Søpapegøjer!

We saw puffins in Aberdeenshire. We were out cliff-walking just south of Aberdeen when D. took out his binoculars. He spent almost twenty years living in a small fishing village off the North Sea coast, but this was only the second time he had ever spotted puffins. They were out to sea, but they were unmistakably puffins. Søpapegøjer! I also saw a couple of yarn shops. Wool For Ewe came recommended to me - it had pleasant staff and a nice selection. I ended up buying enough Jamiesons Ultra to make a lace shawl (shh!). I also bought one ball of JC Rennie 4ply in a green-blue colour which brought home just how much I'm itching to do a proper fair-isle project. I have a good selection of colours in various Shetland 4-ply yarns stashed aside and these days most of my pattern purchases seem to be colourwork-orientated. Apart from the new Rowan 48, I have also just bought Sasha Kagan's classic book on fair-isle knitting. Kagan's book is very dated in terms of styling - hello 1980s make-up and hair! - but the patterns are very interesting and inspirational. While the idea of a dachshund-covered waistcoat might not appeal, I can certainly see myself knitting some fingerless gloves with pansies or seagulls.

I'm slowly moving towards autumn-knitting, you see. Scotland is never the warmest place in the world (or even in the UK!), so woolly knits are never far from my thoughts. However, I was browsing through some old blog entries the other day and I noticed how much I emphasised Needing Accessories. My thinking is that I might as well get a few quick-knit accessories under my belt before I start to yearn for big woolly cardigans. Last winter I loved my big snuggly scarf, so I have kept that in mind as I'm trying to narrow down my must-knits. Matters are complicated by the fact that I have been commissioned to design a couple of scarf patterns, that I have a few commissioned knitting projects, that a colleague of mine is expecting (and is going on maternity leave in two weeks, so I better start knitting!), and that my wrists are still not entirely happy about the amount of knitting I do.

Most of all, I wish I could take more time off and spend it up north. I do not why I love Aberdeenshire so much, but I suspect it reminds me of Denmark (albeit with dangerous cliffs, birds of prey, hills, crumbling castles, granite, puffins, and glorious 'high' skies). I always feel at peace whenever I am up north and it takes me a few days to adjust being back in Glasgow. Sigh.

Signal

Sorry for the blog silence. I've been on a mini-vacation..

FO: Larisa

My Larisa scarf is finished and I am head over heels with it. More photos on Ravelry.

Specifications: Pattern: Larisa by yours truly Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze, 1 skein (19 grammes to be precise) Needles: 4mm KnitPro Modifications: None, zip, zilch. I was effectively test-knitting my own pattern (which reminds me that my test knitters will need a revised version - I will get that to you by end of next week).

I'd be tempted to start another one, because what you see is actually a sample and I don't get to keep it.. but I've just cast on for a quick little weekend knit I've been meaning to do for a long, long time. More on that later.

Relics

"Legend has it that you don't fully quality for your West End passport unless at least one item in your house comes from Relics." I have only lived in Glasgow for four years, but by that standard not only do I carry a West End passport, I'm an ambassador for the West End. I love Relics and visit a least a couple of times a week - which you need to do in order to snap up the really good stuff. Through the years I've picked up vintage buttons, Dave's bought me the best knitting bag, we have found Soviet ceramic tiles, a Muirhead Bone drawing/lithograph from the trenches at Ypres (behind the vase), and dozens of other small pieces.

This week I found this beautiful 1930s vase you see in the photo. It may look a bit naff in the photo, but in real life it has a wonderfully subtle glaze and the flowers have a gentle glow. I fell in love with it the second I saw it, but it was not until I saw a woman pick it up saying "I might get this later.." that I realised that it had to belong to me or it would haunt me as The Vase That Got Away. And so I forked out my £3 and went on my merry way.. It is now sitting in front of the living room fireplace. I absolutely love it.

But sometimes my secondhand purchases get slightly out of hand. Today, in a different secondhand shop, I picked up some 1950s sewing patterns. This is all well and good, except both patterns are for 32" busts and my sewing machine does not work. I am pondering listing them on eBay, so they can go to a good home and I get (some of) my money back. Or I might hang on to them. Because I tend to hang on to things.

