Back At Last

For a change, that silence was partly caused by my being busy. The friend that I made Mavis for was visiting and we did lots of sorting and shifting, and she took lots of stuff to my chosen charity shop. I allowed her a day off and we went to the But'n'Ben in Auchmithie

Auchmithie

for high tea (well, it was Sunday). We then took the coast road home and stopped off in Anstruther for ice cream.

Anstruther

The perfect Scottish east coast day out, and the sun shone like it didn't know how to do anything else, which is always gratifying when one has a visitor from the south.

Knitting
You may remember I was proposing to knit something elaborate, requiring a high degree of concentration, probably on tiny needles. Well, it didn't work out like that. I was looking through Ravelry for shawls knitted with Rowan Kidsilk Haze when I came across a Miss Marple Shawl done with a strand of Felted Tweed held alongside Kidsilk. I had both pining in my stash.


The pattern is in French but it's not exactly complex and with the help of this handy page of knitting terms in French, English (Anglo- and American-), German and Spanish, I was able to rattle through it. The texture of the two yarns together is just wonderful, soft and squidgy and endlessly squeezable.


The Kidsilk I used is a discontinued one from the Spray line, Medici, and the shifts in colour give a lovely textured look.

I suspect it will grow when it's washed, and grow further over time, but I haven't been able to go a day without wearing it so far. It will be even nicer as it grows.

I took the Pinwheel off its pins and took some snaps before I posted it. This is white Paton's Jet, like the Jyri scarf. For a yarn that is so soft to work with, it gives a surprisingly crisp appearance. I decided to give it to the second of the babies who was in line for it, so I'll do something else for the first one. They've both arrived.

Folded.
Sea-anemone style.

I discovered that the third baby isn't due until June, so I've stopped panicking about that. I think it'll be another Pinwheel, but the mother is very allergic to everything that's ever run about, so it'll be All Seasons Cotton. I think she would appreciate something adventurous in colour so that should liven it up a bit.

I did start something slightly tricky, although it's not in fine yarn or on tiny needles. It's that Malabrigo Silky Merino in Teal Feather.


Can you tell what it is yet?

I had to do 219 repeats of the four-row pattern, but I won't embarrass myself by telling you how long it took me to learn it. I need a ball of the same yarn in Matisse Blue but there's not much point in ordering it while there is a cloud of volcanic ash in the way.

Not Knitting
Weather Pixie is having a problem with her servers, Janet, but expects to be back at some point.

I should have had this in my previous post on the 1st of April but it still makes me laugh so here it is anyway. Steve Carell was on GMTV to talk about Date Night, and was asked to do an off-the-cuff weather forecast.