Yet More Stripes

I've reached the last chunk of the watery stripes. From here it's just knitting, without any counting or wrapping and turning. You're right, Annie, there is a twang of seaside and beach huts about it. (I just frightened myself by going to my last post and seeing that photograph of Rafe Spall unexpectedly.) I think the greyish tinge of the blue makes me think of the Atlantic, as it rolls up on the beaches of the Outer Hebrides and the coast of Massachusetts, and the sand in the Outer Hebrides really is very pale, almost white. My Dad used to stand on the beach at Bornish at sunset and say that on a clear day you could see straight up the St Lawrence Seaway. Not entirely true, but it brought home the connection between the places. His ashes were scattered at Loch Bornish.

At this stage, one row takes about one gram of yarn. I was worried about having enough of the pale colour but it's going to be okay. I used 26 grams of the second skein of Well Water, about a fifth of a skein. Madelinetosh Merino Light doesn't have a weight on the label, just a yardage of 440 yards but they seem to weigh around 120 grams, give or take a few grams.

The shawl is a bit small just now, but that's probably because it's scrunched up on a shortish circ and I expect it to grow and bloom once it's washed. I can't wait.

I gave the Green Stripe Study to its new owner on Sunday, so it will be going to California on its holidays soon. I didn't think she'd need a warm wrap in San Francisco, but I suspect Yosemite can be chilly even in July.

While I'm on this very straightforward stretch of these stripes, I'm going to allow myself to start Veera's Different Lines pattern, which is an even cleverer arrangement of short rows. My head is a little clearer. May the muttering commence.

Meanwhile, I just caught up with this lovely ad. I expect everyone else has seen it already, but just in case.



And here's the behind-the-scenes.



It brings back what a great piece of music that is. It was tongue-in-cheek, but it rises to the occasion too. I first heard it in a cinema in Tottenham Court Road when it came out in 19- ahem, a few years ago.