The weather continues extremely unpleasant. I phoned
the Aga people this morning, somewhere in the north of England, and they seemed
confident of getting here tomorrow. So I have turned off the old one and am
preparing to freeze to death. I have plenty of food, though, including cat food,
and good neighbours and a good friend around the corner. I’ll be fine, although
I’m running low on cat litter.
It’s a good thing this didn’t happen last week, to
spoil both the funeral and perhaps the Calcutta Cup. This weather is well
beyond the reach even of electrically-heated trousers. No international matches
are scheduled for this coming weekend.
Alexander didn’t come to be measured this morning:
that gives me another week before casting on his vest. Perhaps almost time to
finish the Soutache. I am finding it compelling. Brioche is a double fabric,
and I don’t, yet, understand it. The slightest slip is likely to leave a Messy
Spot because I don’t really see how everything fits together.
But I’m enjoying it a lot. I have finished the central
bit with the lightest of the gradient yarns, and have started down the second
side, using the second-lightest.
So I haven’t done any more thinking about corrugated ribbing,
but am very grateful for your comment, Maureen – there speaks the master.
Wednesday is Kate Davies Day. This week’s pattern is a
neat little cropped cardigan with travelling-stitch detail and interesting shaping at the shoulders. Travelling stitch
is another thing I greatly like the look of and should do more of.
Stronachlachar
remains, however, the West Highland Way pattern I am most likely to knit. It’s
got travelling stitches, too.
I forgot to mention yesterday that the new VK has
turned up. It’s all about yokes. There are some interesting sweaters, but none
that quite tempts me. The patterns I am tempted by are the extremes – Maie Landra’s
Viking Poncho (could I make some sort of coherent colour scheme out of my Koigu collection?)
and Laura Bryant’s Ikat (but that would mean buying yarn, as it doesn’t sound
as if it would work with anything but Prism Yarn’s “Madison” as specified).