Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

I'm working on a pattern called Captain Tank from Sublime, this is the back. I love the combination of stocking stitch and garter stitch on a knitted garment, in that old fashioned simple kind of way...so this garter stitch waistband makes a lovely change from the double ribbing I've done on almost everything else I've made so far. I've gotta say I'm missing my Noro yarn! This Wool Alpaca mix is gorgeously warm and soft, but I'm finding I do favour aran weight yarn and I love variegated. The dk weight goes much more slowly and I've no colour changes to keep me entertained as I knit ; ) but it is nice to knit something with finer stitch work. It should make a really handy jumper for smallie, to take the chill off on school walks. He seems like such a greens and browns kind of laddie. The photo doesn't do justice to the lovely natural green colour. The pattern is for a one colour plain. I can't seem to do plain. So I'm planning a simple band of colour design across the chest and wish I'd wrapped it around the back too, but I missed my opportunity as I was so busy concentrating on the decreases for the armhole shaping..; ) No ripping it back now, knitting time's too precious.

I'm luxuriating in a back issue of  Irish Arts Review. It's a wonderful publication, a treat as it's the price of a book. It's issued quarterly and I buy it if I like the cover ; ) and manage to make it out of the bog and into a big bookshop (rare). I don't make it to galleries and exhibitions much anymore and it keeps me in touch with at least some of whats happening in the Irish art world. I found this one in a second hand bookshop and it seems all the more poignant now as Freud passed away just recently. He was a huge inspiration to me in my art student years. I remember sitting in the college library, almost two decades ago now (what?) turning the pages and poring over his work. His portrait of an Irish boy, featured on this cover is one of my favourites. 

Looking forward to checking out what y'all are knitting and reading out there. Thank you for stopping by and for all your lovely comments last week, great to read. M