De-pilling

...my daughter's wardrobe staple black cardigan (Cable Edged Jacket by Debbie Bliss  in Andes -baby alpaca/silk), which I knit back in May 2011.  Awful lot of black stocking stitch, not to mention the stress of sewing on the border (immaculately done by consistent knitting friend, Karen), but it was all worth it  because it's still smiling through and seldom not worked in some way into what she wears.  It's astonishing to me that it's still on the go at all because I could run a small cottage industry from the amount it pills. A really serious craftsperson would collect, re-spin and reknit, apparently, and while I wouldn't mind trying to crack spinning  (because it looks like an astonishing skill) I'm not sure if I have the patience. I heard in the vet's that some people go as far as knitting sweaters from their dogs' hair to wear proudly at Crufts.  And a woman I met at a cafe was chatting about a bloodied smelly fleece in her bath that she's planning on cleansing, combing out and spinning through the winter, but I did get the feeling there was a tinge of regret at what she'd taken on in there too.    

Here's something hand dyed which is a skill I'd really like to learn - it's silk and baby camel and produced by Alex McLeod from Coolree Yarns in Wexford who is a young all-round genius with colour, and the deserved hands down star of craft events.  When I wanted to come up with something really special, this is what i chose to use as a gift to a fellow knitter because I knew she'd enjoy and appreciate his work - although she didn't know the end product was destined for her, utilising this donut pattern from Mason Dixie Knitting with this yarn was her idea - one I wasn't sure was working at the time I knit it, but now I think it did.