Rainbow Bright

I was looking for knitting needles the other day, only to realise that I broke my last set of 3.5mm interchangeable Knit Pro’s a while back and forgot to replace them, before closing the shop. So I did something I haven’t had to do for years (holiday yarn shop excursions don’t count), I went to a wool shop and bought a set. The trip provided a great opportunity to peruse the shelves of yarny goodness as a customer, tempted by all the woolly goodness and to look for yarn for Dina’s next project too. Unfortunately, the one she’d fallen in love with wasn’t in stock, so now she’s going to use something I have left after closing the shop.

A much better idea, before the above really does end up happening 😱

Happily, I have also found some time to play with woolly goodness over the past few days, in fact I’m on a bit of a role with my knitting and crochet – Long may it last.

I’ve finally managed to finish the pair of sparkly socks I cast on back in August. As you can see from the photo, I’ve taken to just casting on the second sock straight after finishing the first. Previously, I’ve been trying to match them a little more, but this method is appealing to my way of thinking a little more at the moment and let’s be honest it’s quicker 😉 I’m not sure how many pairs I’m up to now in my New Year’s quest to make a pair every two months, must check.

Being in need of a bit of instant knitting gratification, I’ve also knitted up a quick cowl for Dina. The yarn is Elektra from Conway and Bliss that I bought whilst attending the Debbie Bliss event in Kinsale recently.

Elektra has a recommended tension of 12 stitches by 18 rows on 8mm needles and the blend of 70% wool and 30% alpaca makes for a very light yarn, but to ensure it’s super softness next to my daughter’s neck, I chose to use 9mm needles.

The cowl, as you can see is very basic. I cast on 21 stitches and then knitted in garter stitch, alternating the colours after working two rows. I stopped knitting when the work reached approximately 130cm and after casting off, sewed the two ends together.

I was a little unsure if I liked the way the colours were knitting up together and even thought about ripping it back, but after a little more knitting, the colours won me over. More importantly, Dina loves it and she seems to be able to wear almost any colour. She tells me it’s extremely warm too, even better – as she’s always cold.

Of course she should have known what was coming next……

My kind of photography drives her crazy though. I ‘persuaded’ her to strike a pose whilst we were out on our yarn shop trip and just kept pressing the button.