Tuesday 27 April 2010

Third Time Lucky

Knitting
Remember this? It's Malabrigo Silky Merino.

Well, it turned into this this again.

It was going to be an Andrea's Shawl. I did the border, and picked up all the stitches, did the first row of the pattern and placed the markers, and then started on the second row. After about three days and nine attempts, last night I nearly tore the whole thing off the needles in a fit of rage. Instead, I waited a couple of hours and ripped it off calmly and tidily.

It's probably not that difficult, but as we have established before, I don't do well knitting lace on both sides. I like a nice easy row of purl to calm me down and let me get my bearings.

So I've cast on again, third time lucky. This time it's a Gaia, recommended by Mary Lou a while ago. Gaia is intended to be knitted with self-striping sock yarn and the pattern changes are instigated by the colour changes, but I think I can handle instigating them myself.


I have two skeins of this, Teal Feather, and a skein of Matisse Blue on its way so there will be some stripes, but I think I'll save most of the blue for a picot bind-off. Maybe. I think it will be a a thank-you to the friend who helped clear out so much Stuff the other weekend as she really deserves something.

While I was wrestling with Andrea, I got quite a lot done on Dapper out of spite, but of course it has been flung aside now that I've cast on again. Rowan Wool Cotton versus Malabrigo Silky Merino just isn't a fair fight.

Everest Base Camp
No news or photos yet. I think they must be shaking off the sniffles and wheezes which seem to be obligatory after such a trip. Not to mention after a longhaul flight. I'm holding one of their plants hostage so they'll have to contact me eventually.

Ospreys
That's a wonderful story, Judith, about the ospreys. Apparently some conservationists in Devon have been trying to distract ospreys on their way to Scotland and lure them westwards, using fake nests and polystyrene ospreys, and fake baby bird poo too. In other words, the English are trying to steal our ospreys. And just before the election too.

Still in Loch Garten, here is EJ taking over from Odin on egg-sitting duties and having quite a conversation about it.

4 comments:

Sea said...

sorry you had to rove your work! Always a bad time....new work looks good :)

Mary Lou said...

Of course, I suggested Gaia without having knit it myself. When I tried with some self striping yarn I didn't like the dictation. I couldn't hear it and would merrily knit away watching something and see i hadn't noticed the change. I think Silky Merino would be great, because you can tell it what to do!

Knitting Linguist said...

Osprey theft as a political tactic. I think that's one that's not yet been tried here in the States. I'd better not mention it loudly; who knows what ideas people would get? Gaia looks like it's going to be absolutely lovely, and excellent consolation knit after the first on (knitting lace on both sides is, indeed, a bear sometimes).

Mette said...

Interesting to hear about the birds. Sent my sister the recipe: How to.. Steal an osprey. She loves birds in an ornithological way and has a beech with no tenants.