winnowing

The Vital Statistics
Pattern: Winnowing by Bristol Ivy from Brooklyn Tweed | Wool People Vol. 2.
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft in colourway 'truffle hunt', the most perfect grey/brown ever; 100 per cent wool; 3.1 skeins.
Needles: 3.5mm.
Start to finish: 6 January to 21 March 2012.
Stash/recycle content: We-e-ell, some of the yarn was left over from Cladonia but then I purchased two more skeins in order to have enough. So, no.

Comments: I am in love with this yarn and particularly with this colourway, truffle hunt. It even sounds delicious. The photo above shows the wonderful blue flecks in it. The fact that I just jumped in and started knitting is testament to the beauty of this shawl and my love of this yarn (or to my foolhardiness). It really was a case of wanting it at first sight, all other knitting plans thrown to the wind. And I did have some yarn left over from Cladonia (which has, alas, since been frogged but that's another story) so there was nothing to stop me.

The pattern is excellent, well written, well laid out and the designer was very helpful when I contacted her with some questions about the yarn-over increases in the setup chart. I actually make my yarn-over increase between a knit and purl stitch and between a purl and knit stitch differently. The resulting yarn-overs have a different orientation and to knit through the back loop of the stitch creates a different effect for each; that is, either an open eyelet or a closed stitch. I think that in the end I opted to knit the eyelets closed.

Verdict: Fabulous - fabulous design, fabulous yarn, fabulous shawl. However, I do not think that I could possibly ever knit it again, knowing what I do now. This is a wonderful knit but it is also an endurance knit, one that requires stamina, the sort of stamina that it is better not to think about before you are already dozens of rows in with hundreds of stitches on the needles. In twisted rib.

the long game

Long nights. Long long nights of settling and resettling, one child waking the other child, more resettling. But children are no longer sleeping with mummy and daddy, they are sleeping in their own beds all night long (even if mummy isn't, sleeping that is). Playing the long game, counting on the pay off.

Long rows. Long long rows, 600 odd stitches in twisted rib. Looking forward to the pay off.

backlog

Oh dear, time has really gotten away from me. What started as just a few days break has stretched out to a month. And it's not for lack of something to say or show, rather the opposite and a very busy brain.

Just to start, I must address:

- November and December reading
- a 2011 overview (what. you say everyone did that three weeks ago?)
- a 2012 manifesto
- knitting updates, there is always knitting here