Christmas Present

Ann-at-work and Mr. Briggs very kindly supplied me with a gift voucher for my LYS and, as I always like to have a "Christmas Project", and as my LYS has a sale in January, I decided to blow the whole lot on the one thing. This thing:



This is what I have calculated is plenty of yarn (Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply, since you ask) to make this:



"This" is the Kimono Jacket from Vivian Hoxbro's Shadow Knitting, a book I've had for quite a while.

The yarn used is Harrisville Designs New England Shetland, 198m/50g. I had hoped to use Jamieson & Smith's 2-ply jumper weight yarn. However, that yarn is 230m/50g, which I'm sure would work but I hoped for something a bit closer (both in length and in physical proximity to the rural backwater.) I've ordered from J&S many times before. I love the fact that you have to phone and you get a Scottish lady with a beautiful, soft Shetland accent, who calls you "dearie". The ladies are very patient and they are swift and efficient. The yarn has been known to arrive in two days (which isn't bad from one rural backwater, on an island, no less, to another) but I need instant gratification.

Off to the LYS, to discover Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply has 110m/25g, so slightly nearer in length and about 500 miles nearer in physical proximity. Of course, I now want to cast on immediately, if not sooner. Needles? 3mm recommended (could be smaller for this loose woman!). Both 2.5mm and 3mm Addis are in WIPS, so it's a case of whip them out (thereby running the risk of a WIP turning into a UFO - I think that's the turning point, when you take the needles out); or I suppose I could finish one or other of the projects.

One of those projects, which is, in fact, taking up not one, but two 3mm Addis is the Tam Jacket:



Seen here looking a bit of a tangle. The two safety pins? They are to mark the two (out of only six) sections where I inexplicably have one too few stitches. Am I going to rip it back and put it right? I am not. I am going to increase an extra stitch in each of the offending sections on the "plain" (ie non-increase) round and trust that both the Knitting Police and the baby-in-the-jacket will remain blissfully unaware of the fudge.

Here's the jacket folded into more of a jacket shape:



In fact, you don't actually fold it like this to make the jacket up. Here you can see three of the six sections with the work folded along the "spoke" stitch between sections. When you come to make up the jacket (by grafting down the back - don't think about it, Kate, we will cross that bridge, with wine and chocolate, when we get there); when you come to make up the jacket there will still be three sections in each half, it's just that there will be half a section, a full section, another full section and half a section. Clear as mud? It was the first time I tried to do it, too, but when it's done it will make sense.

I think I'd better finish this before I start the Kimono, otherwise the baby will need the Kimono, being too large to wear a baby pink Tam Jacket.

From the comments: Angel asked if the Clapotis really was that boring to knit. Well, yes, I think it is. It depends how you look at it: it was certainly the perfect project for watching the snooker on TV. That was so exciting I couldn't take my eyes off it, so it was quite lucky that I didn't need to be looking at the Clapotis. It is certainly no more boring than knitting a plain stocking stitch jumper - it always strikes terror into my heart when I read: "continue in stocking stitch, without shaping, until piece measures 60cm from cast on edge"

And an anonymous commenter took exception to my reference to "real" knitting. Two points: firstly, you obviously missed the lesson on punctuation, not having got the hang of either the use of quotation marks nor the use of the apostrophe. Secondly, it's my blog and I was under the impression I was at liberty to express my own opinions, or did I miss something?

If you think I'm opinionated, you want to try Marilyn's blog. She it was who, I believe, coined the term "knit dweebs" for those members of the Knitlost (sorry, that should be "Knitlist") who post perpetual requests for help with things that have been covered umpteen times before, or come up top of the list on Google; or "me too" posts; or "I finished it" posts - (I for one am not interested in the fact that you finished Chuck's sock). And if that's not enough to offend your PC sensibilities even more than this blog, try Knit Flame. They don't suffer fools gladly, either.