Decision Time

I'm still rolling along here: I keep meaning to pick up something else, but somehow I keep getting back on the hamster wheel and pedalling round.

I'm at the end of the second skein.

Elephant Man shot

I have to choose a border now. Thanks, Judith, for being so emphatic about needing vast quantities of yarn for the border; I suspected that but I probably would have done something silly if you hadn't confirmed it for me. My predictions have worked out quite well, and the diameter is now about 30 inches, which seems OK. I'll do one more round, and then I'll have 50 stitches in each section, 500 in all.

I've been going through the Ravelry pinwheels which actually discuss the border, and peering at the pictures.

The simplest borders are garter stitch or moss stitch (seed stitch): I'd like to do something more interesting than garter stitch, and my moss stitch never works very well. It tends to be saggy and baggy. I could do garter stitch with some YOs to make little holes, but that doesn't seem interesting enough - I'm not saying it's never interesting, I just don't think it's right for this yarn. I think the holes would disappear among all the white.

I thought of making a ruffle by increasing every second stitch, but I thought if I did that twice it might not be deep enough and I might be insane by then, gibbering of stitches and YOs - like I used to get when I was knitting curly whirlies.

A knitted-on-sideways border would be good with the variegated yarn, of course, since the stripes would be at right angles to the existing ones. That would be nice.

I could take the opportunity to learn to crochet and do a crocheted border, but I don't really think should practise with rather expensive yarn on something which is intended as a gift.

Some people have used a Nicky Epstein frill called Belle Epoque, which is in Knitting on the Edge. It's like the bell-shaped frill on the Mrs Beeton Wrist Warmers: I made a pair of these and the frill was a bit insane-making, but very worth it. You increase by 10 stitches over every 8 stitches, which I think means 1,125 stitches before you do the picot cast off. Eeeek. But it does look lovely.

I bought a copy of Greetings from Knit Café recently. When it came out, I thought I could live without it but I keep seeing the Slouchy Cardigan on Ravelry and decided I couldn't. I love unstructured, geometric clothes and I have just the yarn...



although I must finish the Noro Lara first. I couldn't knit that in the hot weather, but that's not a problem any more.

I've been thinking for a while about what to do with the Sulka Scarf I knitted a year ago. I've never worn it and although it's cosy and beautiful, I don't think I will. I might rip it and knit a neckwarmer for my cousin. He lives in Indiana and likes to ride his motorcycle to work, even in the winter.
This is him some years ago, with his Dad's motorbike (and his Mum). I thought something simple, which exploits its warmth, but is sufficiently manly. Maybe this is my chance to learn Fisherman's Rib.

Happy New Year

A happy and healthy 2008 to everyone, knitters and jigsaw puzzlers alike. There's another new jigsaw in the sidebar - two heads and only one knitted hat but I think you'll agree they shouldn't be separated.

Georgetown Socks

I knitted a sock on Lorna's Laces Georgetown ages ago, last year I think. I used Wendy's toe-up pattern and put a sort of basketweave pattern around the ankle. I started the second one and got as far as the ankle and then discovered that I couldn't find the first sock to check the length of the ankle.So there the second sock sat, taking up my nice rosewood dpns and deterring me from beginning any other socks. Periodically I would shuffle through one or both of the places where I knew the First Sock must be, but all I ever found was other sock yarn that wasn't being knitted.

Then recently I was looking for Something Completely Different in a third place, a place where I couldn't possibly have put a completed sock, and I found it. So I was able to cast off, and I now have a lovely pair of socks which match clothes I have bought since I made and lost the first sock - can you guess my favourite colour? I still like these, but they highlight a phenomenon which makes variegated yarns so intimidating. When I looked at this shade in the skein, and in the ball, it seemed to be pale blues and greens and a pale lilac, but once it's knitted into a sock a sort of yellowish green has appeared, which is quite acid. It's not the end of the world, but it's enough to make me nervous.