Taking time

I'm really enjoying Daylight Savings at the moment.  Being able to take photos after getting home from work, for example.  Or not having to make sure the washing is in off the line before the 4pm chill starts to make it damp.  Dinners have been later, which has meant there has been a little more time for unwinding between work and night time routines.  I like that, that sense of taking time to transition from one role to the other with a bit of "me-time".

The bonus of this small shift is that productivity has been high on a few projects since I last posted.

I've finished the back of my Fieldwork Cardigan and am about to cast on the fronts which, being shaped in a deep V, really shouldn't take long at all.  Which is good, seeings my fellow-KALer Jules has already finished hers!

I also worked on something Lily's been after me to make her for some time - the Woodland Hoodlet from tinyowlknits' book "Woodland Knits". 

It wasn't the most pleasant thing to knit as first, being made of Rowan Big Wool using 10mm needles and incorporating short rows, cables and bobbles.  I will admit there was a fair bit of griping actually.  Then I decided to suck it up and just make work with it, mindful that it was for my girl and she rarely asks for me to knit anything for her.  This is something to be excited about, not whined over.  

Once I made peace with that thought, the hoodlet has been a lot more enjoyable to work on.  I've finished the main piece and just need to grab a 60cm cable for my interchangeable needles so I can work on the hood section this weekend and hopefully finish it for her by Sunday.  One good thing about super-bulky wool on 10mm needles is that it does knit up quickly! 

Then on a whim, I started Mum's Christmas present. (8 weeks to go, just saying...)

Aranami by olgajazzy, using Isager Bomulin (75% cotton/25% linen).

I've been thinking about making this pattern for a while.  The appeal lay in the knitting process though, not the finished piece which I knew I'd be unlikely to wear.  Mum will love it though, and a handknit for Christmas in Australia usually isn't something that really works. Cotton/linen blends for the win!

My mum is precious highly sensitive about wool, and even the softest of laceweight 50/50 merino/silk sends her into the itches. So when I once again was mulling over the idea of making Aranami, and this yarn called out to me in just the right colours, I knew I'd found the perfect recipient.  The Bomulin is quite beautifu to work with, especially as I'm not usually a plant-fibre knitter.  It is quite springy, has a lovely drape, even pre-blocking.  Modular garter stitch probably helps it's cause too, I suspect.

and zero Itches!

after looking at the Aranami photos more closely, I realised I've actually made a huge boo-boo on the order of the modular pieces, and had to rip it back to the natural-coloured section - wahhh!!!!  I managed to get it back to the green tonight, but not in time for photos.  Next time...