It's Monday again

Monday is really Friday. I work in a restaurant. Weekends are busy. Today is my Friday. Tomorrow is my Saturday. To get into the spirit of that TGIF feeling, I ordered yarn.

You know I joined the mystery shawl along? The first "clue" is due on August first. We've had a few hints as to how much yarn we might need (1100 yards), we don't know much else. I just find this so liberating - I don't have to think; I don't have to swatch (as if!); I don't have to do much except knit and I think I can manage that. So, I spent this morning flapping around cyberspace, choosing yarn. I decided I'd really rather order from the UK. I don't have anything against the US, I've ordered yarn very successfully from there many a time and oft, I just thought I might give some of these new UK vendors a go. I thought about Cherry Tree Hills merino lace (discounted, I didn't like the colours); I thought about Lorna's Laces (discounted, almost impossible to find anywhere that has any selection of colours whatsoever - what is that about? "I've made this wonderful yarn, I've dyed it wonderful colours, you can't have any because I didn't make enough." Is it like how the more expensive the perfume, the more women want it?). I finally settled on Margaret Stove Artisan Lace. It comes from New Zealand. It's hand dyed. They say it's beautiful. This is the colour:



which is called hyacinth. I've ordered it from Woolly Workshop and I can't wait for it to arrive. I ordered 4 skeins - that's 1,200 yards. I hope it's enough.

I have never before used a variegated yarn for knitting lace. I know there are differing opinions on this: some say the colour variation takes away from the lace, some say it adds to the effect. It's time for me to find out for myself.

Ordering yarn always cheers me up. It's almost as good as getting stuff through the post. I got something through the letter box this morning. It wasn't yarn. It was "Knatty Knitters" - the newsletter of the Penzance Knitting and Crochet Group. Ages ago, when I posted about the Knitting Police, I had an email from a knitter in Penzance, asking if she could use the Knitting Police story in the newsletter that she does for her knitting group. Of course, I said yes - I was flattered beyond belief! I just asked that she would send me a copy of the newsletter. That's what came through the letter box this morning.

The Knitting Police article was illustrated with this wonderful image:



I'm only sorry I didn't have the good sense to find a suitable "Knitting Policeman" image to illustrate my original post. Isn't he just the epitome of the Knitting Policeman? You wouldn't mess with him, would you? I know I wouldn't.

So, to any Penzance area knitters who are visiting this blog because I featured in your newsletter: Hello and I hope I've entertained you suitably. The write-up made it sound like a laugh a minute, hope I've lived up to it.

Work continues on Rosy Fingered Dawn. Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey. I'm on chart 5:



The pink yarn markers are back in. Yes, Lixie, I am still using your markers - I just need more. You can never really put in too many markers, in my opinion. There are still clothes peg markers at the corners, there is still the heart marker at the beginning of the round, but there are also markers along each side to mark the four pattern repeats. If you count carefully and if you use "landmark" stitches (the third stitch goes into a yarnover from the previous round, or whatever) you can't really go wrong. Famous last words - there will be frogging before morning, I can just feel it.

You know I got the Elsebeth Lavold book? Viking Patterns for Knitting. It has many delightful designs but it doesn't have this one, with which I have become obsessed:



This is a design called "Nanna" (what some Brits call their Grandmother). I found it on her site a while ago and it was only available in Norwegian, or Danish, or whatever. Foolishly, I didn't order it and now it has disappeared. I am totally in lust. I want this jacket more than I've wanted anything for ages. I would even be prepared to learn Danish, or Norwegian, or whatever. If anyone, anywhere, knows where I can get this pattern, even if it is in Chinese, please, please let me know. Failing that, I might have to just wing it - based on the information from the book, the picture and my own native wit and low cunning. Am I up to the challenge? Answers on a postcard...