A knitting finish

Thank you to everyone who sent messages or posted comments after my last post. It has been a stressful time for the family and all your thoughts and prayers helped a lot. Dad had an angiogram and 2 stents inserted yesterday and has been discharged to my Mum and brother's care at home. Thank goodness for the NHS. Wonderful care and treatment from dedicated staff. I could not speak more highly of the unit my father was treated in.

I managed to finish my Entangled Vines cardigan as well. I am pleased with the result now and it is certainly cosy. Next time though I would knit the size down. There is quite a bit of positive ease and I think maybe slightly too long.

Never one to sit idle, I have cast on another of Alana Dakos' designs. This time it is the Gnarled Oak cardigan.

I'm using Debbie Bliss Rialto (DK) in coral.

I'll be linking up on Sunday to Wool on Sundays.

Right now I am getting down to cooking for the weekend at my parents house. I've made a Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup and will also be baking Mary Berry's Orange layer cake. I thought I would take a lasagne for the freezer and roast a chicken too. Busy busy!!!!

Catherine

Entangled Vines update- hate the yarn!

Do you ever start knitting with a yarn and really liking the feel and texture of it and then change your mind? I'm using Bergere Magic+ for my Entangled Vines. I loved the slightly soft feel and the colour when I started. As I have progressed with the sleeves, which are knitted on DPNS, I have had problems with splitting and pulling of the fibres with the ends of the needles. The whole cardi is knitted top down on a long circular needle so that there is a lot of weight and the yarn is probably handled more than if it were knitted in separate pieces. The photo with the book is taken with flash and this has made the stitches look neater but if you compare it to the photo below which was taken without flash you can see how uneven and slightly felted it looks. It may help to enlarge the photo on your browser. I'm seriously falling out of love with it and only hope that trying to even the stitches out with blocking will help.

I'll have to finish it now as it has cost me too much but I hate the lack of stitch definition. On the up side; as it is knit in one piece there will be no seaming and I have been able to try it on. It fits!

My book this week was lent to me by my friend Celia. It is The Forgotten Seamstress by Liz Trenow. Celia knows all about my quilting and thought this might suit me. It is about a woman who finds a quilt in her mother's attic and sets out to discover the secrets behind it. Asylums, royalty and love. If only my quilts had such a back story!An easy read and maybe not the best written book by a long way but enjoyable all the same. 

I will be linking up with Yarn along and Wool on Sundays, the links are in the right hand side bar.

Miscellany

Lots of bits and bobs to talk about today.

As you probably know, my love for yarn, like fabric, knows no bounds.

I have started a new cardi for myself and I'm taking part in a KAL (that is a knit-a-long for the non knitters amongst you)- the Alana-along KAL on the 2 Knit-chicks Podcast discussion board on Ravelry. The KAL is based on the patterns designed by Alana Dakos. I chose "Entangled Vines" from her book Botanical Knits. The KAL is running from Feb 1st -April 1st 2015. It is great fun posting photos of our progress so there is still plenty of time to join the group and cast on. I had finished the hat too quickly (Oak Trail featured here) and love her patterns so much I wanted to do something else. She is the designer of the Playful Stripes and Wee Wildflower cards I knitted for my grandchildren too.

So, progress so far.

Sleeve and shoulder detail

The wool is Bergere de France Magic+, a 80% wool/acrylic mix in the "Fonte" colour. It is a grayish brown and if I were to take a guess I would call it Nutmeg. Whatever, it is a useful color that will go with lots of tops/dresses until the weather warms up. In all honesty I did go to my LYS looking for something more Spring-like. 

 I am knitting on 24cm Chiaogoo fixed double point needles (4.5). The yarn is easy to use, does not split and I think will be pretty hard wearing. The design is knit from the neck down which I have done once before in a child's cardigan. It needed quite a bit of concentration to start with to follow the twisted cables and motifs on the sleeves but the chart and written instructions were very detailed.  I have now divided at the underarms and the rest of the body is in stocking stitch so ideal for watching TV and knitting. The sleeves will be picked up and knit on DPNS.

I'm so keen to knit this cardi quickly that I took it to the hairdressers, so......
just for a laugh....

I have been trying to catch up with my English Country Garden BOM and have now almost made 9 of the 10 patterns released. Here are the latest blocks.

The pansy is cut out and prepared for some hand sewing on Tuesday 17th. My lovely Honey Bees are coming to lunch and I will be able to host the day more easily if I stick to the hand sewing. There may be 6 or 7 of us so I'm hoping the large Victorian boardroom table in the conservatory plus the kitchen island and table will be enough room for sewing machines and cutting boards.

Now for a photo of a stocking-filler present that my husband bought for me at Christmas.

It is a vintage thimble case made of cockle shells. The stripes are a pretty greenish colour.  I am not sure if this has been added or is natural. Mike thinks it may be Victorian. The thimble which was included is nothing special but does fit me. I think it is so sweet.

This week I'm linking to Wool on Sundays, Needle and Thread Thursday and Yarn-along. All links in the right side column.

Have a fun week.

Catherine