Kauni Fun

I did block the Scarf, p. 80, from Victorian Lace Today, but I will have to wait for decent light to photograph that and I have something else to show you. I finally cracked yesterday and ordered some Kauni rainbow yarn from Jannette on eBay. My excuse was that since I was buying ball of Jaeger cotton to knit a Pumpkin Hat for a baby that's due on Hallowe'en, that cost a little over £2, I might as well spend nearly £17 on some Kauni. That figures, doesn't it?

The yarn arrived this morning and I have been swatching feverishly most of the day. I started on 3mm needles, which seems to be the usual, but went up to 3.5mm and then 4mm because it seemed to be quite dense. It will presumably bloom quite a lot when it's washed, and the 4mm needles get a good effect. I wonder if I should try 4.5mm. It's very tempting to tear ahead, but there's no point in being annoyed half way through because it's not what I want. I did the swatch backwards and forwards and the actual knitting will be in the round, which I assume will be tighter, so maybe 4.5 is worth trying.

I'm not going to make a sweater for myself. I'm going to make one for the great-niece, who is still tiny enough that one can rustle something up relatively quickly. I was thinking of a sweater, but she would get more use out of a cardigan, wouldn't she? And it would give me an opportunity to steek.

I decided to break away from the box pattern that the famous Kauni Cardi is in; it's good but I've seen a lot of it and I would like to go for a more varied effect. I sat last night, before the yarn arrived, with some graph paper and my copy of Mary Smith and Maggie Twatt's 'Shetland Pattern Book', copying out patterns. It's a brilliant collection, and I find the fact of copying the patterns out a) makes them easier to follow, and b) gives me an idea of how tricky they might be to do.

I don't want to do the same pattern throughout; I would rather use bands of different stitches as Fair Isle does.

Something with curves might be interesting too. I have a copy of Solveig Hisdal's 'Poetry in Stitches', so I'm considering some of those. She's Norwegian and the yarn is Danish so something from that part of the world would be fitting.

You can see where this is going, can't you? Total indecision strikes again.

Unfinishing

I seem to have a lot of things which I have finished knitting, but haven't finished. The stripy Mably is still waiting for me to press / steam it before I do the seaming and i-cord edge; the Scarf, page 80 from Victorian Lace Today is still waiting to be blocked; a second Errol the Owl has been knitted but is waiting to be sewn and stuffed; and one pair of blades of Mochimochi's Grass has been knitted but is likewise waiting for sewing and stuffing.

I have finished some Christmas decorations from the Knitter's Almanac and they're all ready to go. Unfortunately they will have to wait a bit longer, and my main concern is keeping them safe without forgetting where I've put them. I suppose the thing to do would be mention here where I've put them, and then I could look it up.

I did unrip and knit up the neck of the Distressed Sweater for the third time and I am now Happy With It. I really must remember that I'm not as good at making alterations on the hoof as I think I am.

And I have started a hooded cardi from a Jo Sharp pattern, using All Seasons Cotton again, which has intricately shaped raglan sleeves. Since I've subbed the yarn, I hope to goodness the raglans match. I love raglan sleeves, always have. I have narrow shoulders and I find raglans much more forgiving than set-in sleeves.

But I should really do some finishing.