Showing signs of initial improvement

No, I've not been writing second-year French reports, I am celebrating the minor successes of everyday life.

I have finished the Sanquhar-inspired scarf and it is having a tepid bath as we speak.


I've been noticing that my colour-work is getting a little better, in fact as it flowed through my hands I could see clear improvements on the motif section of the second side compared to the first.

The first time round I was still concentrating so hard on learning to hold the two yarns in two hands that I wasn't taking the trouble to make sure things like tension etc were right, and ended up with an acceptable stab at it, but with the dark green stitches too loose and taking over, as seen in the first photo, where there are almost lines of dark green.


By the time I came to do those same sections on the second side, my work had become a lot more even and well-balanced, as seen in the second photo.


I'm not beating myself up about the first side, there's nothing up with it that some very assertive "teasing" and blocking and a few millenia won't solve, I'm just happy that with two like pieces to compare, I can see the progress.


If anyone has strong *symmetry issues* and they want to attempt something like this, they had better do two ends and graft in the middle as in my version the Vee of each stitch faces upward on one side and downward on the other, when worn on the neck.


All in the garden is not rosy, in spite of my "signs of initial improvement". I mis-placed a motif! I made a chequered box when it should've been a diamond box. And yes, I did notice it one inch afterwards, and yes, I did leave it in. Feel the freedom!


I answered this in the comment box of my last post, but just in case it got missed:


In my last post I made reference to Ravellers and my daring British spelling. Whenever I've seen that word written on Ravelry it has been spelt Ravelers, one l a l'americaine. If I were writing travel then travellers I would put two ls and I've extended this to Ravellers. Feel the freedom again!

World-Wide Frog in Public Day

Okay, June 14th was meant to be World-Wide Knit in Public Day linky but when you have an Icarus shawl which you have neglected for months and months because deep in your heart you know your yarn is too fuzzy to show off the lace-edging and it doesn't look delicate and fragile like everyone else's Icarus, you can choose to take decisive action. Icarus link for Ravelry punters
Non-Ravellers * can always get it under Interweave Knits Summer 2006.
The shawl is getting some major doctoring, it's being ripped back to the beginning of the lacy charts and I'm just going to continue with the first chart, the one with the eyelet leaf spines radiating from the central spine. I feel a sense of relief already, knowing it's just an eyelet triangular shawl now, rather than a failed Icarus. Talk about re-framing, he he.

Anyway, the site of my public frogging was at the wishing well in
Threave Gardens Castle Douglas
where I spent a lovely afternoon with my honey strolling about admiring the flowers and playing on the Galloway cows. These are an artist's impression of the local Belted Galloway Cattle native to these parts. Yes, you are allowed to touch the sculptures, hell, you're even allowed to walk on the grass in this garden, although you do pay a pretty penny to enter.

Anyway, a good WWKIP day was had by all. x K

* Yes, I really did apply British spelling conventions to this word, so sue me.

Planet KEDkrafty

Have you seen this wonderful site yet?
Tag Galaxy

You can type in things you like, such as KEDkrafty, knitting, Ravelry, wool, yarn, lemurs, puffins, Vienna, green, whatever

and it reads the tags people have put on their Flickr photos

and makes you a planet, or if it's a bigger subject, a GALAXY of pictures on that subject.

The final effect is great, but it's also lovely as it's all pulling together.
Don't worry if it says "No related tags", that means your main subject IS there, there's just no linking subjects. Click on the resulting planet. Grab it and turn it round.

It's really cool! Try it with your favourite things.