I'm reading the next in Penny Reid's Knitting in the City series. I'm quite conflicted about it, because it's got some major flaws, but I'm really enjoying it.
The main character Janie is just plain annoying. She is currently deliberately manufacturing stress, by planning a big wedding, because things have been too easy between her and Quinn, who she marrying. the thing is that with loads of money, and not actually caring about the wedding, where is the actual stress?
Also, it's called Knitting in the City but Janie can't actually knit, and isn't trying to learn, which is very confusing for me.
But it is really nice to have a romance book that goes beyond the characters meeting and deciding they are going to be together. To explore what happens after a couple is together is a lot of fun.
While Janie annoys me, I will certainly keep reading this series, because I really like the ensemble, and am looking forward to reading the stories of the other characters - who do actually knit.
I was so excited about starting the Miller's Daughter shawl, having been planning for it for about 3 months. Winding the beautiful Wollmeise, finishing all my other projects, and then casting on - four times. The first time was basically a gauge swatch, and I decided to go down a needle size. The second time I was doing double increases instead of triple, so the nine stitches I started with remained nine stitches. The third time I did the decrease every row, missing the instructions that some rows don't have decreases. Then I finally got through the first garter section. I guess reading the instructions properly might have helped.
I knit the first lace repeat with no major drama. Then I started the second repeat and I could not get the first row right. that took me four attempts too. So frustrating.
But then I got into the rhythm of the shawl. It really is as beautiful as I'd hoped, and, now I've got the hang of it, it's not a hard knit at all. Now all I need to worry about it how many repeats I'll get out of the yarn - the pattern is made for lace weight, and requires more yarn, so I've changed the needle size, and am carefully calculating how far this yarn will go.
In 2015 I knit an Epistrophy Cardigan. I had a lot of trouble with the collar, and in the end this particular yoke did not suit my shoulders very well. I also sewed the buttons on badly, and did not bother to fix them. For some reason the yarn looks old and worn and pilled, even though I barely wore it. Sometime in the last couple of years I took this cardigan to work and I wear it as an emergency layer.
I don't want to take this ratty old cardigan to my new job, with people who don't know me. I think I'll take it home, and replace another worn green cardigan with buttons that don't stay done up properly.
The deep V of that cardigan has been leaving my chest cold this winter, and it's looking quite ratty. I think I'll take my work ratty cardigan home and fix the buttons and promote it to my home ratty cardigan, and say goodbye to my home ratty cardigan. I may have to consider knitting a new cardigan for the back of my work chair, because I don't have anything that will do. Time to get out my copy of Yokes out and start deciding.
A Stash of One's Own was released today, and it inspired me to read Virginia Woolf's essay A Room of One's Own, since the former references the latter.
I've really only just started it, but I'm looking forward to it. I love visiting things that I've heard referenced, but never actually experienced. And this seems an appropriate time to be visiting feminist literature.
After I finished my Bousta Beanie, I decided to make Sunberry Socklettes, out of Jameison and Smith left over from the beanie.I knew it wouldn't be too matchy, because I finished the light grey from the hat, but I have been wondering for a while how Jameison would wear for socks. Unfortunately this pattern was weird. This the toe as written:
POINTY. NIPPLY. WIERD. I ripped it back 8 rows, and kitchenered it. When it came time to finish the second sock, I gathered the stitches, and got a better result, but I had sewn in the end of the first one and, despite looking really hard for it I couldn't find an end to unpick it.
I reversed the direction of the stripes on the ankle, and the colours on the second heel.
I wasn't very happy with these wile was working om them, but they fit snugly, unlike many of the sneaker liners I have made recently. The Jamieson and Smith yarn feels good on the feet, and hopefully the colourwork on the heels will help them wear well.
As a bonus, Rachael came over on Friday night and I got to give her the Endless Rainbow Shawl I knit for her in person.
I'm pretty pleased with how it suits her, and I think she likes it too.
Two years ago I knit a beanie to wear when I'm riding and working out in winter. I loved it and I think it fit me perfectly at the time. But two winters of wearing it under a bike helmet and getting rained on has made this beanie just a smidge two small. When I saw the Bousta Beanie, this year's Shetland Wool week pattern, I knew I had to make it.
I used stash Jamieson and Smith. One thing I love about this hat is that is seems to look amazing in pretty much every colour combination. I shortened it by one repeat - partly because i can't have it too long under a helmet, mainly because I almost ran out of the light grey background yarn - only 5 grams left.
This may be partly attributed to my discovery, when i went to change to DPNs to knit the last of the crown decreases, that I'd knit the body of the hat on 3.75mm needles, not the 3.5mm needles specified in the pattern. And many people actually go down a needle size to knit this hat.
Still it fits quite well, and will probably become smaller after a couple of years. Meanwhile, I'm considering knitting another with the left overs of my Millers Daughter shawl - although it would probably help to knit the shawl before deciding what to do with the left over yarn from it.
I finished A Stash of One's Own this week. The review is here, if you would like to read it - and friend me on Goodreads, while you are there.
I'm currently reading Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. I bought it before I went to Thailand, as part of my "read books set where you are" program and did not get around to reading it while I was there.
I'm about half way through and I'm really glad I picked it up from the bottom the the e-pile. It's a story within a story - the main character, weirdly also called Mischa Berlinksi, moves to Thailand and hears the story of a murder. On one level this is his story, as he investigates that story, on another it is the tale of the Walkers, a missionary family. I'm enjoying it, but I'm glad enough i didn't read it as part of my Thai reading program, since a quick Google showed me that this is a mix of fact and fiction - for example the main tribe the Dyalo, is fictional. Thailand is not a main feature of this book, just where they happen to be. Still it's always nice to pick a book fairly randomly, and find it a very interesting read.
