Icelandic, continued

The Icelandic cardigan continues..........

 

 

I have been happily knitting the cardigan, there not being much else I can do, at the moment. Once past the division for body and sleeves, it all went very quickly. Then I thought ''that seems awfully

big'', so I measured across the chest. Five inches bigger than I wanted, or intended!

I checked my gauge, and then the instructions. I can only think that where it says increase twice under each arm, it means decrease. So, I unravelled about eight inches, and did decreases instead of increases. Then the cardigan grew quite quickly. I did about nine inches of length, and then the recommended length of rib.

 

Then it was time to make the reinforcement for the steek. The tutorials posted by Kate Davies, and the video posted by Ragga Eiriksdottir, the designer of the 'Idunn' pattern, gave me enough courage to get on and do it.



 

                                              All ready to cut!

 

 

So, the steek was cut. Then a small matter of picking up stitches along the reinforced sides, and knitting the bands to make the sandwich. Here, one side is done. Phew!
More to follow.....

( the second photo is the most accurate colour. The weather is such that the light is awful for taking pics).



Knitting on...

 

The plaster cast has come off. Relief! But of course, I have to get used to walking again.

 

The Icelandic sweater is coming on nicely..... The pattern is simple and well written, the slight problem is in the sizing, and the different understanding of knitters' expressions. Not that it will be a great problem, I will unravel a little of the main body, and put in some ( or a lot of ) decreases.

Apologies for the lack of photos - the weather is so overcast that I can't get any decent ones. If tomorrow is brighter, I will remedy the lack.

 

 

 

And......

 

( cartoon by Jacky Fleming.)

....... Or am I just being unreasonably cynical?

Wovember

I have been following the 'Wovember' blog since it started a few years ago. ( go and have a look Here )
This year I was determined to enter into the spirit of the thing properly, so I spent time and effort choosing a suitable project, downloading the pattern, and sourcing the yarn.
The pattern is Idunn,  a top-down Icelandic cardigan, although there will be modifications. The yarn is Istex Letlopi, which is the recommended yarn.  The colours I have chosen are light beige, and sage green. I bought it from Deramores, who were incredibly quick in fulfilling the order.

 This yarn, actually I can say 'wool' in this case, is an Aran weight, so I am using 4.5 mm needles. Cast on late on Saturday, I have done a couple of inches already. The yarn feels a bit rough, at the moment, but I know that once washed and conditioned, it will alter. I also know from experience that Icelandic wool hand-knits go on forever.

 

 

Samhain

Samhain. Commonly called Halloween. The last day of the Pagan year. The time when the veil between the worlds thin. After dark, there is the possibility of tenuous contact with the Dear Departed. Such  time is celebrated in many cultures, respect paid to those gone before. Sadly, these things are feared in our own culture, due to the ridiculous stories and half-truths promulgated by those who do not understand, and do not want to.

 

 Among the many vegetables that grew madly this summer, were these pumpkins. Which I had to do something with, as we don't eat them! (Although we do eat a lot of Squashes.) I was quite pleased with how my carving turned out.

                                                            ......especially the Owl.

 

The clocks going back to British Meantime has meant the nights drawing in earlier. The leaves falling from the trees remind us that we are falling into Winter.
All of these things make me start to feel like baking again. One of Best Beloved's favourite things is Cherry Brownies. As they also look suitably dark, they are perfect for tonight's Trick or Treating. Having said that, they will probably be unaccountably missing, if anyone should knock on the door!

  Melt 190 grams of butter and 190 grams of good chocolate ( minimum 80% cocoa butter) together, gently. Weigh out 115 grams of plain flour, and add a pinch of salt. Whisk together 3 eggs with 250 grams golden caster sugar. Line a 6'' x10'' tin with baking parchment, and scatter 80 - 100 grams of dried cherries evenly over the base. Beat the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate, then carefully fold in the flour. Pour evenly into the prepared tin, and bake at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. It is done when the top goes lighter and flaky. Keep an eye on it, as it is easy to overcook.  Five minutes is the difference between cooked and melting, or overcooked and dry. Allow to cool before removing from tin. Cut into 16 pieces. Yum!

Sorry!

