Slow Bo'

Slow Bohus progress so far. My worthless hands are just, well, worthless. RSI is a gift that keeps on giving, fer sure.

But isn't it wonderful??? Those Swedish ladies sure knew how to design a sweater. Incredible to think that Bohus garments were designed back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and yet are so utterly timeless they are as wearable now as they were sixty or seventy years ago.

It's such a pleasure to knit this, at least it's a pleasure when my hands aren't killing me. The yarn is wonderful, the colors are divine, the pattern is very clear, and amazingly enough the knitting is not difficult in most places, at least if you have some understanding of the basics of stranded colorwork. I wouldn't recommend this particular Bohus (the Forest Darkness pattern) as a first-colorwork project, 'cause it does get a little tricky in places - several rows require you to work with three colors, which is a bit much to ask of a beginner - but I know that some Bohus patterns call for only two colors per row, which makes life easier.

It does take patience. An entire sweater on size 1 needles is not for the faint of heart. But gracious, it will be worth it in the end, doncha think?

Other news: A week ago I took some samples of my handpainted sock yarn by Not Just Yarn in Brattleboro, and showed them to Susan the owner, thinking she might be interested in carrying them in her store. She bought 10 skeins right there on the spot, which so astonished me I could barely think straight.

So, day before yesterday, I get a call from Susan. Me being somewhat insecure, I immediately assume she's regretting spending good money on my little bits of string, and wants a refund.

Here's how the conversation really went:

Me: So what's up?

Her: I need to order some more yarn. The skeins from the first order are all gone.

Me: You're kidding.

Her: No, they're all sold.

Me: You're kidding.

Her: Can I get 10 more?

Me: (So flabbergasted I can barely speak) You're kidding.

To say I was slightly unprepared for such a request would be an understatement. My notion was that she'd sell three or four, maybe in a month she'd call and order a few more - you know, a leisurely sort of thing. Plenty of time to order more base yarn, plenty of time to futz and fiddle and procrastinate... Wrong.

So what we have in the bowl is the very last of my hand-paint, all of which is going to Susan this afternoon. (That, btw, is an extremely crappy photo. It makes all the colors look terribly washed out and dull, when they're really quite pretty.)

I am now completely out of base yarn, at least until my very hastily ordered next shipment comes in. Which I hope will be very very soon, 'cause if Susan keeps selling at this rate I really needed it yesterday. Unfortunately my supplier takes a somewhat relaxed approach to shipping. New base yarn might show up next week, or next month. Sigh.

At least I have something new and interesting to fret about.