I Made This

I could have given you another photo of fog, fog, fog but one is enough, right? So, let's look at luscious handmade stuff instead. First up is my new hat, the Cairnhill Tam. I don't really suit hats, alas, but I love wearing them. They keep me warm and snuggly - especially in foggy weather! I mentioned starting this hat on Tuesday. I finished it Thursday and blocked it Friday. A quick, satisfying knit which had all the right amounts of vaguely interesting techniques, portability and easy enough to knit in company with others.

The wools behaved as I expected: the coarse Gotland wool from the sheep farm was, well, coarse and hairy, but also gave the colourwork a rather delightful halo. The Rico Poems was not impressive and I doubt I will use it for anything more than the odd accessory (if that). It felt very much like Twilley's Freedom Spirit: splitty, loosely spun and pilly. Oh well. I love my new hat and I might just have enough for a pair of matchy, matchy mitts. I'm just not sure I want the Gotland wool anywhere near my wrists.

Onwards, onwards.

I finished my stepdad's Christmas scarf some time ago but kept forgetting to take a decent photo.

The pattern is sheer genius and makes for a great, portable project, although I did eventually get sick of all those short rows. I used one ball of King Cole Mirage which turned out to be an  unexpected good woolblend yarn (to the aghast fibersnobs reading: every yarn has its place and I may just write about that someday soon). I have another three balls in a less sedate colourway stashed. I might just make something for myself (a Clapotis? A fan shawl?), although I have plenty of other yarns I'm anxious to use.

This leaves me with just two projects on the needles: David's sweater which I need to finish very soon and my Estonian flowers shawl which I am in no hurry to finish.

Finally, I baked last night. It was so cold and chilly outside that I caved in and made one of my favourite cakes. It is a spicy pear/ginger cake from Hubble Bubble, a cookbook I received as a present some eight or nine years ago. When I first saw its whimsical "food is magic" approach, I was not too sure about cooking anything from the book, but despite appearances, it has turned into one of my favourite cookbooks.

The spicy pear/ginger cake rarely lets me down and is pleasantly non-greasy. Unfortunately I forgot that our non-stick cake tin is no longer non-stick (don't ask) and the pretty pear pattern went a bit, ahem, pear-shaped. Still tastes good - and David sneaks an extra little slice when he thinks I am not looking.

(In case you are wondering why so many of my recent photos incorporate our Venetian blinds: it is the only place in the flat with decent daytime light)

Speaking of cakes and whatnot, this one leaves me a bit bedazzled. I am sure I don't have the cake decorating skills, but I'd like to try..

Stranded

Question: if you were home alone on a cold winter evening, what would you do? My answer: look at the photo. I'm sitting in front of the computer, surfing various sites and occasionally picking up my new project to knit a stitch or two. Oh, and sipping lukewarm decaf coffee while I'm at it. It is a hard life.

My project? Well, I needed a portable project for knitting night (Dave's sweater is getting too big to carry around with me; lace knitting at knit night = big no-no), so I had a quick look at my Ravelry queue and, really, it was a no-brainer.This fair isle tam called to me loud and clear.

I have plenty of hats, but right now they all seem flimsy and floppy. I want a hat which will keep my head warm in the midst of winter and stranded knitting was the obvious solution. I dug into my stash and uncovered a skein of "homegrown" Gotland wool I bought at a sheep farm in rural Denmark which matched a ball of Rico Poems I recently bought here in Scotland. I have been wanting to try a project with Poems since I first heard it being touted as an affordable alternative to Noro Kureyon (I'm easy that way). So far it feels more like a long-colour-repeat version of Twilleys Freedom Spirit, but I'm yet to learn if Poems will pill as much. One thing is certain: Poems may initially look a bit like a Noro yarn, but it feels far less substantial.

Finally, one of my knitting buddies showed me the coolest knitting implement tonight.. I may be slightly in love.

What A Difference A Dyejob Does

Meet Percy post-dyejob. That safety vest orange shawl turned into deep, vibrant Wollmeise-esque red shawl. I am very, very, very happy with it.

Some of you have asked how I dyed the shawl. I had a big ovenproof dish into which I poured half my dye solution. I put my shawl (which had been soaking in lukewarm water for 30 minutes) into the dish and poured the rest of the dye solution over it. I squished the shawl gently to ensure that the dye was seeping into all parts of it, and then I put the whole thing into the oven at Gas Mark 1/140C for 45 minutes. Then I took it out and let it all cool before rinsing the shawl thoroughly. It was very easy. I think that I'll use a similar method on all those overtly variegated lace yarns I have lying about.

Speaking of ovens, I baked David's birthday cake last night so we could have some just post-midnight (we are both children at heart). The cake is one of my all-time favourites and it's so easy to make.

Meringue Cake (serves four or five)

Sponge: 2/3 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 egg yolks 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla essence 1½ cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder

Meringue: 2 egg whites 2/3 cups sugar

Filling: Raspberry jam.

Mix butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and egg for about 4 minutes. Add flour and baking powder and fold in gently. Pour the batter into a small, greased oven-proof dish. Put the filling on top (if using jam, try heating it a bit before as to making it more runny/easier to spread - see notes). Whip the egg whites until stiff, then folding in half the sugar. Whip the egg whites again and gently fold in the rest of the sugar. Pour on top of the cake and bake for 1 hour at 150C/Gas Mark 2/300F.

