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.

Things I Forgot to Say Last Time

Knitting
I forgot to say that I finished the green Road to China Cowl and decided to give it to my neighbour's SO; that's my neighbour who's trekking to Everest Base Camp and for whom I made East West Everest. I thought someone who was facing such arduousness deserved it. I actually finished it in such haste, as they were packing the last of their antibiotics and tissues, that I didn't get a photo of it. I'm hoping there will be a photograph of it in situ.


They were due back on Wednesday this week, and they got back on Thursday night so they can't have been too delayed by the volcanic ash. Once they surface, I shall be all agog.

I'm still flogging on with Dapper. I can't believe that something so small (cropped sleeveless waistcoat) can be taking so long. I think the fairies must be coming in and frogging it after I've gone to bed.

One of the books that resurfaced during the recent re-shuffling was Zoe Mellor's bootees book.


I love this book and it couldn't have appeared at a better time, as there is a positive swarm of babies at the moment, with more on the horizon. I just got an email about a new one on Thursday.
I made these tiger feet once, but I can't remember who I gave them to.


The Ravelry page for the book is here. If you can look at the projects without squeaking, you're a better woman than I am.


I'm thinking of knitting a Baby Surprise Jacket for one of this year's arrivals, if I can dig out the pattern, or one of them as I think I have about three versions.

Recycling
I had a stepladder I needed to get rid of, so I put a notice on it saying PLEASE HELP YOURSELF and left it outside beside the front door. I came back upstairs, filled the kettle and looked out of the kitchen window and there was a man scooting up the street with it. Whole thing must have taken about a minute.

Ospreys
The ospreys are back at Loch Garten. The parents, that is; none of the chicks seem to have made it back. The parents arrived back, separately, on the same dates as last year. If you asked human beings to do that, they wouldn't. It would be too complicated or something.

Anyway, here's EJ bringing back a fish (yes, I wish she was called EZ).



She's laid three eggs since then.

Miss Marple Shawl in English

I translated the pattern for this shawl so that I could knit it myself and I offered it to the designer, Cécile Franconie. She says that it's OK for me to post it. Do have a look at her blog, Facile avec Cécile; I love that crocheted granny squares are called 'grannys'.

It appears that the simplest way to do this is for me to post the pattern here and have links added to Ravelry. The original Ravelry page for the shawl is here and the pattern is here and her blog post about it is here. She has other patterns on Ravelry here. I think that's everything. Phew. So, with the kind permission of the designer, here it is.


Miss Marple Shawl
By Cécile Franconie

Materials
1 ball Kureyon Sock yarn (or two balls of Rowan Felted Tweed and two balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze, held together)
1 pair 5mm (US 8) needles, 1 pair 8mm (US 11) needles
4 stitch markers

Stitch
Garter Stitch

Abbreviations
YO - yarn over
kfb - knit through front and back of stitch, creating an extra stitch
sts - stitches

Instructions With 5mm (US 8) needles and one strand of each yarn held together, cast on 3 stitches
Row 1: K1, YO, K1, YO, K1 (5 sts)
Row 2: K
Row 3: K1, YO, K3, YO, K1 (7 sts)
Row 4: K
Row 5: K1, YO, K5, YO, K1 (9 sts)
Row 6: K
Row 7: K1, YO, K7, YO, K1 (11 sts)
Row 8: K
Row 9: K1, YO, K9, YO, K1 (13 sts)
Row 10: K
Row 11 (RS): K3, YO, K3, YO, place marker, K1, place marker, YO, K3, YO, K3
Row 12 and all following wrong side rows: K
Row 13 and all following right-side rows: K3, YO, K to marker, YO, K1, YO, marker, K to last 3 sts, YO, K3

Repeat Rows 12 and 13 until your knitting measures 50cm (20 inches), and then change to 8mm (US 11) needles.

Next Row: *K1, kfb*, repeat to end. This creates the frill around the hem.
Knit 6 rows of garter stitch.

Cast off (Bind off)
Knit 2 sts together, return stitch from right-hand needle to left-hand needle, and repeat - this takes a long time but it is worth it!



I made mine with a strand of Rowan Felted Tweed and a strand of Rowan Kidsilk Print, which is discontinued but you can still find it if you look. It took two entire balls of Felted Tweed but I had about half of the second ball of Kidsilk left over.

There's a very useful webpage of translations for knitting terms here.