Before I do anything else, I must apologise for my protracted absence. The last post was made just before Best Beloved and I went on holiday. The intention had been to write the next post from our rented cottage, enthusing about the location. Unfortunately, the broad-band connection lasted for thirty seconds at a time. Hopeless. Then, I slipped in Port Isaac, and broke my leg.

So, halfway through the holiday, we came home. Since then, we have had a round of Hospital appointments, lots of me sitting still with my leg elevated, and a topsy-turvy house due to the presence of our builder. We had a long-standing arrangement with Kenny, that he would come and finish our utility room, and the terrace behind the house, on our return. As he retires at Christmas, we were not going to put off the most reliable builder known to Man!

 

The enforced rest has been productive of knitting, however. I had started another Annis back in April, but only managed three rows. It is now finished. The photo below shows it being blocked.

 

Annis by Susanna Ic, in 2/3 ply Alpaca and nylon, from John Arbon. Colour- Rust.

 

Another project that has been hanging about since early May. A pair of plain socks in fivemoons Luna Plus. Vintage Herb for the body, with Pumpkin for the contrast toes and heels.

 

These saucy little wrist warmers are Mrs Beeton  by Brenda Dane. The body is in  Rowan Angora Haze, in black, with the contrast lace in Rowan Kidsilk Haze. Colour - Blood. This was a very quick project. One evening knitting the lace inserts, and two evenings knitting the rest. No sewing required! ( Other than weaving in ends! )

The one thing I needed to make, was some sort of sock, to cover the plaster cast, and keep my toes warm. Luckily, I had a skein of mohair and wool, which Alchemoonist ( of fivemoons ) had dyed from a bilious lime green to a wonderful deep beetle green.  I just cast on, and made it up as I went along. So .......  the Munster Sock!

 

And, actually, Cornwall was wonderful, despite everything.

A Year in the life.....

There are many writers whose style I enjoy, and look for. Susan Hill is a popular and admirable author, but not one I generally read. The first Christmas after our marriage, Best Beloved gave me 'The Magic Apple Tree'.  I absolutely fell in love with it. It is very much a calendar of the country year, much in the tradition of Flora Thompson or Frances Kilvert.
This is a book which I come back to, and read regularly. It never fails to cheer me, when I am in low spirits. It is full of the gentle delights of small, homely things. So, although I don't read many of her other books, Susan Hill is one of my favourite writers.

Balance

 

Today is the Autumn Equinox. Balanced halfway between the end of Summer, and the beginning of Winter. Light and dark ( day and night ) of equal measure.
It has been an extraordinary year. An unusually wet winter, followed by an unusually dry Spring and Summer. We had two days of almost torrential rain, and then plunged into an Indian Summer. ( I am writing only of the local experience - other areas have been very different.)

I have heard that many people, having experienced bumper fruit crops last year, have fared less well this year. We have been lucky. Our apples have produced similar crops to last year. The pear tree, having been caught by a late frost, produced no ripe fruit last year.  This year, we had more than we can eat. Such a joy to be able to preserve some, and share some with family and friends. The plums did well, too, but went from ripe to mouldy  almost overnight, if not watched. The damsons are still being picked. The mulberry tree has produced a pleasing crop, too. We have to keep checking, and then picking when we see some ripe fruit .... the Blackbirds have discovered them, and will gorge themselves and take everything if they can.

 

In our hedgerows, the fruiting trees are looking good... Spindle Tree, ( above ) will split the calyx on the seeds soon, and the seeds will shine a bright orange though the pink shell.

 

In this picture, the fruit of the Dogwood look like blackberries, but the sprays of fruit are half the size of my hand.

 

These Sloes ( fruit of the Blackthorn ) will be ready for use after the first hard frost. The frost is necessary to produce what little sugar is available in the flesh. ( precious little! )

The dog roses and eglantynes have been wonderful, so the hedges are covered in these hips, really splashing the dulled green of late summer foliage with some life.

 

My first foray into growing Dahlias has been a great delight. I have had flowers from all the plants I started. Not many from some, and lots from others.

I can only remember the name of one. The amazing bloom above is from a dahlia called Nick Sr. It is the size of my hand with fingers spread out, like a star.

 

                
And this last one is actually much darker than the picture shows. A really rich, intense colour.