Some knitting and...

Like many others, I've fallen victim to the latest viral pattern on Ravelry, a Kirsten Kapur designed hat called Ida's Kitchen.



I'm not at all sure how this happened. I have a list of things I want and need to knit that didn't include this hat, so this was just a frolic; a moment's distraction. Additionally, given that I lived through the extremes of 70s fashions, I'm not usually attracted to clothes that reference or recreate this period. It seems too recent to be fashionably 'retro'. But I'm always attracted to stripes, and seem to be going through a particularly stripey period with my knitting. And this pattern uses chevrons, which I love. So, I have knitted this vaguely 70s, hippyish hat. I don't know what I'll do with it.



At least I didn't buy yarn especially for it. The pattern calls for 7 different colours of sport weight (5 ply) yarn. I had relatively small amounts of four colours in very basic Heirloom woollen yarn and decided to add some left-over grey Araucania Ranco. Even though it's sock yarn it's quite thick and I thought it would be good enough (which it is). So, my stripey hat has only five colours, but I think that's sufficiently riotous.

Even though I resisted buying yarn for my stripey hat, I have bought some yarn recently. I visited the newish Balmain location of the Calico and Ivy yarn and fabric store and chatted with its super-knowledgeable salesperson. The store is light-filled and charming and amongst many desirable fabric and yarn choices has what is probably my favourite yarn - Rowan Felted Tweed.



I bought some skeins in a muted crushed raspberry colour and couldn't resist a skein of the blue-grey to match the tweedy flecks in the raspberry yarn. I have no project in mind, but made sure I have enough for a small shawl or a cardigan for my grand-daughter. My copy of the latest Rowan pattern book arrived on the day I bought the yarn. Even when there is nothing I might conceivably want to knit from them - which is the case with this issue - I love the Rowan pattern books. I'm always seduced by their very English boho-chic styling. I'm more likely to covet the loose linen pants, flowing skirts and chunky bangles than I am to desire to knit any of the garments.

And I have been knitting on a project I want - even if I don't need it.



Shortly after Jared Flood's yarn Shelter was released, I bought some skeins in the colour called 'Wool Socks' to make the Terra scarf / shawl. I was attracted by the lace in bulky yarn concept, and didn't even notice that the shawl had a significant base of broken garter stitch, as well as the lace. It now seems rather astonishing that I could have been so unobservant but, as you can imagine, I'm enjoying the regularity and geometry of the knitting.

I just wish it wasn't so hot!