Crunch knitting

Cycling back from seeing a friend just now a further thought occurred to me about lace - surely it must be the recession project par excellence? I paid 11 euros for the yarn to make my Swallowtail, and ended up using less than half of it. So effectively this warm, elegant, heirloom piece cost less than a t-shirt from Topshop. Of course, this is merino we're talking about - 11 euros might not get me that much silk or cashmere. Even with these more luxurious fibres, however, the price-per-yard tends to be much better than heavier yarn, not to mention the price-per-hour of knitting time, if we take into account the dizzying complexity of some lace patterns.

As I was pondering and pedalling, a chorus of sweet spring birdsong provided a soundtrack to my journey. I don't know whether I have become hyper-sensitive to birds after knitting Owls and Swallowtail, but I'm glad I was up to hear it.