I knocked down the fence!

Fence has been sitting on my knitting pile for weeks (maybe months) now staring at me in a most accusing fashion saying "when ya going to finish me?", "why are you starting something else when I still here?" and "come on, I am nearly finished, just finish me."

I was sort of feeling the love for this for as little while. I really liked the lattice lace and I still really like the look of the finished product but the thing just did my head in. I decided to do to the armholes in the round which was a bad move and the pattern was just damned hard for me to read. Maybe it makes perfect sense to some but it just isn't written in a way I like and that bugged me. I am quite sure that there are people out there who think the same of my patterns. I like my instructions to be sequential. I would rather read the exact same thing in four different places than be skipping here, there and everywhere. It is the same reason I like APA referencing over footnotes.

Well I have fixed my dilemma, fence has gone to the frogging pond and will no longer be looking at me unloved and unfinished. Now I need to work out what else to do with the Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran. I really would like a vest. Any suggestions?

And in other family news, my baby turned 5!

Now see the problem is....

I have been working on big things again and I seem to think that no one (not even my nearest and dearest) want to hear a never ending stream of WIP in posts or the mundane details of my pedestrian life.

Well I have finished something so here I am!

An Ishbel (yes, how original) knit in Jolly Jumbuck's Gradient Dyed Cashmerino in Sandry's Rainbow colourway. It took a hair over a full skein. Thank goodness that Sam also bought a skein and thus I could steal some of the purple from her. As beautiful as it looks on me it is in fact a gift for a dear friend to say thank you for her support and love over the last year. She has no idea she is getting it so hopefully it will be a nice surprise.

The pattern was a lovely easy knit. The stockingette section made perfect out of the house knitting and I managed most of the lace portion whilst in the company of others. I did however stuff the whole stockingette section by Evelyn-A-Clarking it, by not really reading the pattern and doing what every other shawl I have knit has done and ancreased only on the knit rows. Oh well, a little fudging and a well placed increase and all was well. It has changed the shape of the finished object a litlle but it is still quite lovely. Oh hell, here is another shot for good measure.


I have put Fence (the vest I was doing in Jo Sharp Silkroad) in the naughty corner for maybe the rest of its life. Maybe it is because I tried to over think the process by doing the bottom in the round, or maybe it is because the pattern is difficult to comprehend or maybe the stars just aren't alligning but I see this one heading to the pond.

And in news just to hand, I have started the process of sizing Felix's Cardigan up to size 6. Hopefully that won't take an age and then it will be similar to my other patterns in that the original size will still be free and the others sizes will be available for purchase.