Happy to be home again, tho without much knitting to show for the miles. I have begun a for-grandma version of Ben's helmet. I am so in love with the Alchemy silk fiber...am trying to imagine something that I can just wrap around my neck, tucked up under my chin... I came across another Alchemy fiber while out in the world...

Bamboo, haven't played with it yet, as is it feels cottony. This color is sourgrass. The hat above is Forest Waltz and River.

I spent a lot of hours knitting and un-knitting learning figure 8 cast on with 2 circular needles. Being able to put the side you aren't knitting onto the cable makes it so much easier to work. I still switched to double points after a few rows, and chose 4 evenly spaced increases for shaping. I saw this idea explained in this free pattern . I intended to make some entrelac socks, but decided instead to continue my stranding fetish. Using U.S # 3, (though the cables to begin with were 2's) the Silk Garden's are 65(dark) and 43.

It's hard to see in the background but Karlie stood on paper and let me trace his feet, my intent being to create slipper bottoms to exactly those shapes. He now has 2 slippers, but one is a bit looser than the other. Since these I have attempted to make a pair for myself, on account of having the feet on hand (oh dear) to help me get the shaping better. I'm working with U.S 9's to get a dense fabric and I find my hands hurt after an hour or so. My first slipper ended up both tight and bulky in the toe end, so I started another which maybe will be better. My big hope is by the time I finish with my feet I will understand the shaping and the rest of the family feet will get covered easily. The soles are done in garter stitch with the last 2 stitches of a row slipped with yarn in front which makes a very nice helpful edge for picking up the stitches for the top. Learned this from Cabin Fever's kimono vest pattern

A few weeks ago I made a start on Boo, too but gave it up after a bit, knowing that it wasn't written to fit me. However, the idea of the stranded silk garden is irresistible, and I started testing the idea on a sock and a glove, and even the beginnings of a vest. As Benjamin is demonstrating in the picture below, stranded knitting has a very stretchable nature. I think it will show up in many of my projects over the next year, including these Christmas slippers. We could cruise Antarctica with our stranded waterspun weekend slippers for warmth.

I am also still quite enchanted with moebius knitting. Yesterday I spent some time at Cat Bordhi's website discovering such treats as a knitted treehouse & a free sock pattern using 2 circular needles. I love knitting with double pointed needles, especially ebony ones, so I have never tried this idea. Reading the beginning with figure eight cast on with the 2 circular needles made me believe I could do that (have never succeeded with that one on double points) These 2 enchantments are part of her book Treasure Forest (which is now on its way to me as well)