Thursday, January 03, 2013


The bad news is that my husband had a brief attack of diarrhoea yesterday (I have learned to spell it) which set him back a bit. The good news is that Greek Helen will be here this evening, for a few days on her own; a great treat for us. And I made a good start on grip-getting yesterday.

As you imply, both Sarahs, it is important to take it in chewable amounts. I have begun with the piles of paper which surround my computer – January is income tax month, so I more or less have to begin there. This year’s innovation is to break the job into bite-sized pieces and write them down.

Knitting went well. The body is finished up to the armholes, 8% of K left on waste yarn at each armhole, the calculation done as to how many stitches to cast on for the sleeve. That means I have moved on from the Spring to the Summer issue of Knitter’s 2000, where Meg revisited the EPS in four episodes. That really feels like progress.

And thanks for the help with my vague floundering about the Japanese yarn. You mean that book by Pam Dawson, Hat? That one was a Big Step Forward in my knitting history. I found the overblouse you mention. It is presented with variations. There are possibilities there.

I feel I own “Knit Real Shetland”, Lol. The cover looks awfully familiar. But LibraryThing doesn’t credit me with it  (that’s not conclusive; I’m behind with entering new books there, as with much else) and it’s not where it ought to be on the shelf (with the other Jamieson books) or here in the pile of new arrivals.

In any event, I found the Viking shirt on good old Ravlery and it is interesting too.

My sister has entered the story by saying that she would wear the Japanese shirt if I finished it. So that’s a possibility, although it doesn’t get past the difficulty that I feel I am utterly bogged down.

The thing is to finish Ed’s Gardening Sweater, and then try knitting more of the shirt and see how it goes. Meanwhile continuing to flounder about in the overblouse/loose tee area. I want something part of which, at least, can be knit in the round so that I can have one-row stripes. Something big enough to wear a shirt underneath.

I could also usefully start thinking about Koigu again.

5 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about the relapse; noro virus is a dastardly thing, even more so during the festive season... I hope everyone is swiftly restored to good health.

    Good luck with the piles, lists and tax. I've got to do my tax too, and it's making me sweaty just thinking about it.... I'm making some lists too: things I must do at work today; things I'd like to knit/sew/finish; things that need organising before the baby arrives....

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am happy for you that you will have a visit with Greek Helen. I hope she manages to dodge that dreaded virus while she is there.

    Is it possible your copy of Knit Real Shetland is on your iPad? I have the digital version, so that is where mine is. And I have been wanting to knit that Viking Shirt from the moment I first saw it. I don't think there are any finished ones posted in Ravelry though - at least not the last time I looked.

    My thought about the Japanese shirt is you should rip it out. The older I get the less inclined I am to stick with knitting something when I don't enjoy the process, especially if it is a big project like your Japanese shirt. There are too many wonderful patterns to spend time on something that has become tedious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sorry to hear your husband has had a relapse. How fortunate that Greek Helen is coming to help you. That is the challenge with some elderly couples in that their children are so far flung to the twelve points that when a simple illness like this happens it's a challenge for the couple to cope. Mojo for you and him!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Trust all will be well soon. Ah yes Koigu - even in the forecast 44'C heat I can think about that with a small degree of pleasure! It really is too hot to knit here!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnnP in NY8:56 PM

    Happy New Year, Jean. Your thoughtful posts were missed over the holidays.
    Yes, January brings piles of paperwork when I really want to be knitting for myself. I was just on Ravelry and was surprised to see over 6200 users online and this at 3pm on a Thursday! We all must be looking for inspiration after our holiday knitting.

    ReplyDelete