Another fun day

Ana finished yet another sweater – that makes about four in the time I have done one. When she brought it over to be blocked, it looked like a baby lamb before it taking its first steps – a soft, fuzzy, curly mass. We soaked and washed it, and laid out the towels to sop up the excess water before putting it on the wooly board. Here is Margaret helping us, by making sure the towels are ready for their job. Margaret is very good at this sort of thing. She particularly enjoys helping me in this way when I am preparing to sew a garment, and am laying out the fabric for cutting. I am not always as appreciative as I should be.

My usual tactic for putting sweaters on the wooly board has been to use dental floss for stabilizing the neck and the bottom, and for securing the center opening. I was inspired to try something different this time, and we experimented, using blocking wires instead of the floss. Not only was this much quicker, but I think it did a better job. As you can see, once the sweater was blocked, it became a remarkable thing of beauty. A delicate lace creation that will be perfect for cool the autumn days coming soon.

We got it onto the wooly board, and then went shopping for dinner (tofu burgers) ingredients. When we returned, the house smelt very strange. “What’s that? It smells like gas or something rotting!” I asked. “I think that’s wet alpaca smell,” Ana said. “It’s the sweater.” Ana will have to be careful to always wear a coat over it in the rain. Years ago, I had a colleague who wore a hand knitted poncho from somewhere in South America. It was made of dog hair, and whenever it rained, he smelled delightful, I thought. I love wet dog smell. Many of my co-workers did not feel the same way, and were eager for him to take it off and hang it in the coatroom.