" on TV, and even Beck where I have to read the subtitles.)

So, fairly soon, I'll have a new scarf for the Autumn. Cue a heatwave? (I bought a new coat on sale in May and the sun cracked the rocks for the next week or more. So I wouldn't be surprised.)

And plans after this? Spinning-wise, more practice. I'd like to produce 100g of something knittable with a more consistent thickness. I want to do this both fingering (or finer) weight and something chunkier. I find thicker harder and scarier. A slow spindle is less trustworthy than a fast one. I'd also like to extend the project: go from fleece (I have some) right through to a knitted up pattern (one I design myself, maybe).

Before that, however, I have a red camisole top to sew up and the lace edgings to knit. I have a shawl to pull back--yet again--and restart. Third time lucky. This time without failing to read the bit that says all wrong side rows are purled. (No, the all-knit rows version is not showing the lace up well enough for me to continue with the error.) This latter project needs tackling soon: I find I can only see what I'm doing with it in very bright natural light, i.e. outdoors in the sunshine. If it's not done by sometime in September I guess I'm putting it away again until next year. (I put it by previously because the elderly white cat pee-ed on the bag and made it all stink. The smell, like the cat, is now gone.)