Baby Gansey

Friday I finished up this wee sample for the gansey class. There will be another.

After I was all done, ends all worked in, finished and sweet looking, I realized that I'd forgotten to do one small thing, and it does cause bit of a fit issue, or surely would on an adult sweater.



So this one is going to be the what not to do sample.
And that has some value too. This is to be for class use only. It was not knit for practical wear, though perhaps it should have been.

If it is to fit an actual baby, something would have to be done about the size of the neck. No human baby would get this over it's head, so before a child could wear it, one shoulder would have to be converted to the Scottish shoulder, a saddle with buttons.



I'm knitting to true gansey gauge on one sample, just so people can see what those long ago women did, but it isn't something you can sit and knit on for a long period at a time. It says a lot about how these women got in their time knitting. They could not have worked this gauge in large chunks in long sittings as many modern knitters do. The tight gauge would suggest that they did it in short spurts between other tasks and between other knitting. Proof of a sort of no idle hands.

Doing this tight gauge sample had another surprise in store. If you had a nice modern yarn with all the lanolin removed, knitting would be much slower and a lot less pleasant. The lanolin just keeps everything moving along and keeps my bamboo double points nice and smooth.

Other knitting is taking place. I'm moving along on the River Valley Shawl, and have only 6 rows to go. Longs ones, but I'm well over the hump and it is fast knitting. I've started another little lace thing, that I expect will take me all winter to work up, and I have been working on the Fair Isle projects, the wee baby sweater, and the vest, not significant work, but its a start. I even picked up some socks for a bit on Saturday.

So many little projects abound, and there are so many I'd like to do (There is talk of longie knitting at the store). It has been hot these last few days, summer hot, but thoughts of sweaters and stying warm come unbidden. Maybe it the shorter days that make it happen no matter the temperature. Fall is coming, it will be sweater weather and if I am not looking for warm things to wear today, I will be soon enough.