Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Cathy just sent me this interesting item about knitting for elephants. It can’t be often that the Times of India turns up here two days in succession (Mary Lou’s comment, yesterday).

All well. My husband seemed somewhat better today, and the cat continues in top form. I don’t know what Helen has decided about the consultation scheduled for Thursday.

I’ve reached row 72 of the border pattern of Mrs Hunter’s shawl. The end (of the border) is in sight. I still haven’t quite finished the first skein, but I’m down to the final couple of yards and it is a considerable comfort to know that when the end comes, as it must tomorrow, the winding has already been done.

Journalism

I think the only word for “Laine” is going to have to be “hygge”, although I realise that I am probably mixing up my Scandinavian nations. Nice photography, some nice patterns, some mildly interesting articles, but not really enough to justify the price. An interview with Stephen West, and a glorious shawl pattern from him, might be enough to reverse that verdict for some.

I am taken, however, with the idea of a loose pullover with a boat neck and short sleeves, to be worn over a shirt. Laine has a plain one on the cover, and one with very interesting cables within. No. 4 in the new VK is more or less what I mean, if you shortened the sleeves. Or 3, if you lowered the neck and shortened the whole thing a good deal.

I searched Ravelry for these ideas, and goodness! they have worked hard on their searching. They suggested Jared’s Wool People 7 which, indeed,  has several possibilities. I’m thinking, of course, of myself at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival buying yarn for a project probably never to be completed. Buying it, perhaps, from Jared himself!

VK is full of interest. Meg’s article on necklines needs to be copied and saved, perhaps in “Knitting Workshop”, before it vanishes into the piles of magazines. There is a very interesting article about the difficulties of creating American yarn – hundreds of mills, it says, closed in the latter half of the last century, due no doubt to “globalisation”. Just the sort of thing our new president fulminates against.  Full marks to Jared for his success in producing his yarns.

And an interesting interview with Nancy Marchant. Maybe when this shawl is off the needles, I will devote myself to brioche stitch. I have signed up for her Craftsy class, although I haven’t got very far with it; and I’ve got one of her books.

Non-knit


Rachel phoned today. Hellie has had her 20-week scan. Everything is fine. Everybody but me now knows the sex of the baby who will be wrapped in Mrs Hunter’s shawl.

12 comments:

  1. I'm going to take a class in brioche from Bristol Ivy at a knitting retreat in March. I am looking forward to it. Glad to think there's a Craftsy class I can do when the information gained at the retreat falls out of my head in June! (If you know what I mean.) Please keep us informed of how it goes for you, Jean.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been wondering about brioche and came across this shawl. It looks interesting. When I finish the shawl I am currently working on, I might try it. http://new.kitterly.com/kits/by-designer/lisa-hannes-kits/maliha-designs-all-about-that-brioche-kit.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:40 AM

    What struck me about Laine from their website which I first searched several weeks (days?) ago when you first mentioned it, was the Photography. It is stunning. And probably is what gives that feeling of hygge. But that's an awful lot of money. Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:47 AM

    Laine's website does give you a peek at their stunning photography. Which does seem to have a lot of hygge. But that is an awful lot of money for a magazine. Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Sorry. I thought I had not sent the first comment somehow (it did not show up right away) so I took the opportunity to rework it and be more succinct. Please "un-see" comment One. :-). Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12:10 PM

    Don't know if it is the mysterious ways of the computer but my two comments on Laine plus an explanation of why more than two showed up have disappeared from the comments section. So I will try one more time. Laine has a website which shows their stunning photography which is drenched in hygge. But it is still a lot of money. (Sorry,if the other three (!) show up. They were technical errors.). Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous12:57 PM

    I did enjoy the elephant jackets - so cheerful! The bodies must be crocheted - giant granny squares? The article describes them as embroidered. I saw one comment which said the legs were knitted.

    I recently came across an Istex pattern for a horse jacket - and a couple of people have actually knit it!
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hestur

    Certainly a lot more effort required than when we were knitting tiny penguin sweaters for Australia. I think the sanctuary had to respond "Stop! We have too many penguin sweaters."

    Another good antidote to winter SAD were the seas of pink hats at the women's marches around the world last Saturday.

    I am personally not so fond of slipped stitches or brioche. I am fully confident you can handle it whenever you are ready though Jean!

    LisaRR

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just fell in love with Carol Sunday's new brioche Soutache http://www.sundayknits.com/soutache.html
    Pat P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:39 PM

      Indeed, it's a beautiful design.
      -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

      Delete
  9. I studied Finnish once upon a time, but I can't seem to come up with the Finnish equivalent of the Danish hygge. In Swedish it's mysig, and since Finland still has a small Swedish-speaking minority perhaps it will have to do. About brioche, I find it wonderful until you make a mistake. Or a pet decides to chomp on your brioche--very difficult (impossible?) to fix. Perhaps the Nancy Marchants of the world could advise though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those are some giant granny squares and knitted pj legs! I'm tempted to find another Times of India link to go for three.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:21 PM

    I think "knit one below" yields the same result as slip-stitch brioche and might work better for some people's minds and fingers. Chloe

    ReplyDelete