Every night this week I looked forward to curling up on the couch and working on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Aran Coat. I’ve made good progress on the body and have started the sleeves. After spending so much time with this huge mass of knitting in my lap I finally set it on the floor to measure the length and see the progression of the Sheepsfold pattern.

I neglected to mention in the last post that I’m working the Sheepsfold pattern over 12 stitches. It’s the signature pattern on the coat and I really wanted it to stand out.
I also have been working on my current weaving project. The weft (cashmere) is almost covering the warp, resulting in subtle surface texture. I’ve been reading On Weaving by Anni Albers and the chapter on Tactile Sensibility reminded me of why so many of us crave creating with raw materials. Daily life is surrounded by sleek packaged products that, while save us time, have numbed our tactile sensibility. We love experiencing, as Albers calls it, material “in the rough”. Spinning raw fleece into beautiful plies of color. Weaving with handspun yarn and letting the unevenness of the material create the texture. Knitting with wool to create textural cables and bumpy garter stitch. We finish a project and our senses are revitalized – we can’t help but start the process again.