Cold

After a hot, hot, horrid summer it appears that we may have finally got our lovely Ballarat Autumn. It was such a cool weekend in fact, that we lit the fire for the first time this season.
I love the cold weather, there is nothing nicer than curling up on the couch with some knitting, and I did plenty this weekend.

I think I'm temporarily over the shawl frenzy, which isn't to say that I don't have a shawl on the needles, but I'm over the obsession of casting on and off as quickly as possible. The shawl I'm working on now will take a long, long time. The Cheshire Cat Stole is being knit in 2 ply Kaalund Enchante lace that Jack gave me for my birthday. It's gorgeous yarn, but it's very fine and I'm knitting on 2.75mm needles, there are 130 odd stitches per row, 32 rows in each repeat and 15 repeats, so umm approx 62,000 stitches (and that's not including the 56 rows of edging) ouch. I cast on early this week and have finished my first repeat, if I can continue one repeat every week or two hopefully I'll have it done in 4 or 5 months...There are distractions though in the form of socks.. I am very much back on the sock knitting bandwagon. In particular, Yarnissima has me very much enthralled with her clever patterns. I've just finished Brainless in Yarn Cafe BFL Sock in "Vineyard"
and I'm also working on La Digitessa and Firestarter. I love the toe-up construction of these socks, they are unlike any socks I've knit before. Unlike other toe-up socks with short-row heels, these have a gusset and fit over a high instep without stretching in odd ways. Love them!

And finally, after alluding to the fact that I may have him finished much earlier, I have finally finished "Dobbin". I'm sure he will soon be renamed once he goes to his new home, but for now that is his moniker.