Firstly, so many thanks to all of you for your comments, and for checking in to see if we're okay. Sorry I've left it so long to provide conclusive proof that I'm still alive, but alive we are, and well. Yippee! Whilst in the midst of the Ailments, it was nice to know you were there.
But now, I am back. I have been knitting and finished the Dove Shawl. You may remember the ginger beard. This is the sparkly red version I started at the same time. The yarn is Kidsilk Night and I would never again use it for any kind of shawl, or other garment requiring any drape at all, as it feels somewhat stiff and slightly rough, especially when compared to the Kidsilk Haze, which feels just as soft as a little lamb, AND drapes nicely. The red shawl took me just over two weeks and I was quite seriously considering ripping it to pieces right until the end. Obviously I didn't, but I'm really not sure it was the right decision. Okay, I love the little pockets made by the pattern (it only needs light blocking - you don't want to make it look flat), and I really like the stitch itself, and the colour of the yarn, but knitting this has made me realise I don't like triangular shawls nearly as much as I like rectangular ones; the pointy bit at the back hangs down too far to look nice, and has no practical use to compensate for this. I don't like any of the pointy bits, actually; they get in the way, and the shape just isn't cosy enough. In other words, a triangle doesn't cover me up enough on a chilly sofa. It would if it was HUGE, but then the useless pointy bits would be even huger. No thanks. Also, due to the slight stiffness of the yarn, the shawl tends not to drape securely over my shoulders, so I find it pinging off when doing, say, the washing up or whatever. By the way, the shawl does look really crumpled and creased in the photo. This is because our cat, Spooky, has taken to cosying-up in the bottom of my wardrobe, and in particular, on my knitted shawls. Needless to say, he has been severely, um, glared at, AND shut out of the wardrobe. The culprit:
Because of this bad vibe, a couple of weeks ago I completely frogged the "ginger" one (a few evenings' work into thin air) and BOY it felt liberating. The hours spent knitting it were not wasted, as I enjoyed the knitting for its own sake, and also learnt something: don't flog a dead horse. I know that the shawl would have felt much nicer knitted in the non-sparkly stuff, but, like I said....no triangular shawls for me. Not practical. This is why I am now knitting another Edwardian Lace Stole with the "ginger" (I shall refer to the colour as "swish" from now on, as that's what it is called). Aaah, the ELS. Now, that is a stole you can really cosy-up in. Despite being all floaty and as light and seemingly insubstantial as a cobweb, this stole keeps me seriously warm, and it's nice and LARGE and a good shape (rectangular). Plus, the precise geometric shapes could have me inspecting the stitches for hours, in wonder. I will always love my ELS and would recommend the pattern to anyone.
I have also knitted various socks, but that's another post.
Cripes, no wonder I have to get in the right mood before posting on this blog. It's because it seems to take up so much time....but it's just hit me that it's only because I talk so much. Others seem to manage a concise few words sometimes, but I can't get the knack.
