KnitWit

37

…is the number of plays written by Shakespeare (if you count Henry IV in three parts)
…x2=74-1=73, 73 backwards is 37
… is the number of projects I apparently have in my stash.

That is right, I have enough yarn to knit 37 things as the list above shows. This realisation has slowly been dawning since I realised I had more yarn than I thought I did and while it isn't enormous, it is a little bit larger than I would like. So, I’m embarking on a big knit through the stash and destashing exercise of which more information will follow. Meanwhile I’m going to try and cross a few of those projects off! The slightly scary thing is that this doesn't feature projects that I have been thinking about for the last couple of years. My project list is almost a list of things that I have mentally knit in my head (does anyone else do this?) so I felt quite surprised that some of things haven't been done or finished already! It does mean that I will also have to be strong in the face of viral knits sweeping Ravelery!

Recharging the batteries

 

So, I have a new job which is slightly overwhelming and exciting at the same time. It is a great job but daunting at the same time. However it is all about rising to the challenge and remembering that it takes at least 6 months to really settle in anywhere. I have had a whole week off to prepare for it and catch up on all the domestic chores that I have been piling up since Christmas. It has been quite exhausting but also a much needed break.

Today I have finished the week off seeing my mum and sister for Mother’s day. It was a lovely day involving roast chicken, walks in the sunny university parks and a few little treats.

- Daffodils and paper white narcissi from the Isles of Scilly bought at the covered market. They smell absolutely gorgeous and buying them I had a little thrill that come June Mum and I will be back on the Islands for a couple of weeks.

- I knitted mum a dishcloth in Anny Blatt cotton which I brought back from my Paris Trip and parcelled it up with some soap. The colour of the cotton is so vibrant. It is like a slice of sunshine and I think it will look really nice in my mum’s kitchen. I loved the pattern and will definitely knit some more of these in the future.  Ravelled here. I quite like the idea of starting my own little stash of knitted dishcloths and homemade tea towels.

-  I made some florentines which was very exciting. I had wanted to make them since I first bought ‘How to be a domestic goddess’ and they seemed to me the perfect treat for Mother’s Day. They were really easy to make and a nice thing to do on a Sunday morning – I made all the batches before 9am while leaping around to Radio 1 and drinking copious amounts of tea!

Hope you all have had a lovely and relaxing Sunday!

1st FO of 2009: The future is bright...

And very colourful. I think I’m addicted. I love love love fairisle and everything about this hat.

This was my first attempt at fairisle and I’m childishly excited about the result – the flowery motif, the shaping, the colours, everything is very pleasing. The pattern is well written and I found it zipped along nicely. I found it very satisfying to see the pattern emerge and develop. It was the same sense of satisfaction that you can get from lace knitting but for some reason I found it a more mysterious process so kept looking at it and beaming.

I am now queuing fairisle things like crazy on ravelry, turning out stash drawers at home to try and find good colour combinations for future projects and planning mittens, hats, and incorporating motifs into everything I knit. It is all about stranding.

I originally bought this yarn to make some squirrelly mitts but am pleased that I started with a larger project because it was a bit less fiddly. And really it isn’t as hard as I thought – I have been always very intimated by colourwork, but I sat with my mum one Sunday afternoon and practiced on a swatch with a range of books, instructions, tea and encouragement. I even discovered that although I think I’m very good at stranding while drinking sherry or wine with festive cheer, the end result suggests otherwise.

Pattern: Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon
Yarn: Rowan Scottish Tweed 4-ply in Mallard and Thatch (I’m very fond of the names of the colourway) Needle Size: 2.75 and 3.00mm addi circulars.
Ravelled: here.