Notes on filling: you can basically use whichever filling you want. I'd recommend using something sharp or tart as the rest of the cake is very sweet. Instead of raspberry jam, you could use tart apples (peel and slice them before adding them) or maybe even gooseberries? One of my friends tried adding banana and loved it, but I found it way too sweet.

(I would have shared a picture of the cake but funnily enough it has all disappeared. So, instead, you get a photo of me freezing.)

A Few New Projects

As I'm typing this, my Percy shawl is in the oven covered in four satchels worth of Kool Aid Black Cherry and added food colouring from the local supermarket. Wish Percy good luck. You may also be amused to know that I'm typing this with very pink hands. Clearly my latex gloves are not dye-proof. On the left you see my step-dad's Christmas present in the making (hi Step-dad, I hope you are not a keen follower of my blog). Yesterday the sun was out and I decided to go to Hamilton, just east of Glasgow, on a whim. Hamilton is home to Stitching Time, one of my favourite local yarn shops. Initially I only went in to buy some 4ply cotton for these hilarious Christmas potholders, but I came out with .. er .. a bit more than just 4ply cotton.

I'm knitting the Multidirectional Scarf by Karen Baumer (nice picture here) out of King Cole Mirage, a surprisingly lovely woolblend. Usually I would have done the scarf in some Noro Kureyon, but I have no illusions about which of the two yarns feels softer against the skin and is easier to care for. I'm actually so pleased by Mirage that my brain has quietly been plotting what else I could make from it. It knits up very well and its colour transitions are beautiful. It's like a budget-friendly Rowan Tapestry, of sorts.

Due to Christmas knitting, I have decided to just focus on finishing David's sweater (half a sleeve done! just need 1½ sleeves!) and my step-dad's scarf. This means that my shiny new shawl project has been hidden away.

I'm knitting the Echo Flowers shawl (rav link) out of some handdyed Fyberspates merino cobweb which I picked up at a trunk show last year. The shawl pattern is fairly straightforward, particularly if you have knitted Laminaria as its blossom section is identical to that of Echo Flowers' main chart, and I do love me some Estonian lace stitches. The edge charts have nupps! The yarn is a disappointment, though. As I'm knitting with it, it is pilling noticeably which I think unacceptable for a fairly pricey lace yarn. I'm also not that keen on how much the colours are pooling and generating stripes. I have been spoiled by knitting with Old Maiden Aunt yarns, I guess.

And tomorrow's young David's birthday. I hope for more sun.

FO: That Percy Shawl

The Percy Shawl,or as I prefer to call it: The "Mad, Bad and Orange To Know" Shawl (apologies to Lady Caroline Lamb). Colour is most accurate in the first photo.

I tried knitting this earlier this year but Chart B left me a broken woman. This time I was stuck in bed with bad cold/mild flu and could concentrate fully on the complicated Chart B. I will not lie and say it was a breeze, because it was not, but it was not horrifyingly difficult. Once I worked out the logic of Chart B and its Frost Flowers pattern, I could relax a bit more although I kept needing to consult the chart.

After I finished Chart B, my brain went into holiday mode and I messed up the relatively easy Chart C. I ripped back a few rows - something which is no mean feat in fuzzy baby alpaca - and eventually Chart C needed up being my favourite part of the shawl. In fact, I love the edging so much that I am going to knit a huge shawl in stocking stitch with Chart C as the only lace element. The edging is geometric, elegant, understated and just.. perfection.

I used around 400 yrds of light fingering weight yarn. In other words, the Percy Shawl would work with one skein of fine sock wool. It is not an easy or quick knit - I think it is the most complicated shawl I have knitted so far - but it looks really pretty. It should be relatively easy to upsize as well, if you have the yardage.

(Also, a lot of people on Ravelry have skipped Chart B entirely but I think skipping the Frost Flowers would be a shame. They form the focal point)

A quick note on the yarn. I used coned baby alpaca from a Danish yarn company. It was very splitty and I had to weave in the ends very quickly before the yarn fuzzed into nothing. I am not sure how the shawl will stand up to continuous wear, in other words.  However, the alpaca is almost angora-like in its softness and I had no issues with how it blocked out (unlike Drops Alpaca which does not like blocking). I would use the yarn again (and will have to as I have 700+ yrds left) but only for projects which will not get a great deal of continuous wear.

More photos available at the Rav project page.

Sneaky Preview

Yes, the Percy Shawl is finished. I need to wait for Official Photographer before actual photos are posted (prob Saturday) but here's a little peek. More previews: the new Interweave Winter Issue preview is up. I am underwhelmed and see nothing I might knit. The winter edition of Twist Collective is slightly better - Kelmscott makes me wish I were a Pre-Raphaelite beauty who would wear beautiful lacy cardigans. Still, I'm wondering if the best patterns are not self-published these days and if Ravelry is changing the way we go about choosing knitting projects?

And because I have finished my shawl, I get to choose a new project. I will cast on a Christmas project today and I won't be able to blog about it (previews available on Ravelry, though, once I get myself sorted). I've also decided to continue to knit down my lace stash by casting on for Echo Flowers (essentially bits of Laminaria and Percy combined - yes, I've fallen in love with Estonian lace) and this may become a birthday present..