Tuesday, December 06, 2016

I watched the second instalment of the Fair Isle documentary today. I had slightly the feeling that they were avoiding talking about knitting on purpose, and that they lingered too long on matters which could have been dispatched more briskly. Still well worth watching, and there is lots of good knitting to be glimpsed when they’re talking about something else.

The Financial Times had an excellent "Books of 2016" feature last weekend, absolutely chock-a-block with Boring Books for David's Christmas. The previous front-runner had been "Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War 1914-1918". But I discarded that idea, and also decided against "The Rise and Fall of American Growth", Princeton University Press, 784 pages, "the most important book on economics in many years", as perhaps too boring. I won't tell you any more just now.

There were lots in the FT, including that one, which I might have enjoyed reading while I still had the mental strength.

I'm whizzing on down the foot of the second Kaffe Fassett sock, eager to get back to the shawl. When Archie was gestating, i knit an Amedro lace-weight pattern, a departure for me at the time, and felt I was doing my bit, knitting the shawl while nature was knitting the baby. I would like -- absurdly -- to help in that way again. I think I should be able to finish the sock tomorrow. Grafting the toes of it and the others in the sidebar won't take all that long. Back to the shawl by Friday -- depending on Delamores.

I had a bit of difficulty when I finished the Kaffe Fassett yarn (always a moment of achievement, to finish a ball of yarn) and couldn't find the Madtosh Whiskey Barrel sock-weight which I had used to finish off the toe of the first sock. Searched in vain. Then I thought, it's probably in that Cairndow Childcare bag, on which each of the children has drawn a picture of himself or herself. Thomas’ self-portrait is there, the younger of the Little Boys. James must have moved on to primary school by that time. I often carried knitting in it, back and forth to the hospital. 


And sure enough, once I started looking for that bag instead of looking for the yarn, I found it almost at once, with the yarn inside. It was very gratifying to have solved a problem by thinking about it. 

11 comments:

  1. =Tamar5:15 AM

    Gratifying indeed, both the finishing and the finding. A random thought occurs: where did the word "fair" in the name of Fair Isle come from? Is it merely that it's pleasant to look upon, or is it somehow connected with the Fair Folk?

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  2. Anonymous1:30 PM

    I think I remember reading that it is related to a word meaning sheep. The Danish word for sheep is 'får' - sorry for this simplistic explanation! It is all I remember right now.
    Inge

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    1. Anonymous4:07 PM

      That's the derivation I seem to remember, too.
      -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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    2. Anonymous4:10 PM

      (Oops, didn't finish thought before publishing). I believe that "Faroe" has a similar etymology as well.
      -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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    3. =Tamar3:19 AM

      Thanks to all!

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  3. I finished the Fair Isle documentary last night. I found myself wondering if I could live there. The island itself has great appeal, but I'm not sure I would be up to the demands of working non-stop all my waking hours. I remember the story of the Fair Isle designer whose work was copied by Chanel. It was interesting to see she wasn't nearly as upset about it as the rest of the knitting world seemed to be at the time the story broke. After watching that ferry crossing I'm thinking that when we go there for a visit we better take the plane!

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  4. Anonymous3:57 PM

    As it happens, I borrowed The Rise and Fall of American Growth from my local library earlier this year and even read much of it. It's certainly a worthy contender for The Gift. My curiosity increased as I wonder what might surpass it.
    -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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    1. Anonymous3:58 PM

      "increases", present tense, not "increased".
      -- G (aka sd)

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  5. Carol, San Diego5:19 PM

    Jean, is the shawl pattern, Paton 893, the shawl you recently started knitting? Do you or anyone know how I can find the pattern? I've had no luck on Ravelry, Ebay, Paton website or The Vintage Knitting Lady. Thank you!

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    1. Carol, San Diego8:01 PM

      I'm happily replying to my own post. The Vintage Knitting Lady, to whom I wrote, has found the pattern for me!

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    2. You need to look for Cloud Drift Shawl on Ravelry as well as Patons 893. There are links to the pattern online and very helpful good charts from Sarah Bradbury from Knitting-and.com

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