A few links to tide things over until I finish some projects/we have enough light for decent photos/anything to happen:

• The Language of Fashion - do crafters/DIYers use a different set of words to professionals?
• Do Typefaces Really Matter? - yes, they really do and I once wrote 106 pages about that. Good times.
• Weaving In Ends as You Knit - blog post in Norwegian but with instructive photos.
• Skirt Week - Inspirational Links to free sewing projects of the skirty kind.
• My Fault, I'm Female - stories of women who've been made to feel it's their fault that they are female at work, at home, or wherever.
• DK: KNIT - the Danish Cultural Institute, Edinburgh, is hosting an exhibition on new knitwear from Kolding Design Academy. I'm going!
• Crowded House makes frontpage on Metafilter. I rejoice despite not liking their new album.

Next up: dinner. Slow roasted pork shoulder in jerk sauce with baby potatoes and a fresh garden salad. Rainy days always make me eager to cook proper food.

The Knight With A Galleon On His Head

A friend of mine has crossed the North Sea to visit us here in rainy Glasgow. We took her to the Cathedral district yesterday. D. and my friend walked up the Necropolis while I lounged decoratively on a bench.

Afterwards we went inside St. Mungo's Cathedral - one of my favourite places to see stained glass windows here in Glasgow (and you'd be surprised by just how much stained class you find here - both in public and private homes).

My favourite window keeps changing. Yesterday I fell in love with this slightly barmy one: The Knight With A Galleon On His Head. I'm sure it has a real title or epitaph, but I like my version much better than "David Tavish Farquar, the 16th Duke of Skirlie In Memory of His Brother Simon, Lord of Colcannon".

Time for tea and buttered scones, I think. A busy day lies ahead.

Beads

So, this is your almost-first look at Larisa, a little scarf I designed some months ago and which is currently out with various test-knitters. It is knitted in Kidsilk Haze and has beaded edgings. I'm currently one-third through the scarf itself and find it a really relaxing knit. Just enough interest to keep me going and yet easy enough to knit late at night or during my commute. I'm not one of those knitters who walk through a meadow and decide to knit a scarf inspired by a particularly beautiful tree. I designed 'Larisa' because I could not find the right pattern for an elegant, yet straightforward, scarf which I could give away as a present. I wanted a scarf which would dress up an outfit, a scarf which was classy rather than fashion-forward. And so I simply sat down with a partial ball of Kidsilk Haze, some beads and my trustworthy notebook.

I would say, though, that I am one of those knitters who love their art and fashion history. I drew some inspiration from Art Deco - in fact, the horizontal line of the beading contrasting with the vertical lines of the lace is a design element I picked up from all those hours I spent reading about sky-scrapers many years ago. I tried out various severe lace patterns with super-vertical lines before opting for a lace insert which combines some vertical design elements with a V shape (or heart-shape depending upon your mood). I just think the pattern looks much softer and more inviting as a result.

Meanwhile, I have finished my crochet bag and meant to get some shots of it today. Unfortunately the weather was not on my side and it proved impossible to get enough light(!) for a good photo. I hit a snag with the lining, actually. It turned out that my sewing machine which I was "not entirely sure actually works" did not work. Maybe you will understand if I show you which machine I have.. I'm not sure why it does not work, except that the bobbin case keeps falling out when I use the machine and the 'overthread' doesn't want anything to do with the 'underthread' (I'm not sure of my English sewing machine terminology - does it show?). So, anyway, well. I had to handstitch the lining and I'm not a fantastic handstitcher. I'm going to rip out the part of the lining I have already attached and wait until I can afford a new machine (or work out why my machine does not work - whichever comes first).

Finally, if you reading smart women writing about what it's like to be a smart woman (i.e. a person), you will enjoy The Anti-Room. I found this little post on Harlequin romances and inherent misogyny.

PS. Faithful readers, do you think me and my full-busted short-torsoed peasant-woman body could get away with this cardigan?