Thursday, February 11, 2021

 

Another very cold day. One of the perks of age – there are a few – is that I probably won’t be in the first car to Kirkmichael in the spring. It’s after winters like this that pipes spring leaks, no matter how carefully drained in the autumn. 1782 steps – I’m slipping. And it looks as if I won’t get out tomorrow, either. I’ll have to try harder.

 

On the other hand, I’ve finished tidying the shawl and am ready to block it. First thing tomorrow. I think maybe there’ll be room on the spare room bed, if I extend it down the sides a bit. Here it is:

 


 

By the time the cleaner left this morning, Perdita had curled up on the shawl for a nap. I’m at my best (such as it is) first thing in the morning, anyway. It’s funny about the puffiness in the centre – I hope it’ll block out. The decrease round which I neglected to include was at the very end, just before the edging – so it couldn’t be that, I don’t think.

 

Then I went back to the Evendoon – found the pattern, found the yarn, figured out where I was when I stopped – and got on well with it. I now have only a single cuff and the neckband to do. Barring a last-minute disaster, I can finish it before I start knitting the Polliwog, even if the yarn is in tomorrow’s mail, which it won’t be. Just as well, because it’s a cosy yarn (Kate Davies’ Schiehallion) and will be of more use on someone’s back now than if I finish in May.

 

And I’ve been thinking about post-Polliwog and Calcutta Cup knitting. Wee Hamish first – he’ll be easier than leg warmers. I was slightly surprised, and very pleased, to find that I put my notes on Alexander’s vest away where they should be. They’re not very intelligible, but may supply a gauge. I went to the Jamieson & Smith website and find that they have a child’s Fair Isle pattern, aged 2-3: but it comes in a kit with the yarn. I also found their blog, in which they publish several recent examples of a project of Ella Gordon’s. She’s a young designer of some distinction, who works for J&S.

 

She has been putting together colourways based on bits of Shetland landscape. For each one, bless her, she gives not only a photograph of the landscape and one of the five or six balls of yarn she has chosen, but also the catalogue numbers of the yarns. I think I might as well lean on her for my colours. The only remaining problem: which one to choose?

 

Leg warmers are going to be harder, because of my complete inexperience. That’s an interesting idea, Karen (comment, Tuesday) to knit one large, steeked tube. And as Tamar points out, a certain amount of shaping would be possible in the seaming. But there would have to be two long seams, wouldn’t there? Plenty of time to think, while I knit these other things.

 

“Sense and Sensibility” isn’t terribly good, but it’s got some good characters.

15 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:23 PM

    All the legwarmers I have seen are tubular - no seams! Think of it like a sleeve without shaping, and with ribbed cuffs at each end.
    JennyS

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    1. Anonymous6:25 PM

      Replying to self, or a long, unshaped sock leg
      JennyS

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  2. Hi Jean, there is a pattern called Mirknen, for fingerless mitts, and matching legwarmers, in the Shetland wool week annual 2020, it's by Elizabeth Johnston, and is also suitable for Jamieson and Smith yarn.. might be worth a look. Best regards, Eileen.

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  3. Ella Gordon is indeed good at these Shetland-landscape combinations. Thanks for the tip - I checked out her pix and yarn selections on the J&S blog. For two more combinations, see her Hap Cowl on Ravelry. I bought the wool for her "sea, sand and cliffs" combination in their Lerwick store last year (missed Ella, alas, she was having a late lunch) - also see some other Ravellers' combinations in other J&S colours. I've worn my cowl almost every day this winter. Hap is looking lovely - I've made it three times and can't remember whether the centre bulged pre-blocking.

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  4. One seam for each leg, I think . . . .

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  5. =Tamar8:58 PM

    Yes, one seam for each leg, length depending on how long you make them. The advantages of the one large tube would be that they match perfectly, there's no concern about running out of yarn too soon on the second one, and both are done at once - there's no "second sock" syndrome (second seam, maybe).

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  6. The shawl is beautiful! And of course Perdita curled up on it - she knows she looks gorgeous there.

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    1. Exactly. A cat knows where her colors look best. It's hard to feel cold when looking at a cat on a piece of knitting, isn't it? It's lovely.

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  7. The border on that shawl is just lovely. But Jean - what can you be saying? "Sense and Sensibility" not very good? I speak as someone who has just read "Bridgerton", to my shame. After that, anything by Jane Austen would be like a tonic.

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  8. With no bound off stitches anywhere, your hap should stretch to accomodate the center. Perdita does look lovely on it. I am impressed with your your color placements. It is lovely. Well done...and so quickly too.

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  9. Anonymous3:18 AM

    The hap is magnificent!

    Beverly in NJ

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  10. Anonymous11:29 AM

    Magnificent is certainly the word and Perdita makes the perfect punctuation. Lucky recipient! Cats. Our cat never bothered with my knitting until I was finishing off a cat bed for Her. Then suddenly she appeared and watched avidly as I tied off the last stitch and before I could smooth it out on a chair for inspection, she jumped right up in the middle of it and took possession. Cats. (I miss her still.) Chloe

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  11. Anonymous11:31 AM

    Still don't remember the plot of S&S after having both read it and seen the movie, so I'm with Jean. Chloe

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  12. I would not be worried about the hump in the middle of the hap - I have often seen that effect, and blocking is the cure. In your picture, the centre garter stitch is clearly "pulled together" and just waiting to be eased out to fit the border.

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  13. Aaaah, now I understand what all your scallop updates were about

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