Knitting again

Just a mini posting to show you all the completed second Forest Canopy shawl using a random sock yarn so the colour pattern is rather strange! Livens up the grey sweater dress but this yarn doesn't drape as well as that used for the first shawl.

Working backwards, here's the shawl being blocked, hi tech stuff this pinning it out through a towel on carpet, but hey, it worked and the pointy bits show!

Finally, the yarn before I started to knit,

It is Aviemore 4 ply from Stylecraft Yarns, 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon bought for £6.00 for 100 grams from Squires Garden Centre. There is a little yarn over so that will be used for hexipuffs. Total is 189.

Just musings

Well I've been asked why I don't post more often. Partly time and inclination, partly because obviously there are subjects, opinions, projects,  about which I will not blog. Also, as I found when I attempted to post for 31 days on one subject the reading matter became boring to write and to read.

Can tell you about our theatre visit on Tuesday, we went to the Rose Theatre in Kingston, kind of package deal where one ate a three course meal from a limited menu in Carluccio's and attended a performance afterwards. Worked well, saw The Vortex, amazed that Noel Coward was aged 23 when this was written for it shows an understanding of human nature, if slightly exaggerated. The Rose Theatre seating is unusual, some seats are double bench style, no armrests, plenty of leg room. 

As I have used a template sometimes, will do so now I think and integrate it with some jottings I made in a shorthand notebook. It may have even been the notebook given as part of a package from a course or a conference. Am thinking it may have been from the Society of Indexers 2001 Sheffield conference.

I am wearing ...   Burgundy cord trousers, burgundy Joules cardigan, cream Thomas Pink shirt, pink Rivulet cowl (knitted by me). One of my notes was about clothes and the cold weather, modern fabrics don't have the weight in them so there is much layering up. I have a warm duvet style coat bought in Italy many years ago, in a warm winter it languishes in the wardrobe, it's windproof so been worn these past few weeks. Am just longing to wear different lighter clothes for a change.

I am reading -  well will be, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mandel, handed out at the reading group meeting last Monday.

I am creating ... the Forest canopy shawl, so pleased I have reached the border.

Next hurdle will be to block this so it will be bigger and show the pattern detail.

I am listening ...  to Ian chatting and laughing on the phone to our son.

I am watching ...  well watched last night a programme about the Sea King helicopter,  another about part time employment an episode of The Planners. Unusual for me to watch so much, perhaps more listening than watching as I was knitting the shawl too.

On the menu ... nothing planned, perhaps will use the new food processor. We went to Lakeland to buy a mincer and came away with a processor, it didn't cost much more and does so much more. We had given our old mincer to daughter-in-law and our processor to daughter. New one is good, chopped onion and mushrooms to make a quiche, one of Delia's recipes from Book 1 of her original 3 volume work.

On the calendar ...  cat sitting for friend this weekend. 

Well, the other jottings will wait for another time, perhaps when that's about all I can write.

Life in Suburbia

This Week: Saturday 9th February 2013

The weather ... wet, cold and grey. However bad it is I am pleased to say I made it out today to the High Street for the newspaper, prescriptions and a coffee morning. Even more delighted when I spotted a Filofax cover on the bring and buy stall. Ian uses these for his maths. notes, we have scoured the charity shops, this cover will hold lots of writings on mathematical modelling. Big thank you to Anon for donating it.

I am wearing ...  navy blue jeans style trousers, navy blue crew clothing cable jumper, warm cream blouse and the pink cowl.

I am reading ...  today's newspaper, have finished and enjoyed The vanishing act of Esme Lennox, so much that I may re-read it before the book group meet.

I am creating ...  another cowl in linen coloured Rowan big wool, will be deeper and squishier than pink Spud and Chloe version as it's already more than 29cm long.

I am watching .. plenty of TV programmes about trains, so enjoyable that I fancy train trips around the country when the warmer weather appears.

I am enjoying ... the benefits of Ian's membership of the Royal Academy. With a friend the two of us went to Town on Wednesday last to see the exhibition about landscape. Slightly disappointed, had expected more paintings rather than prints, felt the latter needed more explanation, especially the difference between etching and engraving. Even after consulting Wiki I am not too sure.  More important, can recommend the cakes consumed in the Members' Room before we went to look at electronic toys at JLP and Ian went off for an OU tutorial.

Much knitting was done on the train and tube.

From the learning rooms ...  the last couple of times I have helped at Richmond local studies the work has involved listing information from black and white photographs taken of productions at Richmond Theatre in the early 1950s. I suspect these were publicity shots. If I'd known, I'd forgotten the theatre had it's own repertory company so the same names occur throughout the years, including one Margot Boyd, who became well known when she played Marjorie Antrobus in The Archers. None of the online biographies mention her time in rep at Richmond so the work recording these names in the archive is so worth while for future researchers.

On the menu ...  chicken for supper this evening, not sure how it will be cooked yet.

On the calendar ... collection of our ancient fridge and freezer, we had advertised them on Freecycle and they are off to be spares for another family. The fridge was Ian's Mum's; the freezer was from my Mum so we have had the latter for twenty years. Now it's just the two of us, we can shop daily for fresh foods so the capacity is no longer required. All part of the decluttering ready for transforming the cloakroom into a shower room later this year.

A picture (or two) from last week ...

Started again with the multicoloured yarn, the 'yo' holes can be seen, also a picture of the blue shawl, this completes 31 non consecutive days of blogging about knitting. Readers may be pleased to know I may not attempt any more of these kinds of challenges!

The shawls have been neglected in favour of the quick knit cowl given the cold weather.

Off to have tea and Ian's home made bread pudding, comfort food.

Day 27.

About time I returned to the challenge of 31 days of blogging on a topic, as you know I have chosen to ignore the word consecutive. Well, my blog, my rules :)

So, knitting. Working on the principle that I wish to keep learning, both skills and knowledge I'm making a shawl so I can learn lace knitting. I started on size 5 straight needles, when I realised the total should be 195 stitches I searched out magic loop needles, fortunately had size 5, Ian helped me switch a long cable from other needles. Works better, especially as these Knit-Pro needles have a sharper point. The pattern I'm using is Forest Canopy Shawl.

The yarn is actually a sock yarn Stylecraft Aviemore 4ply, bought at Squires Garden Centre for just £6.00, .the colours should go with quite a few of my clothes.

To add to the knitting, did quite a few rows of Hexipuff whilst waiting at the Doctor's surgery for two steroid injections in my shoulder, decided exercise wasn't for me after that. To be fair, I expected the jab to be more painful than it was, even so to have full movement back will be good. Knitting doesn't cause any pain at all.