Hello there! Well, what a change of weather once again. It's been glorious here in Norfolk. As you can see, the willow tree and magnolia are now in bloom. I love this time of year in the garden. Mr Snoops has been busily preparing and planting on his allotment and the 'growbags' are all ready in the greenhouse for the toamato plants. He'a managed to fit a little automatic window opener and closer in the greenhouse; a birthday gift from the elder Miss Snoops (who won't be a Miss for very much longer!).
I desperately needed to complete my 'All in the April Evening' stole this weekend, as next weekend will be all systems go in preparation for the wedding on Good Friday. School finishes on Friday and then we leave for Manchester first thing on the Tuesday morning. I am so, so excited. The wedding is taking place in a beautiful wedding barn set on the edge of a large lake in the middle of the Cheshire countryside. It's a very pretty setting and we are desperately hoping for some of this gorgeous Spring sunshine to hang around.
I made sure jobs were done early this morning, the first day of Spring, and then settled myself in the garden.
By mid afternoon I finally cast off and then soaked the stole for about an hour, before blocking. Here it is before blocking. The colour is a much more petrol blue than is obvious from the photo. As you can see, the pattern is closed and not very clear. Blocking makes such a difference.
Here it is on the foam blocking squares. I've used rods just along the sides to straighten and stretch out the shape and design and pinned the edges merely to flatten out the border.
The ends have also been pinned so that they also will crinkle and fold quite naturally when dry. The cast on and off edge had double the working number of stitches, will aid the folds process.
I'm pleased with the finished stole and enjoyed the journey, although I have to say I'm glad I not to have to pick it up again this evening. Wedding stole knitting overkill, I think!!!
Next week, I'll be able to show the unpinned, properly finished stole. YAY!
I have a couple of new purchases added to my stash that I thought you might like to see. The first is a skein of Handmaiden lace silk (100% silk) in colourway Stardust. I've swooned over this yarn and colourway for a while now and when I spotted it in an online shop in the UK, I just had to purchase.
I also presses the buy button on a skein of Posh Natasha 2ply in colourway You Read my Mind. I was intrigued by the mix, 50% silk and 50% came. It is so, so soft and wuiill make a lovely shawl or scarf.
I have also swapped a couple of skeins of yarn with two Ravellers, in order to obtain two more skeins of the FIFC club December yarn from Great Northen Yarns. I really want to knit another Monkey Bread scarf , but the infinity version this time. I swapped the January handspun to one of the traders and she kindly offered not only the yak and casmere in return, but also her skein of the November String Theory yarn. Thank you so much!
I haven't yet received the second of the yak and cashmere skeins, which is coming from across the pond. It's been about about twelve days now since it was posted and I am beginning to worry that it may have gone astray. OH NO!!! Fingers crossed everyone, please!
So, AT LAST, I can knit something different. I have plenty of projects to pick up, but with the freedom of the finished wedding stole singing sweetly in my knitty fingers, I needed to cast on a special project that has been waiting patiently for its turn since Christmas.
The yarn is fabulous, a lovely 55% silk and 45% cashmere. Notice that cute little Michele Maine bag too? The yarn and bag were a Christmas gift from my dear pal Josiekitten and I had always planned to cast on Anne Hanson's 'Almost Ovals', to knit whilst we are realaxing in the cottage in Pickering, for the week after the wedding. I haven't started yet, but I will wind the yarn and cast on this very evening. Promise!
I'll leave you with another shot of our magnolia. I love it! Have a great week!
I HAVE BEEN BEEN TRYING WITHOUT SUCCESS TO LEAVE MESSAGES ON FRIENDS WORDPRESS ACCOUNTS, BUT AM UNABLE TO DO SO. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. SORRY TEJE AND ANNA. I CALLLED IN TO SEE YOU THIS EVENING. CAN ANYONE HELP PLEASE?
