More Snow and More Knitting

Another snowy photo, this time of a giant bootprint. It's from the BBC News website. An Edinburgher called Nial Smith did it in his back green - it's a sort of snowy crop circle, I suppose. What I want to know is, how did he not leave any footprints?

Big version here.

I think I promised you a model shot of the Cowl that Became a Balaclava.

As you can see, it can be worn in such a way as to provide maximum coverage. And minimum recognition.

I have been getting on well with some of my Malabrigo and Christmas knitting. The Amoroso became a beret, but then I ripped back the ribbing and I'm doing it again with slightly fewer stitches. The One Day Beret is a very good recipe. It might make me an aficionado of top-down hats. I made the top 12 inches across, and did just over 2 inches of stocking stitch between the increases and the decreases, and then got worried about it being too slouchy, but now I don't think it will be.

As you can see, it has plenty of lifelines.


I finished one ball of wool on the Burberry cowl and took its photograph.


Tonight I finished the second ball and now I 'just' have kitchener it. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this pattern; it's exactly the right mixture of paying attention and sailing along, and if you do an extra row now and again it doesn't matter. There's always something happening and it turns into what it's meant to be. I had some bother with it gaping at the cables, and I couldn't work out what I was doing differently when it did and when it didn't, but because of the general squidginess it doesn't matter.

I've not been doing so well with the two skeins of Malabrigo in Chapel Stone.

I thought I could cheat and I started an Eternity Scarf with two strands on an 8mm circ, but it's not working. I expected two strands of Malabrigo to be heaven, but it's too loose and slides about on the Addi Turbo. I allowed myself 24 hours off to think about it, and I'm now in overtime. This is the present that has to be handed over first, on the 22nd, so I had better get my deciding cap on.

If you're stll in the mood for snow photos, this is one of my favourite things, the Angel of the North.

The Angel of the North, by Antony Gormley, in snow, December 2010 Copyright North News and Pictures

If you're not familiar with him in fair weather, you can see him here.