Istex Alafosslopi, an Icelandic bulky-weight yarn, and it also comes in worsted-weight called ‘Lopi Lite, or Lett Lopi’. It is single ply, very rustic, and in a palette of beautiful colors , tweeds, as well as many natural fleece shades too. I must say, it is not spendy in the least…which I like. I like a lot. Like so many super rustic yarns like this, one wonders how it could ever feel good and natural against one’s own skin, then one becomes surprised after the blocking is done and all those woolly hairs just loosen into a beautiful halo, find their place in the fabric, become relaxed and compliant, ultimately giving a light & springy feel with lovely drape. I wouldn’t call this yarn “soft” by any stretch of the imagination, nay, it is full-on wool, pure, and even old-world feeling, yet I am thinking it to be the perfect yarn to prototype my next design with.
The next design in fact, which I think will be my magnum opus of basic knitted wardrobe items… my favorite of favorites… a cardigan vest! This pattern will have some really good options (which I will save for its debut) , and will be perfectly suitable for men, women, & children alike. The third in my Calidez designs, it will be compatible for sport-thru-bulky weight yarns and any kind of fiber. I can’t wait to be finished with these and show you!
As you can see in the photo there has been some ripping out going on, that is because after I finished and blocked the vest, it was not right… it was nice, it was classic, but I felt it necessary to re-proportion the shaping in the armhole and neck opening, to make it perfect according to my own idea of a perfect vest shape. So here I am, in the middle of the whole thing, knitting up two samples at once, knitting…. ripping out…knitting again: repeat.
I might add that I have come down with a nasty cold (I hardly ever get sick) from the stress of election and a general frenzy of Things Going On, but regardless, I am as happy as can be because my Knitting Track is proving to be a heavenly thing, and I am obsessed with it! The leveled sections are a work in progress, but it is all a wonderful path As It Is, and I see a hazy vision of something keenly interesting in its future. Late yesterday I walked the wooded track while knitting the dark grey bit of the vest above for one and a half miles… it was an enchanting knit-walk five times around the wild shaped figure-eight in and about the tall trees at dusk. I felt like a knitting pixi.
In spite of my cold, I was out there this morning in the supremely gorgeous weather, digging, scraping, leveling & tamping a section of the trail in and around some massive Douglas Firs, while also moving quite a bit of stone from the earth. While digging around I found an old Olypia beer can, with a pull tab which (after some research ) I discovered dates to early 70’s, which I imagine was discarded from a hunter, so I placed it on a rock near where I found it, along the trail. The first archaeological find while creating the knitting track, a crumpled up vintage aluminum beer can…lol!
Lots to do and life is good.
We had a party for her with some friends, who brought her lots of doggie treats and presents!
Oh, but first, it is understood that knitted linen fabric is nothing like woven linen fabric, and as I am a knitter, and not a weaver, the obvious task at hand is to master the fiber with knitting needles, wrestling it into submission as the flax was to make the linen strands. Interestingly, linen made from flax, a vegan sustainable resource which is in itself a hardy most beautiful plant. Just look at it’s pure light blue delicate flower ! How can something so delicate come from a plant that is so incredibly strong and tough and enduring? I love the metaphor of the delicate and enduring hardiness all in one , I really identify.
There are three shapes now, and all modeled together here in one ensemble. First of the three, the latest shape added to the pattern and gaining in popularity, the Dicey Highland Cap (mentioned over in 
Jenjoyce Design 
