Wednesday, March 07, 2012


The Economist, and the New Yorker, and The Knitter’s Book of Socks were all in yesterday’s post. A great relief. And there is an Alice Munro story in the New Yorker – not an issue to miss.

At very first glance, The Knitter’s Book of Socks disappoints in having too many pages devoted to yarn – I am happy to leave that topic to Mr Opal and Mr Regia – and not enough on fit. But I think I’ve got to move beyond first glance. The author is clearly concerned with fit – it’s promised on the cover. I suspect the ideas are in there. To begin with, I must pay more attention to negative ease.

Maybe the best way really to get to grips with the problem, would be to knit socks for myself. I normally don’t wear them, because I don’t wear trousers (shock! horror!) and don’t want to draw attention to my sturdy ankles.

As for actual knitting, I’ve polished off the neck ribbing on the v-neck vest, and have proceeded to the armholes. Indeed, am poised to cast off the ribbing for the first one. Might I even finish this evening?

I bought the pattern for the Millwater scarf this morning – it came up, remember, when I asked Ravelry for “snood”. I like it, and have decided to declare it a snood willy-nilly (that being the category required for Games entries this year). Is there enough madelinetosh DK “Georgia O’Keefe” left over to knit it? I’ll get out the kitchen scales. I didn't print the pattern, with the thought of moving it into GoodReader on the iPad and knitting from that. 

My sister and her husband are coming to see us in May. I put "gardening sweater for Ed" on my New Year's list of things-to-knit. More madelinetosh?

I reflected just now that Lent and the Sky Scarf have reached precisely the same point:  the excitement of starting, the pleasure of making early progress, are giving way, in both cases, to irritation at the burden and gloom at the thought of the path ahead. On I plod with both, however.

I am feeling restless this morning. Although the weather has turned colder, the sap is rising all around me. We need to get back to Strathardle.

4 comments:

  1. You must be an even hardier soul than I thought you were if you can survive without trousers in a Scottish winter. But then, I do not own a dress or a skirt - although I do have the required kilt in the family tartan.

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  2. I used to hate trousers, but, since the surgical modification to one of my legs, I don't like to let them out in public. I do think, however, that in the coldest of weather, skirts can be warmer - having the legs together in one fabric tube, they are able to keep each other warm.

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  3. Millwater is a yarn-eater! I used 5 balls of Rowan Cashmerino Aran for mine, and foolishly gave it away as a present. You could always make it half-sized as it really is VERY big as written.

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  4. skeindalous2:09 PM

    The Millwater is lovely. Perhaps the garter stitch borders are a bit excessive. The cable is, after all, the whole point! That would cut down a great deal on the yarn consumption, mentioned by Roobeedoo.

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