since you asked so nicely

shetland triangle in action, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

Thank you for all the lovely comments. By request, here's the shetland triangle in action. From a weird angle. Must invest in a tripod, methinks.

As a bonus, here's a close-up of the brooch I'm wearing to keep the shawl closed. It belonged to my Grandma. At Christmas she decided she wanted to give away her jewellery to her granddaughters (there are 6 of us) while she's still alive to appreciate the giving. This was one of my picks from her box.

shetland triangle finished

shetland triangle blocking, originally uploaded by the pig wot flies.

She's done and she's gorgeous, so there's a Shetland Triangle photoset on Flickr.

Started: 21 January 2007

Finished: 23/25 February 2007 (knitting/blocking)

Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style

Yarn: Handspun kid mohair from Teo's Handspun, bought on holiday on Skye last summer.

Needles: 5mm circulars

Modifications: 11 repeats, bigger needles.

Notes: Love it! I wanted to get the biggest shawl I could out of the yarn I had. I have a smallish ball left over, not enough for another repeat. I did go for a wet block in the end, despite my trepidation and I'm glad I did. There was a variation in colour between the three skeins of yarn. It's not noticable between the first and second skeins, but the last skein was much lighter, giving it a lighter border. Unplanned, but I like the effect. The finished size is 72" tip to tip, 32" neck to back point. It feels like the perfect size, big enough to wrap around but not so it's trailing miles down my back. Being mohair, it's very warm, it would be perfect for an outdoor evening event. All I need now is an excuse to wear it!

breaking radio silence

Wow, it's been a while. No pictures to show you, just the promise of them. The Shetland Triangle is 2 rows and a good blocking from completion. Clapotis chugs along slowly, as does the second monkey sock.

It's been a very busy week. Tonight is my first night off - I don't have to be anywhere, I don't have to write an essay, I can just relax. I plan to spend the evening on the settee with my knitting and Pride and Prejudice. Lovely!

acquisitions and beginnings

Look what arrived in the post yesterday! Lovely yarn from the HipKnits sale. The purple stuff is banana yarn. It's a bit like silk, but heavier and scrunchier. I love the shine on it. I think this might end up being a small bag. The pink is laceweight silk. I've never had any proper laceweight to play with before! I think there's 2000m in that skein. I'll have to think what to make. Probably a shawl, something butterfly-ish. Any suggestions?


Hmm, it's pretty obvious today what my favourite colours are. This is the beginning of another Clapotis in Scrumptious from Fyberspates. Love this yarn! It's a wool/silk blend and really lives up to its name. It's squishy and soft with just enough springiness for the sculptural qualities of the pattern to come out. I've just started the straight sections on this, so it'll be a while. But I want to finish it while it's still cold enough to need it, so I'd better get cracking.

fluffy sheep ate my hands

I made wrist warmers. It's COLD here in Cambridge and I've been thinking for a while I need something to fill the gap between my gloves and my coat. Yesterday was very cold and I happened to come across the right pattern and remember I had some yarn that would suit it. Then I knit these in bed last night. (I did make 2, but you try taking a picture of both your own hands.)

Started: 11pm 6 February 2007

Finished: 12.30am 7 February 2007

Pattern: Chance by Pixeldiva from Magknits

Yarn: 2 balls of Rowan Big Wool Tuft I acquired in a stash swap a while ago and hadn't a clue what to do with.

Needles: 15mm circulars

Notes: Dead easy and very quick. The pattern's more of a recipe, which suits me. They do look rather like I've got sheep wrapped round my hands, but they do the job of keeping my wrists warm. I turned them purl side out so that the fluffy bits stick out. They might be even warmer knit side out, with all the fluffy bits on the inside like thrummed mittens.

Handy tip: I couldn't find a big enough bodkin to sew the ends in with, so I improvised with a hair slide.

A silent poetry reading

I found this on Mary's blog.

WHAT: A Bloggers' (Silent) Poetry Reading
WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2007
WHERE: Your blog
WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Bridgid, aka Groundhog Day
HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.
RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post. Last year Reya put out the call and there was more poetry in cyberspace than she could keep track of. So, link to whomever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

The Loch Ness Monster's Song by Edwin Morgan

Sssnnnwhuffffll?
Hnwhuffl hhnnwfl hnfl hfl?
Gdroblboblhobngbl gbl gl g g g g glbgl.
Drublhaflablhaflubhafgabhaflhafl fl fl -
gm grawwwww grf grawf awfgm graw gm.
Hovoplodok - doplodovok - plovodokot - doplodokosh?
Splgraw fok fok splgrafhatchgabrlgabrl fok splfok!
Zgra kra gka fok!
Grof grawff gahf?
Gombl mbl bl -
blm plm,
blm plm,
blm plm,
blp


There's a poem on pigwotflies too.