Knitting Kate Davies' Sheep Carousel Tea Cosy with multi-coloured sheep

The Ravelympics is really about personal challenge (no unfair disqualifications here) and so it seemed appropriate to use a project which includes some new-to-me techniques.

Kate Davies' pattern uses two colours. I bought a plait of natural-colour masham wool at Wonderwool last year to make this teapot. It seemed appropriate to make the sheep multi-colours, and I'm very pleased with the result.

This was a challenge because if knit in the round as per the pattern, then there would be 4 colours in some rows. I hate floats and ends and so used intarsia (still a lot of work to weave in ends!) That means knitting two sides and joining them rather than knitting it in the round.

It was a little bit of a cheat to buy the teapot after making the cosy. It's a little bit tight but I'm hoping it'll give a little when it's washed and blocked.

Pattern here

Ravelry project here

Walking woven fabric

I'm thrilled with the finished houndstooth fabric. Along the way I discovered how much woven wool cloth would fit on the back roller of my knitter's loom. As you can just see, I undid that back cross-member and moved it in order to keep weaving and avoid cutting off and tying back on. 

 At this point the fabric feels like strands of yarn woven together. To fill out the weave a little bit and make the cloth feel a little softer and more like a single piece of fabric it's 'fulled'. It's pounded in soapy water with hands or feet. People used to be employed to do this and it's said to be the origin of the surnames Walker and Fuller.

I'm not sure whether I walked it for long enough but it certainly feels beautiful. The 7.5dpi reed was just right. There is no openness to the weave now but it feels so soft and drapey.

Perfect for my skirt. Over to my friend who's agreed to do the sewing bit!