The Portland Has Spoken

And make no mistake:  Red Portland handspun wool does not like to share the stage. The yarn turned out quite nice this time around. I've started and restarted mittens with it. I've searched book after book for ideas to match the yarn. I've tried different cast-ons, different patterns, joining in different yarns to add some interest (I thought) to the mitten. Nothing doing. The Portland wants to be alone. The Portland is diva-ish, obstinate and ornery. In this photo it is cozying up, ever so briefly, to some blue mill-spun local-sheep-farm Clun Forest wool, but it agreed to do so only to help the digital camera catch its very dragon-red image. Even then, the job is not so good. There are many colors in this red. It is absolutely lovely. Of course we will never get a decent picture of it and of course you will never understand until you see it in person. That's just the way with red and digital cameras. And I'm guessing that even if we overcame the shortcomings of technology, this yarn would still refuse to cooperate.

I love it, and I'm listening and yielding to what it's saying. (as if I have a choice)

Get a freakin' load of that. This is the unembellished whole truth:  After I typed the above statement, I went and took a picture of the cuff. And look:

Shadings and variations. O-kie dokie. I guess we know who's boss here.

I think we are naming these: New England Red Dragon Mittens. A rare and precious breed indeed.

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At present, I am using my standard mitten pattern from the vintage booklet handed down to me by my mother. I am vacillating as to whether there are going to be thrums placed in it. I really do want thrums, but if the Portland says NO, then there will not be thrums. We'll just take this one row at a time. I'm not terribly afraid of dragons, but certainly quite respectful.

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And for fellow gingerbread fiends, I have put the recipe that I posted last winter for Gingerbread Hermits in the recipes category if you'd like to try it. It is certifiably fabulous. The regular gingerbread that I made yesterday was certifiably horrible. Note to self: Do not use blackstrap molasses for gingerbread EVER AGAIN. Ick, blech.

Comments

[Rosemary]

Oooooh. What an absolutely mouth-wateringly gorgeous red.

[Cara]

I'll agree - reds are very, very hard. Almost harder than white. They get oversaturated very easily. My advice is to underexpose and lighten later. Very slowy. You might be able to pick of the variations then.

Beautiful yarn - I say no thrums. Let the dragon live on its own.

[Mary-Lou]

Sounds like the Greta Garbo of yarns! (I vohhnnnttt to be alohhhnnnne ...) So why not humour it a bit?

[Wendy]

I think my blue-purple Portland handspun has a crush on your red Portland handspun.

[Dave Daniels]

Mmmm, pretty red Portland. Downright lucious. Great twist you put on it, too. I'm ever so envious. Truly.
I loave hermits, the cookie kind. I have some in the kitchen right now. I won't make them, too much work. (I know, I know...and I cook every single day.)
Keep us posted on the thrums or not to thrums.

[Carole]

Nice nice red. I love red, it's my favorite color. In case you wanted to know that.

[Teresa C]

See? And I went with my craving and made hot cocoa from scratch. I think I may have been a bit more successful.

Norma and the Red Dragon. Sounds like a children's book, doesn't it? A little six-year old Norma befriends (doesn't slay-this is a little kids book, no scary things!) the dragon and they become lifelong friends. You should write it.

[Vicki]

I think gauntlets rather than thrums when I think of Red Dragon Mittens.

I like Teresa's fairy tale, too. And I can definitely see the slaying -- as in, "Oh, Norma, you SLAY me." 'Cuz you always do!!

; )

[Kathleen]

i say no thrums but listen to the yarn.

[cari]

The perfect red. Sigh.

[margene]

To thrum or not to thrum...that is the question.

[naomi]

I really like blackstrap molasses in my gingerbread, but I mix it with honey.

[JoVE]

I use blackstrap molasses in gingerbread all the time and it is wonderful. Hmmmm. Different recipe or different tastes, I guess.

That red is lovely. Where did that fleece come from again? And how did you get a thick enough yarn to make mittens as you were saying not so long ago that it was too thin.

[claudia]

Indeed, I've been having big-time gingerbread craving. But I'm not much of a baker. Ergo, I suffer....

[Laura]

Oooo, another cookie recipe! Since I already have a gingerbread recipe to use for this season's cookies, I'm thinking gingerbread bake off. A batch of the current recipe and a batch of yours, then see which tastes best. Of course, it this will involve heavy sacrifice on my part for the test, but, ok!

Dragon! Great name for a very domineering yarn.

[rams]

Teresa, girl, what you thinking? Kids LOVE scary! So Norma and Red Dragon head off to slay Ack Ryllick, the nastiplastk who lurks for unsuspecting newbies...

[Sharlene]

Oh, thanks for the warning--but what is the difference? I just checked my bottle and its just labeled as "organic" and "dark." So I guess there's no bootstrap, err, blackstrap there. But perhaps it tasted like a bootstrap?

[Dusa]

And here I thought the dragon referred to Champy!

Thanks for the kind words posted on my blog! Mittens might make a good car project...hmmmm.

[liz]

Grandma's Molasses goes in my gingerbread. It may not be local or even organic but, I'm sorry, it tastes really good. But I'm a heathen like that.

If the yarn agrees to be tamed by the mitten pattern, you should start calling the mitten pattern George.

[Em]

I can't think of anything original to say. So...MWAH!

[Lee Ann]

OOOOOOOO. Red. I love that red. I'd make Marnie's new fingerless mitts in Spindlicity with that, I would...

[Kathy]

Love that red!! I'm thinking no thrums too.

[minnie]

do not mess in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.

hence the trouble with photography