Another first...

The landscape scarf blocking worked! I have to confess that I got distracted over Easter by the other exciting things I wanted to do or start - so naturally enough, nothing was completed!

As you can see above, the landscape scarf sits neatly folded, awaiting its ribbon and bead adornment.


I have made myself stop on my sister's scarf- it is getting too long! I just need to complete it by threading on some beads and knitting them into the last the 20 rows. I really hope that she likes it - right now, I am still not convinced.

All of my other projects are in various states of disarray! This brings me to my next first - I move from blocking to ripping - I am so disappointed. I cast on my cream silk over Easter and I was feeling quite proud of my progress.

I had a couple of days off which encouraged both knitting in bed with a cup of tea in the mornings (while listening to the footsteps of the rest of the world scurrying into work) and knitting in front of the tv at night.

It was with great excitement that I reached the armhole shaping for the back. Yes, this is where the instructions very casually mentioned that it ought to measure 21cm. I reached for the tape measure... hmm, 26 cm.

I scanned the overall garment dimensions with deliberate calm. Yet instead of measuring a demure 22" across the bottom of the back, my piece was a rather robust 25", barely stretched.

That happens to be a little more ease than I require - I certainly intend it to be far more ease than I require by the time summer arrives as I am back on the food waggon - stricto dieto!

My mistake? Substituted yarn, I checked gauge using a sample that I knitted for the summer wrap (in stocking stitch, rather than in the cardigan rib) and I didn't stop to check measurements. I made a similiar mistake quite recently - you would think that I might learn!

I seem to lose tension when working in rib, so while the piece is beautifully soft, it has no 'bounce back' quality so it is loopy, floppy - and big. In fact, when I held it up against myself, it looked awful, like a ropey cotton dishcloth like you buy in a supermarket.

I have wrestled with the quen of "Do I stick with the same needle size (4mm) and simply knit a smaller size, or do I start again with 3.75m needles?" - but to be honest, I am put off.

Put off the pattern, put off how the silk looks ribbed against me, put off reworking the back.

Such a waste, just think how much further along my phyllo yoked Knitting Nature jumper would be if I had expended all that knitting effort on ploughing on with my Rowan Calmer!

So it needs to be ripped out - once it is out, I suspect that I might not start it again.

So I am back to square one. I need to find a pattern that will suit the silk (and me) - simple, elegant yet interesting to knit - any ideas?! In the meantime, here it is for you to see:

RIP Angelica - Long Live Cream Silk!

In the meantime, the back of my Knitting Nature purple phyllo yoked jumper is sitting on a needle, the front is progressing neatly yet slowly, commute by commute and the sleeves are just a promise hidden in the neat balls of yarn waiting in plastic wrapped rows.

I-want-to-get-past-all-of-the-stocking-stitch-and-onto-the-interesting-bits which involve a lace pattern and construction techniques that I have not used before!