Merry Christmas to all

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am knitting and watching Inspector Lynley - catching up from the beginning - and enjoying every moment.

On the needles:

Colinette Cadenza in Copper Beech - 2nd sock from the toe up
Fern - hasn't moved but I will be back at it tomorrow and hope to get the body finished and start the sleeves.

I am taking a few days off and hope to catch up some sleep

My best to you all

Maryland Sheep and Wool

I know it isn't until May but I just booked my hotel in Maryland for the 2007 version of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and am very excited.

It isn't just the sheep and the bags of lovely fleeces and the vendors with their many temptations and the edibles, it is the general excitement of the fair and its size and the number of people. You can do lots or you can just sit and watch sheep shows and learn a little about the breeds.

I love going and would be very sad to miss this great Festival. This will be my fourth time and I still get a great joy out of thinking about being there.

Fern is progressing - I am about 2 inches into the armholes which I am cutting in a little to make it less drop shouldered. I'm a bit worried that I will have enough yarn - have started the 10th (of 19) ball and will need at least 1 more for the body. The arms are relatively short so I should be OK - fingers crossed.

I stopped for a bit today and worked on the 2nd of a pair of Colinette Cadenza socks in DUSK - (See entry for November 20th for the 1st one). I've worn the Sahara version 3 times now and they are wonderful on the feet!

I am ready for Christmas - really ready for a bit of slacking off and lots of knitting!

Short attention span and multiple projects

I love Fern- I love its twisty stitches and its cute little bobbles and its pretty moving rib up the sides but...

I am getting bored with it. I have made great progress and am about 4 inches from the divide for the sleeves (not steeking this one) but I am itching to start something new.

And that something new is:


Goddess Knits Mystery Diamond Shawl - I'm thinking Centolavaggi - very fine merino lace - in navy or maybe the blue

OR this Goddess Knits too - Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend - maybe Heather 3/8 or Italian Silk in Forest

Or - this one


Goddess Knits Desert Sun - I see this in Zephyr in Sable or maybe Curry

Now do you see why I am getting restless with Fern

Must finish Fern first

Must finish Fern first

Must finish Fern first

What not to do when knitting Starmore

I was doing some tidying this weekend and found the box whereI had stashed another Alice Starmore project - Inishmore from Fisherman Knitting (still affordable last time I looked - grab one while you can!). I started this one ages ago - maybe 3 years - got going really well on it - even made some adjustments to the ribbing so that the ribs matched up with the lines of the body better.


This is my version:




And this is what it is supposed to look like:

I guess I hadn't really looked at it too closely and when I did, I was horrified to see that I had set the patterns up incorrectly. Do you see what I did wrong - the panels to the right and left of the centre diamond are supposed to come together with the centre and form sets of diamonds all up the front - mine swing the same way as the centre and they shouldn't.

I debated long and hard about what to do and eventually decided to frog it - but didn't have the heart to do the actual deed - so it sat and sat and sat. I did go so far as to take the needles out but to this point, that is all I have done.

The yarn is Jo Sharp DK - the original stuff from Australia and is soft and wonderful and I love it.

Time to frog it and get over it and start it again once I have finished Fern (going well - finished the 3rd repeat of the larger twisted stitch diamond section).

Inishmore will be no more - and goes from the unfinished pile to the abandoned pile to the no longer existing pile over Christmas.

Beware charts that aren't written side by side and pay more attention than I did!

Progress on Fern

I just received a box of Interlacements Tiny Toes and I am dying to get into it and start a sock with it, but I am being very disciplined and have stuck to Fern. Progress has definitely been made - I am just finishing up my 5th ball of yarn - although it doesn't look much different to me.

Here is the side:

And the centre motif (on the right in the pic):

And I really want to dive into this:

And this:

And this

Um yumm

An-ti-ci-pa-tion.........

Gratuitous cat/Kat pics

My Puddle cat

My daughter Kat's eye

Not a cat at all but a rose from my garden last summer

St Brigid's Neck and Fern's Bottom

Here is Her Ladyship with the braid knitted on - the bulge is the grafting point. Ask me why the heck I started it there?
I don't know! Colour is a little greener and not so grey - a slightly blued green

And here she is in her ribbed glory


looking a little sloped of shoulder. I have worn it now several times and am very happy with it.

And here is Fern:

the original from the book (it is from Stillwater by the way - in case I didn't mention)

and my version


I used the centre panel for the bottom edge as I am not fond of ribbing. I pikced up stitches along the edge and then increased to the number I neede for the larger size.

What you see took some pretty steady knitting from Friday to this evening to complete the border and get going on the body. I am knitting it circularly - and note the liberal use of stitch markers (aka hair elastics).

I love it!