The Lace Style book didn't impress me much at first but gradually I've been lured in. There's another shrug on the needles and I'm planning at least a couple more between now and xmas as I think they will make handy presents.
Next on the list was the cover jacket, I made a start using some Jaeger chunky that I got in the Liberty sale. Feather and Fan is usually a fairly harmless stitch pattern that I can do in my sleep (almost) and the back was quickly completed. I know I wasn't getting row gauge but worked to the measurements and it looked fine. My only gripe was at one of the shoulder shapings when it told you to knit on what was clearly a purl row.
The Right front came next and right from the start I had a problem. They have juggled with the stitch pattern to get the sizes and whilst there is one 25 stitch repeat that stays the same as the back the rest of the front is a mish-mash. Then to add to the fun they start telling you to increase for the collar after so many rows (Rows? They didn't mention this on the back), the collar starts before you get to the arm hole shaping - guess who ended up ripping out about 16 rows!
Then to add insult to injury the armhole shaping tells you to decrease at each end of the RS rows when it clearly means only at the armhole edge if you want the stitch count to be right. Oh and the F+F changes again!
So much for hoping to finish a front today.
I want to start a new piece tomorrow for the commute from hell - due to roadworks my journey to and from work was taking over 2 hours each way last week. On Thursday it took nearly 4 just to get there so when I got offered a lift home I accepted and missed Liberty's.
Morning
Just to prove that occasional knitting goes on chez Stash - here is the Little Silk Shrug from Lace Style. The yarn used was Rowan Damask and it took less than 2 balls.
An easy and fun knit and one I'm determined to make a slightly larger version of for myself to wear. This one is a leaving gift for a colleague about to set off for a Round the World Trip! Slightly delayed in completion but handed over this morning for delivery before the plane leaves!
Afternoon
I've spent the last 2 1/2 years working with 4 Apprentices encouraging, pushing and nagging them to complete their portfolios, college courses etc in the tough field of Community Justice. In turn they have pushed, nagged and coerced me into completing an Assessors Award course!
This afternoon we celebrated their achievements in completing the course with a formal presentation of certificates - I might have know they wouldn't have left it there - it was a shock to be called up to receive an award for my "outstanding contribution" to their apprentiship.
Night
My self-awarded reward was a trip to I Knit London to meet Brandon Mably and chat with him about his new book, Knitting Colour. I have my eye on a few of his designs thinking I might be able to use up some of my stash ( a vain hope as I seem to buy more every week!)
Here's Brandon demonstrating his quick change abilities! He'd brought some garments to illustrate his presentation and we insisted that he model them!
After listening to him talk about colour, I managed to get a few words of advice about choosing colours for the jacket I liked. Without giving him any clues as to my preferences, I was pleasantly surprised that he picked out the colours I had already identified as being "me" and suggested a workable alternative for the one colour I hated.
Firstly - thanks to everyone for the good wishes, this has been a bad week what with the arthritis and full blown hayfever! I'm gradually feeling more human and have managed to finish a small project, it took the best part of the week when in reality I would normally have been able to knit it in a day - the little silk shrug from Lace Style only knitted in Rowan Damask. I'll take a photo once it's dry and before I post it to it's new owner. I like the way the Damask knitted up and used less than 2 balls of it, I'd originally bought 3 in the green so may make another one soon.
I do get stir crazy when I can't get out and about so decided that if I was careful I could go out for the day providing I did nothing strenuous. So I took myself off to Water Aid's headquarters in London and spent a very pleasant few hours sewing blue squares together for the River. This time there were 14 of us and we made great strides in trying to beat the 60,000 squares into submission. My total for the day was a section of 14 X 12 squares.
Once more I forgot to take my camera - will try to remember it next week for the final sewing session - anyone want to come and help?
I get my knitting mojo back, the sun shines, the pressure at work eases, the shows have finished and the b****y arthritis comes back with a vengance!
It's a pain to sit, lie or move. My hands don't want to work, so I'm back to daydreaming over my lace books.
I spent a delightful day yesterday playing at being a shopkeeper - I kept Sue P. company at I Knit London whilst Gerard entertained volunteers. It was the first of the sewathon's for the Knit a River campaign. There are still plenty of squares to be sewn together so more volunteers are needed! Anyone free for the next two saturdays in London?
We had a good day in the shop, I managed to sew up one blanket and Sue managed to make sales, sign people up for classes and entertain the locals.
My summer knitting came to a crashing holt and I've lost interest in it all. SO I did what any normal person would do at the start of London's mini-heatwave - I cast on a winter jacket using Jaeger Chunky and I love it! It's the cover jacket from Lace Style in a deep red.
Life has been quite stressful recently, I've been away from home working at shows and trying to keep up with the demands of the day job. This last week has been a blur as I've put in a lot of hours to get one of our students through her NVQ award course. The whole thing was a catalogue of disasters with lots of health issues on all sides and I was her third assessor! Still the portfolio was completed on Thursday evening and I was able to go and visit with the Liberty's group.
It's a sure sign I wasn't thinking straight as Maureen was over from Fargo visiting and I didn't even manage to get my camera out to record the event! I do hope it's not another three years before we get to meet up again in person!
Most of the knitting I've done over the past 3 weeks has now been ripped out and rewound, I can't believe the effect of stress on my work. here's the only bit remaining..
This photo was taken after the end of the show at the NEC - one final glimpse of the garden
before moving on to this
more details to be found here!
I spent most of Friday asleep - I think I got up twice for food and drink and went back to bed after an hour each time! Saturday wasn't much better but I did manage to do the grocery shopping!
Easter Sunday saw me awake and feeling more like myself so we collected Matt's Mum and his Aunt (visiting from Wales) and went out for a drive. We ended up at the Ashdown Forest Llama Park where I discovered they also had Alpacas. This one just kept on eating everything in sight
One of the paddocks contained
now I know where Dr Doolittle saw a pushmepullyou!
It was a treat to find that Tess was there with her Easter Bunny - Merlin -and an even bigger treat to come home with some of her yarn!
I'm back home after what should be the last show for a while and I'm looking forward to getting down to some knitting. I think I did about 8 rows on the project I took away with me before I got sidetracked into playing with the new Rowan "Damask". No photo's as yet but I'll see what I can achieve later today.
As usual the shows are a mix of hanging around waiting for the fun to start and then having mayhem. The task is made enjoyable by the enthusiasm and passion of some of the volunteers. Huge thanks are owed to some who came back to do extra or arrived for a day out and got pressganged into work on the Saturday when 6 out of the 14 volunteers didn't turn up - only one of them sent apologies due to ill health!
I thought I'd been good and not bought a lot but my suitcase tells a different story as I've unpacked I've found things I'd forgotten I'd bought - most of it is as presents for the various exchanges I'm on so no photos.
I did receive some wonderful gifts though and will take photos when I finish unpacking. Now I'd better get my act together and go to work!