Tuesday, March 13, 2018


So much suddenly happens.

This was the kitchen yesterday.



It’s worse now, as they have removed the sink so I can’t even boil a kettle. The contents of the kitchen are spread all over the rest of the house. Here is some of it, in the spare room.



The men are very good, and are working very hard. Maybe it won't be too long.

The Vintage Shetland Project has arrived! And I think it probably has to be classed as a triumph.

And the EYF is this week – day after tomorrow, for me. I must print out my Thursday class ticket again – the first attempt, several moons ago, came out a bit blurry – and I must make careful notes about yarn. How much of which colours do I think I need for Alexander’s vest? And Gudrun’s sweater? And the KD vest from the West Highland Way, just in case her yarn turns out to be there?

I spent some of the stressful sitting-around time yesterday re-plotting the Calcutta Cup chart and making it match the motifs stitch-count-wise. I have now knit it on to the end of the swatch-scarf and have gone on to practicing corrugated rib. I'll post a picture soon. I think I’m ready to finish it off with some ribbing and a three-needle bind off, then turn it inside out and secure the ends a bit before picking up stitches and repeating the process at the other end.

I like the effect of corrugated rib, but it’s odd. The purl ribs come more prominently forward than I expected. Of the various systems, I think two-handed with the purl yarn in the right hand is the least tedious for me. Doing it in two passes would be unendurably slow. It is extraordinary how right the books are, that it is hard to remember to move the yarn to the back after purling. Every time I think I’m beginning to settle into the rhythm, I find that I left it in front again.

And the new Fruity Knitting has appeared! For a while I thought there wasn’t any fruit, but it turned out to be concealed behind Madeleine’s head.

Franklin is in Italy, sending wonderful pictures back to Facebook.

9 comments:

  1. Hmm, is that why Fruity Knitting is called Fruity Knitting? I had no idea!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We redid our kitchen several years back. I was able to set everything up in the guest bedroom- including the microwave, toaster oven, and a hot plate. Everything except the refrigerator, which was in the front hall. So we were able to live fairly well- though my husband had to do the washing up in the guest bathroom. Oh, but it was worth every,inputs of it and I now have the kitchen of my dreams. I know you will be so pleased with yours, too. Be warned, though; putting everything away in your new kitchen will be a bear. I still have (seldom used) odds and ends in the guest closet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Exciting but so stressful! I hope you at least have an electric kettle and water from the bathroom sink. I remember having our kitchen redone when I was a kid and we had to wash dishes in the bathtub!

    ReplyDelete
  4. How are your 2 four-legged girls handling having strange men in the house? Are they still confined to the dining room? They will probably be just as delighted with a new kitchen as you will be, not to mention having your house to yourself again. An LYS owner from here is in Edinburgh for the EYF and I am so envious! I admire your list-making restraint. I hope you are successful in finding all you need.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We had our kitchen renovated (well, the whole back of the house) and it took six months. My Mum went on feeding us for six months: her and Dad, and six kids aged seven to sixteen. She had a jerry-rigged sink, an oven, an electric frypan, a fridge and a kettle and toaster. No microwaves in those days and certainly no Uber Eats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant to add this was in 1976.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:09 AM

    Just think of it as camping out, without the bugs. Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am in Edinburgh for the Festival and had a lovely visit to Kathy's Knits. So interesting to see the streets and places you have mentioned. I am also making a list of what I am looking for at EYF but not sure if I can manage to stick with the plan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Once the men have worked their magic on your kitchen, your bathroom will look inexplicably shabbier than it did and you will end up working your way round the house.
    At least you have a few distractions ongoing this week.

    ReplyDelete