Saturday, October 24, 2020

 

I’ve knit furiously on with the Evandoon. I don’t dare stop for even a moment, among all these instructions, or I’ll forget where I’m meant to be.

 4

The first problem has been successfully negotiated. At the beginning, one knits back and forth. Then, at a certain point, one breaks the yarn, slides a specified number of stitches from left needle to right, and starts again at the new beginning-of-round. The problem was that the pattern says that this will be the point where the right sleeve is attached to the back. And as far as I can see, and making due allowance for the fact that I am knitting upside down, it’s the left sleeve.

 

I could be wrong. And in any event, the count was right and I’m moving forward. I love the yarn, And, mercifully, it’s very visible – easy to see how many rows I’ve done in a 10-row stripe; easy to see whether or not the last round was an increase round.

 

Allison, it was brilliant of you to find the picture I was talking about, and to provide a link. (Comment, yesterday – do look.) How beautiful are those curtains! No wonder I wanted to knit it. I am sure you’re right, that if I had examined that smoke from Vesuvius a bit more carefully, and used a gentle grey instead of white to represent it, all would have been well. It’s tempting to try again, so beautiful are those curtains.

 

Mary Lou, I like your Muriel pattern a lot (Ravelry link). Surely one could pick it up and turn it around and knit it bottom-up as I am doing with Carol Sunday’s Machu Picchu? Or, was doing, before darkness set in. I wish we hadn’t been deprived of that Arne&Carlos episode in which Arne explains what’s wrong with upside-down stitches. It was more than a matter of convenience or even aesthetics.

 

Life

 

I’ve moved on to F.M. Mayor’s “The Rector’s Daughter”. I strongly suspect I’ve read it before, many years ago. I’m enjoying it as if new.

 

“Is He Popenjoy?” seems to have as a theme the idea that second-best may be good enough, as far as choosing a life-partner goes; what matters more is life. I have never noticed Trollope having themes before.

7 comments:

  1. =Tamar7:27 PM

    Do the curtains contain all the colors in the rest of the painting? They might.
    I see a shape resonance between the smoke of Vesuvius and the head, hat, and feather of the lady. I think it's intended as a compliment.

    Upside-down stitches change where the points and the vee go, which matters when doing patterns in color or texture. Knitting downward from something that was first worked upward will offset the stitches by half a stitch. In the flat it makes a problem at the edges but can be hidden in a seam. It doesn't matter so much in the round, for instance when replacing a worn ribbing.

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  2. If only Lily Dale could have followed that philosophy! She would have saved us all a lot of trouble.

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  3. Anonymous8:39 PM

    Goodness, yes, those curtains! They look like they're taffeta.

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  4. Anonymous11:12 AM

    Jean as usual you have sent me flying off to the Internet. Apparently Ingres was fond of emphasizing both faces and Fabric (of all things) in his paintings. Since Ingres always played second fiddle to Delacroix in my art history classes you have sent me on a delightful journey into the details of his life and art. Chloe

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    1. Anonymous3:36 PM

      Ingres may be the most amazing painter of fabric ever. See his portrait of Mme de Broglie - Met link here https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459106.

      -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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  5. Muriel could easily be worked bottom up - the yoke pattern doesn't depend on being worked top down. The after though pocket can be worked either way, as well. Off to look for Ingres!

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  6. Anonymous4:58 PM

    Wow that fabric in the Ingres paintings is really sumptuous. Thanks for those links, fellow blog readers.
    Muriel is a very cute sweater - great yoke details.
    These autumn days are generally feeling very grey here in Toronto (although we have had some flashes of sun on occasion). Bright colours are going to be key this long winter.
    keep well everyone!
    Lisa RR

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