Challenges

The show at ExCel is going well. The first day was long and busy but I met some delightful people. I also had one of my biggest challenges to date......

I spent most of the evening with Luda - she wanted to learn to knit a sock so we started with a baby sized one in the yarn and needles we had to hand. It soon became apparant that she knitted in a Continental crossed way so trying to work out the knits and purls were fun. As she progressed down the leg of the sock I raced over to borrow a book with a pattern that might work.

I am not a knitter of socks and have only turned a heel once in my life so book help was needed. I then learnt that she had never tried to follow a pattern in English or in Russian. Luda did not speak much English so there was a lot of "show" and not a lot of "tell". What followed next was fun - I had to drag up the memories of school Russian lessons from 40 years ago to remember how to count and between us we managed to count for the heel shaping. The toes were a doddle and I even managed a respectable attempt at kitchener stitch.

Luda plans to come to Liberty's soon to finish the second sock - I've told her there will be sock experts on hand to help!

I came home at the end of the first day with 2 packs of DB Alpaca Silk DK in a lilac shade - a totally unplanned purchase but at that price it would have been rude to leave it there!

Today I succoumbed to the temptation of Knitwitches and angora and then another stall holder allowed me to look at (and then buy) a few of their personal collection of vintage crochet hooks. Heaven help me on Saturday!

Posted by Yvonne at February 24, 2007 12:32 AM