Too Poorly to Post

Thanks very much for all the nice compliments about the Queen Anne's Lace veil. Really, the pattern did all the work.

Sorry about the silence. I've been too poorly to post, and last week I was too poorly to attend Annie Modesitt's Combination Knitting class. Very tiresome. I understand everyone else had a whale of a time.

I have been knitting. It's taken me an embarrasingly high number of repeats to feel that I'm getting into the swing of the Puzzle Stole: this pattern looks as if it should be obvious to the point of tedium, but I still find myself having to check what row I'm on and which way my decreases should be pointing. For some reason, it's hard to read the row below. I love it, though; the yarn makes me smile every time I pick it up - if ever a yarn were agressively fluffy, or robustly floaty, this is it.


Yes, I have got a new pair of Crocs; silver ones which make me look as if I have Cyberman's feet.

It's Kidsilk Haze, in Trance, and it's darker than it looks here. I was thinking of putting some beads at the ends (the advantage of starting a stole in the middle is that you can put off decisions about the beginning) because my top has sequins on it, but then I realized that my bag will probably have sequins on it too (understated, moi?) so I don't think I will.

The ivory and gold bride's shawl - you know, the one I'm not knitting - is going more smoothly, precisely because the row below is very easily 'read' and I can spot an error immediately.


It's Gail, aka Nightsongs. I found it very hard to get started with this pattern and gave up the first time with mutters of, 'This is supposed to be enjoyable, for goodness' sake.' (Let's just pretend I said 'goodness'.) I started on the lovely Feather Duster instead but I forced myself to admit that it cries out for a fluffy yarn and so had another go at this. I added a centre stitch and things fell into place the second time; I think the yarn and the pattern suit each other very well.

I've also cast on the navy blue garment that I meant to do before Anhinga swept me off my feet, which is the Wrap Top from All Seasons at the Mill in that lovely inky navy, Dusk. This is dark enough that it can only be knitted in daylight.

It's an irregular rib so I've used stitch markers; pathetic, I know but better pathetic than having to rip. I knitted a Mistake Rib Scarf once and it nearly drove me insane, all the thinking and the counting and the checking.

I'm starting with the back which has a long boring bit, so I hope that'll help me get into the rhythm.

The colour here is totally wrong: it's much darker. And inkier.

I came across this on John Naughton's blog: they're bollards with a twist at the University Library in Cambridge (the original one, not the one in Massachusetts). It gets even better at about one minute in, so hang in there.



Me, I'm going back to the couch.