Friday, April 17, 2020


The trouble is, I used to watch Pointless at the end of the afternoon, followed by some or all of the news. Then Pointless got usurped by the daily government briefing on the Crisis, so I watched that. Good knitting time, either way. But then that got boring – the government never has much to say, except for the daily totals and you don’t have to sit there for 45 minutes to find out what they are. And then the journalists ask questions and the government doesn’t answer them. (“Let me make it perfectly clear that…”) So I stopped watching that, and knitting is suffering.

My niece C., about to be a grandmother again, has taken up knitting after a 25-year gap. I gave her a copy of my Baby Surprise pattern, the mimeographed one I got from the Sunday Times long ago. And I also tore the pattern out of a more recent Knitter’s and sent her that. This morning she sent me this pic:



Where did she get that curved hem? I love it. She says that it is likely the result of a mistake, but I don't believe it. Double-breastedness is a feature of the Sunday Times version.

Comments

Shandy, thank you. Jennifer Steingass is terrific. And “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” is an old favourite of mine – if it’s the one I think it is, where they gradually figure out that the earth is spiralling into the sun.

KayT, thank you. I’ll have a look at Zazzle. I like the idea of “I WANT…your toilet paper”. It’s remotely knit-related, too, because that Uncle Sam poster was (I think) based on a British one featuring Lord Kitchener.

And Maureen, thank you for encouraging me to think on about knitting Machu Picchu (Carol Sunday's pattern) bottom-up. (And Maureen’s is no trivial voice, on such matters.) I could leave out the waist shaping since I haven’t got a waist. And I’m actually rather additionally tempted by the fact that there’s some duplicate stitch involved at the end. That’s one I’ve never attempted and wouldn’t mind learning. And now that I’ve learned to do corrugated rib…

Helen just rang up to say that she is tired of all these rules. She is going to come tomorrow and clean up the kitchen while I have a bath and then we will go for a walk. That will be nice. But before all that there will be my Italian lesson, so now I must go think about Dante and Boccaccio.

8 comments:

  1. Dear Jean, Pointless is on BBC2 at the proper time, followed by a rather pleasant Richard Osman's House of Games, which covers that nasty time when they tell us stuff to keep us frightened.
    Can I suggest that when you and Helen take your walk togethe you hold opposite ends of a broom handle. Then you can't be told off for being too close.
    OH came back from the s/market today saying "Ok so they have a one way system so that everybody has to go along every aisle but only once. Would it be too much to ask their staff assembling lists for deliveries to follow the system, instead of going against the flow and getting in everybody's way?"

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  2. I agree with Maureen on the bottom up. I prefer that, but most knitters seem to prefer top-down. I'm looking at Amy Christoffers faux bohus sweater Lunenberg. I bought the pattern on Ravelry, but haven't progressed to yarn. I think Helen coming in to help is fine. She is family, after all.

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  3. I think everyone is tired of the rules. Family especially.
    The curved hem IS snazzy!

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  4. Much the same rules apply here. Our Helen (aka Middle Cat) is ignoring them for the very good reason that she is the one responsible for looking after the Senior Cat's health needs. She also helps him have a shower - alternately with me - because it isn't safe for him to shower alone. It is known as "essential care" - enjoy it!

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  5. That is the cutest sweather!!

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  6. I just came across this account of a 4th century Norwegian woollen tunic http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/58379 The little video at the end is about recreating it from sheep to garment. Thought you might enjoy it.
    Regarding the little sweater - isn't it darling! And that hem...

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  7. Anonymous10:55 AM

    Not just the hem. But the striping and how the whole thing goes together so beautifully. I think there are over 28K examples on Ravelry and not all of them look as modern and polished as this one does. An inspiration, I think we all are "over" all those rules. Other things, like crucial doctors' appointments, suffer for it. It's a delicate balance. There is a commercial on American TV that breaks my heart about teenage runaways: How do you shelter in place, when you have no shelter to begin with..and so on. Glad of the BS jacket to lift my spirits, Chloe

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  8. I've been trying to choose a pattern for a baby sweater, and hadn't thought about the BSJ...that one certainly is precious! Wish I could make the curved hem :)

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