Even more reasons to love Never Not Knitting

I won a prize!



My name came out in the Episode 22 drawing and I won a 100-row row counter with a tiny little sweater dangling from the end of it - so cute - so thank you Alana. I'm really looking forward to using it.

Phew! It's always a relief to get through Monday. It's so nice to get home, stick the dinner on and settle down in front of It Takes Two with the moss stitch scarf (one yard long already!). I would have been home even sooner except I had to trek around town in search of a "new baby" card for a colleague. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a tasteful decent sized card (one that fifty-odd people can fit a message on) in this town. There were loads of lovely but tiny baby boy cards but it was almost impossible to find a large-ish card that didn't either state the bleeding obvious ("It's a Lovely Baby Boy!" - as opposed to what, exactly) or wasn't nausea inducingly sentimental (I refuse to buy any card which includes either of the phrases "lovely snuggly little bundle" or "ten tiny tootsies"). It's not as if Oxford is underburdened with card and gift shops! Anyway, card is bought (hurrah for Paperchase) and I can relax with the knitting.



I'm working through all the odd little balls of Rowan Big Wool at a most satisfying rate. It's lucky that I've finally got the hang of spit splicing as otherwise I'd have a lot of chunky ends to darn in.

The antidote to colourwork

After spending all week working on a stranded project in four colours on 3mm needles both my brain and my fingers needed a rest. Something quick and undemanding - some plain vanilla knitting.

Moreover, since I didn't have any uncomplicated projects already on the needles it had to be something that I could cast on with barely a moment's thought (must - start - knitting - again - immediately) and with no risk of having to rip it out once I come across one of those inevitable project issues that a moment's thought would have obviated!*

Moss stitch scarf in Rowan Big Wool



Cast on 17 stitches using 10mm needles and Rowan Big Wool from stash. Knit until yarn runs out. Cast off.

I'm hoping for an easy win on all fronts here. After only an hour or so of knitting I already have nearly a foot of scarf so it should be a quick project. This yarn has been sitting in my stash in bits and pieces for several years. It was originally very expensive so knitting it up will be a weight off my conscience as well as freeing up a lot of space in the stash - they don't call it bulky weight for no reason. And a plain moss stitch scarf will make a splendid item to go in the - no longer imaginary - Christmas gifts box. I even have someone in mind for it.

* actually I did have to rip out two rows and the cast on as I didn't like the gauge I was getting with 12mm needles but when two rows equals all of 34 stitches it's hardly a tragedy.