Month: February 2016

Fist(ful)s of honeycomb

Lagniappe Gloves Main

I recently caught an episode of Earth’s Natural Wonders on PBS. According to their website: “the series tells the stories of some of our planet’s most spectacular places and how they have shaped the lives of those who live there”.

Quite frankly, they’re underselling it. A better title for the series might have been:

You won’t believe what these people are up to.

Or, Damn, sucks to be these dudes.

Or, You think you’ve got problems? Quit whining, watch this show.

In the episode I saw, the filmmakers follow a group of poor Bangladeshi men on their annual hunt for honey. The half-dozen men set out in a small boat to a mangrove forest to harvest the giant hives of killer bees. KILLER BEES, as in, the bees that’ll kill you. The ones that don’t take too kindly to you stealing their honey. Yeah, those.

Lagniappe Gloves Mug

And as if that weren’t challenging enough, the forest is patrolled by Bengal tigers.

The men literally have to pray that they won’t be mauled to death by a tiger – on their way to work.

The worst I get on my commute is an unploughed sidewalk or a stalled metro.

Lagniappe Gloves Palm

  • Pattern: Lagniappe Gloves
  • Size: M
  • Yarn: Palette in Clove
  • Needles: 2.25mm
  • Notes: Any complaints I have about the fiddly-ness of (albeit simple) cables at such a small gauge seem… trivial. I did however get a small cut on my palm while knitting these: I held a dangly bit of yarn too close to a curious kitty. Might I draw a parallel here? Occupational feline hazards?

 

box-32     instagram button square black

Snowy Owl – Caped Crusader

Cape Full

Cape Back

Finally: Snow.

No more brown, drizzly, anemic winter. This is Montreal. And girls who sew moderately impractical wool capes are meant to frolic in clean, white, gentle snow.

We – of the double-pants clan- know that 100% Italian wool (0r 120%, if the salesman is to be believed) is best served at about -3°C with calm winds and cloudy skies. The bigger and stickier the snowflakes, the better.

Cape Lining

  • Pattern: Vogue 8776, view B
  • Fabric: Medium weight 100 % wool; green bemberg lining
  • Notions: Big snaps (instead of buttons); purchased bias tape
  • Size: M
  • Notes: Finished in 2015 sometime? Given the finishing techniques I used (handsewing a bunch, hiding seams with bias tape) and the material I chose, I would not rate this a “very easy” pattern. More of a “get frustrated and put it away for 7 – 8 months” pattern. But I highly recommend nonetheless, especially when sewn in expensive natural fibres. This may be the nicest thing I have ever sewn.

Cape Back DetailWinter Sledding Scene

Cape FrolicCape Front Detail

Also pictured:

Yellow shawl scarf

  • Pattern: Basic triangle shawl pattern with alternating stockinette and garter as stripes
  • Yarn: Handspun Polwarth, dyed with marigolds collected over one summer from my garden. Slight variations in colouring on lower half from iron bath after dyeing.

Workhorse Hat

  • Pattern: Who even remembers?
  • Yarn: Leftover Cascade Ecological Wool
  • Notes: Maybe not the cutest hat, but damn if it ain’t cozy.