>A pause for entrelac
>
On various training courses over the years I’ve done those tests that are meant to show you what your personality and work style was. Whatever the label, I never came out as a person who was good for finishing off things- I’m always an ideas and enthusiasm and ‘let’s get things going’ type. In a way, knitting and sewing is good for combatting the negative side of this, in that over the years I’ve developed the self discipline to make myself finish projects properly, carefully and if necessary s-l-o-w-l-y, rather than waste the money spent on materials and the time spent on producing whatever I’ve made. The results have always been much more satisfying as a consequence.
Having said that, knitting is a hobby after all, not my job. I’ve completed a good three quarters of my Rosamund cardigan, but having finished the yoke and the waist shaping I’m now just on the final run over the hips. In other words, a bit of cable, a lot of plain or purl, then an bit of cable. Row after row after row. In a sophisticated but slightly dull beige colour yarn. Then the other day I noticed I had buggered up a cable several inches below. I tried a rescue attempt, but in the end had to frog back those inches to sort it out, which put the tin lid on my enthusiasm for it really. It also wasn’t helped by a trip to the Sheep Shop in St Annes on Sea, where I’d bought two balls of King Cole Riot to make an entrelac scarf I’d found after too much time on Ravelry. Those gorgeous, jewel-like colours were winking up at me from amongst the beige in my work basket. So I gave in- it is a hobby after all- and I’m having a break from the beige, giving my knitting brain a workout learning entrelac and hopefully regain the enthusiasm to go back and complete the cardigan.
>Still summer
>
After a week of rain or threats of rain (we’ve discovered that our little corner of Cumbria seems to do a good line in threatening clouds that don’t actually dump their loads on us, saving it for the fells- good for staying home and washing, bad for escaping on a walk), the summer seems to be giving us one last glorious blast. We met up with an old friend and his new wife at the weekend in lovely sunshine coupled with a soft breeze. While C and Mr A went for a bike ride, Mrs A and I took the children on a walk by Elterwater. Note the restraining hand on P’s hood- he feels a little bit too invincible in his waterproof suit and wellies and sets off into lakes as if he can wade across! The rain that had lashed down the previous day meant that Skelwith Force, the turning point of our route, was in full spate and pretty spectacular as it sent spray up onto the path we were on, metres above it.
Meanwhile, having finished my teacosies, I’m now started on another knit using reclaimed wool. I posted a picture of the much loved but never worn ‘Iceland’ sweater a while back. At the weekend I finally got around to frogging it and have now cast on ‘Rosamund’s Cardigan’, its new incarnation. Managed to mess up the cables on the first attempt, probably because I was trying to squeeze all the stitches onto straight needles. A quick ferret through a yet-to-be unpacked box unearthed one of my few circular needles which actually happened to be the correct size (I’m thinking about getting an interchangable circular needle set for Christmas) and things have gone better since then. Please note my gorgeous new workbasket- a long promised ‘new home’ present from C- more on this at a later date.