Hi folks, Emma here! Mom has asked me to write everyone a quick message to assure you that she has not forgotten about the blog, and to reassure you that she will be back to all things knitting soon.
We have had an eventful week at chez Knitigating Circumstances, culminating in an ambulance ride and a very long night at the hospital. Both Doug and Kelly are currently down with covid, and myself and Leah are recovering from acute anxiety relating to trying to decide if we need to fly home. I am happy to report though that all is well – covid aside – Leah and I are still in Canada, and Doug and Kelly are in bed. Luckily (?) I had covid back in February so we were pretty prepared for how the disease works and the timelines to expect, but it has still been pretty miserable for them. Brain fog has also meant that Kelly doesn’t trust herself to knit! So she is feeling a little extra miserable. I don’t have much to add, but I will keep everyone updated if Mom is still out for the next week.
In the meantime, Kelly will still be reading comments, and well wishes are always appreciated! Thank you everyone for your understanding. Over and out!
Today is the last day of a 4-day weekend here in England to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. I have no interest in matters or personalities royal, and I had to fly to Copenhagen on Thursday and teach all day Friday, thus my 4-day weekend is in fact a 2-day weekend. This dampens the holiday spirit a little. However, I have been facing one very tempting aspect of this general glee: every single UK yarn shop and yarn producer and knitting designer (or at least it feels that way) has sent me an email with all of their special deals on scrumptious yarn, knitting kits, bags, and books. They are sitting in my inbox tempting me.
In a (possibly) vain effort to resist the pull (possibly because there are still 11 hours remaining for me to fall), I have decided to make a list of the current projects in my immediate queue. These are projects for which I already own the yarn and the pattern, and am good to go.
1. Short-sleeve sweaters and tanks; summery
I have two of these on the go already and would very much like to finish them soon so as to get plenty of summer wear out of them.
Myrtle. I have only the ribbing and finishing left on my summer tank version of Kate Davies’ Myrtle pattern. This is what it looks like currently:
Flores. This is the project I am concentrating on at the moment, as I am hoping to wear it on upcoming summer holiday breaks to Germany and Spain. The pattern is by eri shimuzu and I am using the divine Linum by The Uncommon Thread. A taster photo:
Collar de Pilar. I recently bought a kit for this Kate Davies pattern:
I plan to use two of the three skeins of Madelinetosh Prairie which I purchased in Copenhagen (at Ulstedet) some years ago (blogged here). I am leaning towards the brown and blue combo, but may go with blue and silver. Decisions, decisions! Oh my!
2. Cardigans
Coral cardigan. I bought a pile of silk mohair in bright coral recently and plan to make a cardigan with it. I have the pattern in mind, but am not willing to commit to it yet publicly. (This is not cheating as I know what it is and already own both yarn and pattern.)
Winterfell. I plan to knit this with the Road to China Light in brilliant fuchsia which Doug bought me some time ago. (This is the one that I had swatched for, and then lost the swatches. Growl.)
I’ve got two on the go, but one of them has burrowed far into my WIP pile and might not ever see the light of day. I am about 2/3 of the way through the Gresham Wrap and not even half-way through my fingering-weight version (why didn’t someone hit me over the head?) of the Koko Wrap. I also have six skeins each of a DK weight yarn and a worsted weight yarn which are destined for two of the shawl patterns in 52 Weeks of Shawls. I keep changing my mind about which ones to knit.
4. Cowls
Attitude. I have a kit for this cowl from Julie Knits in Paris:
Gruggle. I recently bought a kit for this cowl from Kate Davies.
5. Hats and Mitts
I was going to show you some of these that are in my queue (with yarn and pattern purchased), but I think I’ve made my point. I have three hats ready to go, and at least 6 pairs of mitts, if not more.
Given the terrible pressure of all of the shiny new patterns, yarns, books, kits, bags, and tools, is the weight of this queue sufficient to keep my will power firm? If not that, then perhaps the knowledge that I have been knitting less and less and slower and slower lately, and if this trend proceeds on its present course I will be able to finish the above in approximately 6.8 years? Yes, these are good arguments! My will power remains firm! I am resolved!
But, oh my, have you seen Aleks Byrd’s book, Traditions revisited? What a lovely, lovely book. I am so tempted to pick up this book and a kit or two. Like maybe for this Tiivad Shawl:
That’s it from me. Two international trips within a week just about killed me. (And I don’t think I mentioned that my flight back from Johannesburg was delayed by over 6 hours?) Travel these days is not what it used to be. Come to think of it, I’m not what I used to be. Good knitting, everyone!
