Back in the saddle…

Knitting

V-necked vest: The second madelinetosh skein has turned out distinctly different from the first. Really very distinctly darker. I hoped for a while that the irregularities in the dye, as they established themselves with the second skein, would echo the irregularities in the first skein in a way that would bind them together. That sounds fanciful, and it isn’t working.

I think there may be enough of the darker yarn that I can finish the vest without another violent change. I have tentatively decided to go on. When I get a bit nearer the underarm, it would be a good idea anyway to put the whole thing on waste yarn and see how we’re doing for size. That will be a chance to judge the general effect.

Miscellaneous

Here’s an oddity from this morning’s Zite. Real knitted art.

So I’m in the market for a cowl which I will self-define to be a snood (see previous entry) as my Games entry. The infinitude scarf?

I follow Cotton & Cloud’s blog, and I much liked the sleeveless vest she has designed for the “centenary” edition of Knitting Magazine – her blog entry for February 17. I’ve got the magazine, and had completely failed to notice the vest. So maybe the trouble with Knitting is dud photography rather than dud patterns?

“Knitting With the Color Guys” has turned up. There are some moderately nice things it, agile use of the sock yarns Kaffe has done for Regia as well as his Rowan yarns.

Life

Thank you for the sound advice about the house in Strathardle. Catdownunder, I very much like your idea of keeping the mobile telephone to hand. And charged. And provided with the telephone numbers of our nearest neighbours. I’ll do that.

Kristie, -- follow that link for pictures of the cutest dog on the planet – the problem isn’t exactly that of looking after the house. We now have a man to cut the grass, a huge relief. Helen organises professional cleaners to blitz the place when she’s here in the summer. We made progress last week with finding the names of men who may be able to help with other tasks – we want to plant a tree in memory of my husband’s sister, and that means someone will need to build a cage for it like this one.

That's Archie and Mungo last summer with our metasequoia. I take pictures every year of the specimen trees and the grandchildren, and keep them in my tree book. 

When we’re there, we potter, and I grow my vegetables. What worries and saddens is the sense of not being able to do what we’re used to doing. It’s too early in the year yet for my husband to have tried out the Grandpa’s Weeder thing I got him for Christmas, with which he may be able to extirpate dandelions without bending.  That’ll help, if he can do it.