Just a quick few pix before I'm off out - some progress shots.

First, the twisted float/cocoon shrug from Autumn 05 VK by Annie Modesitt - one of her successes in my view. this was done in Lorna's Laces EXPENSIVE YARN, and I used instead - Debbie Bliss Maya, which BTW was a wonderful yarn, and very little like the dried out bland Soho that has replaced it. It was a soft, thick and thin but DK ish weight yarn, kettle-dyed in the most beautiful colours. I'm using all sorts of colours, browns and pinks and purples and oranges, with a blue/green yarn for contrast, and have got past the sleeves (the bright red part row you can see part way through the last colour). The 'public' (on the right here) and 'private' (on the left) sides are both lovely - I'll have to tidy it so I can do it either way, I think!

Then Amy Singer's Tuscany from the no Sheep book - I reckon I am about 2/3rds of the way through (and it has become quite laborious!)

I've also started a pattern from 'The Best of Knitter's Magazine - Shawls and Scarves' which is on p 76, called Corner to Corner Shawl - it's done in the book in a Kid Mohair, but I am doing it in Handmaiden Lace Silk , Renaissance colourway. It is a rectangular shawl, with long panels of lace patternwork in a garter stitch ground. Works well for this hand-dyed yarn!

Lastly, I'm using some Hipknits silk

(aran weight) to make a sea scarf for C, who loves the sea!

What, me? Like knitting shawls/scarves? Never!

'No sheep for you' review (picture heavy).

Loving this book! There are several things I'd like to try, which I'll discuss here.

Kristi Porter's silk modular top, 'Intoxicating', is a brilliant way to use silk in a garment. This uses Curious Creek fibers Isalo, a DK weight single, using 2 different modular patterns to create both beauty (particularly the wonderful maze mosaic pattern shown in green and orange here) and solidity. Having made the Angelica tunic out of hipknits silk, also a single but this time aran weight, I can testify that it stretches and loses its shape VERY QUICKLY, so I think this is a fabulous idea. (Modular knitting means knitting with only one colour in a row, and slipping the other colour where needed for the pattern on that row, so that 2 rows work togather. A crappy explanation, there are many better!) Unfortunately, the Curious Creek Fibers is $49US per skein, of which I would need 5. Hmmm. That's £125. Before shiping or tax. Don't think so. I shall keep my eyes open here - at Wonderwool, and maybe I will go to the Woolfest after all... if I've had no joy up till then, anyway. Unusually, I would like to stick fairly closely to this colourway.

I wonder if I could re-jig it for this hipknits - which would need overdyeing (the pale orange to be a richer, ruddy orange and also if poss a purple -separate skeins! - and perhaps increase the green-ness of the blue/green skeins as the base colour. not at all sure, though.

I also like Jillian Moreno's Eileen, though it wouldn't suit me (maybe C, show off her back tats. Might need a plainer (butcher!) lace stitch for her to feel comfortable, though!) That's in linen, which I haven't tried. The manly maze is a pleasant hemp jumper. I prefer the He Gansey by Jeanine Sims, though (dislike the wet-looking she-gansey, though). I might adapt some of the pattern to use for JKD's project 'denim' jacket out of aran weight, indigo dyed House of Hemp hemp. (JKD is my bro). If the drunken Argyle weren't in the dreaded PALE PINKS I might quite like that too... Tomato is nice enough, quite fun, though I'm really not sure about using a worsted weight cotton - so heavy. Then there's Peerie Fleur, by Zoe Valette. Not sure about the speciifics, but I like the idea of using Summer Tweed and being able to steek it! There's a skill I've yet to try!

I don't think I'll make Morrigan - impressive, not surprising as it's by the Rogue and Eris designer Girlfromauntie , but for me a bit over-complex. I'd like to see it in person! I'm also rather dubious about the socks in Rowan 4ply cotton - but may have to try them. The Wick isn't available here, if it were, I'd try it.

The thing I've started, though, is the 'Tuscany' shawl by Amy Singer herself. It's a bit obsessive, as shawls usually are. I know I said just a week or two ago that I don't like triangular shawls - but this one is very shallow, in that it's width (arm to arm, sort-of) is three times it's height, and I rather like this. it's a stash burner too - using some bronze Jaeger 4ply silk I've had for years since I found it reduced somewhere. I might overdye it to make it a little more bricky, we'll see.

The Knitterly Letter Swap

..is the brainchild of the Domesticat . This is just a simple letter exchange - I have been given the name and address of a knitter (in the USA - doesn't give away too much really, does it?) and must write to her by the 16th of April. I will also receive a letter by then - from a different knitter, thus netting myself 2 potential knitting penpals in one fell swoop.

I like this idea - not so much of the 'see how good I can look on your blog'*, but rather a genuine contact, and one for whom I invest the time it takes to write by hand. Theoretically on beautiful writing paper, but I've fluffed that - if I don't do it now, it won't get done in time (it is Good Friday today, so I have a few days off) and I don' have any beautful paper. So I am knititng a tiny sock out of the remains of my jitterbug, which may not be available to my letter recipient, so she can see what it's like.

BTW, here is the 2nd completed sock - much lighter than the other (though from the same skein) but WTF, I don't mind love both. Bright charcoal colourway. And the advice in red on the left - most excellent, specially when an essay is due!

*By which I mean some of the big 'stuff' swaps - I bet they can be fun, but not for me, i think. The dyers swap was totally different! (Honest).

40 - and Australia!

I've just lost a long post. So this will be a bit minimal.

A great 'cabaret' themed party for my 40th - I'm the blurred one, the second shoes from the left, and yes, we do have that wallpaper behind the delicious canapes!

Onto knitting - finished the I do shrug - and here's a pic of it with my corset. Better on than lying flat - I'll get a pic next Saturday for you.

And a detail of the sleeve:

I went on to write about my appreciation of opinionated knitters - examples being

Mar of http://www.knittingcurmudgeon.com/

Carol of http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com/

and

M-H of http://manainkblog.typepad.com/ (the witty knitter).

I also spoke about agreeing with Alice about triangular shawls (give me rectangular, rhomboid, etc - not sure about round or square - better develop an opinion quick!)

And lastly - (picture courtesy of 'goaustralia' and - would you believe it - Victoria's Secret!)

Yep - C's job in Sydney starting Jan 08 has been confirmed. Twelve months there - and I shall spend it mostly on my City and Guild's knitting course!