I was going to show you a finished project today – a fluffy white hat which would be quite warm and pretty shot against the frosty foliage. The hat is still damp, however, even though I blocked it over 48 hours ago. Never fear, it seems as if the frosty weather is here for the long term and I am unlikely to miss a frosty photo op.

Instead I will show you a progress shot of my Hirne pullover. This is a lovely Kate Davies design, knitted in Ooskit, one of her signature yarns (I bought the kit from Kate here.)

I am really happy with the design and the yarn, and am looking forward to wearing this one very soon. I have had to be very patient while knitting the yoke. The pattern stitch is really very easy to knit, but it takes concentration, and I am still finding it hard to concentrate for long periods.

I’ve been searching for a project which will be super easy mindless knitting, and I think I’ve settled on the Felix Cardigan by Amy Christoffers:

I have some soft pink worsted weight yarn in warm tones, with I bought last year. I started to knit a pullover with it, only to frog it (I blogged about it here and here). I decided the yarn might work for the Felix cardigan if I combined it with a strand of mohair, and took a chance on ordering the right shade online. I bought some lovely silk mohair by Knitting for Olive from A Yarn Story in the colour Plum Rose. They look lovely together:

I have knit a few swatches. With a US10/6mm the gauge is too loose – 11×22 – and with a US9/5.5mm it is just a bit too tight – 15×23 (the pattern calls for 14×20) but I think the latter (shown on the bottom below) will work out well with a bit of judicious math. This is a bit outside my colour comfort zone, but the texture is gorgeous and I think the yarn will suit the pattern. (And a cozy cardigan will not go amiss in my wardrobe!)

I leave you with a lovely photo featured in The Guardian today. It was taken by Kieran Dodds on Fair Isle. It’s part of a continuing feature where photographers choose their best shot; the article is called “Two fluffy lambs playing Twister: Kieran Dodds’ best phone picture”.

Keep warm, everyone!