The Treasures of Granny's Button Box

Centre: the button box. Clockwise from top: general buttons; severed doll head; cluster of shiny silver buttons; two buckles.

None of which, unfortunately, were quite right for my Kingscot cardi (which was what was weighing down the scales in the last post).  I think I'll use one of these two options when I get back to my own, Cambridge-based button store, and possibly photograph it without buttons in the meantime.

It was still fascinating to paw through this heavy repository of buttons and bric-a-brac. Do you have anything like it, either with a collection you've built up yourself or inherited?

450g of pure knitted success

Irtfa'a Shawl (or 'Earning My Wings')

I went to the Botanics today to take some pictures (finally) of my humungoid Irtfa'a shawl, which has been nestled around my shoulders for much of this manic month.

Above I am spreading out the magical cloak of dreams. Its wingspan is so much bigger than mine; I think of the wandering albatross every time I wear it.

The gardens were in vibrant bloom, and virtually deserted - the perfect place for knittish swishing about.

It was rather tricky to show off its beautiful bigness on my tiny frame and, as always, the multi-dimensional brilliance of Lilith's yarn is difficult to capture.

I would recommend the pattern; I did get ever so slightly bored of the small feather section, but the finished effect is definitely worth the slog. This is the largest project I have ever completed, taking over half a mile of yarn! I feel like I have earned my knitterly wings.

That's shawl, folks.

A Bit of Sleeve-ish Progress...

Steve the Sleeve is slowly coming along... I can't wait to be finished!

I'm thinking of doing a 'Pick of the Fringe' post, but in the meantime, you can read my reviews here as they go up. Has anyone else seen anything good in Edinburgh this August?

Jock the Sock and Steve the Sleeve

I have been having a super busy month performing in and reviewing shows at the Edinburgh fringe. In whatever little pockets of time I can find, I whip Jock the Sock out of my bag.

I'm just starting the gusset decreases on the second sock, and I am very much looking forward to having toasty toes this winter!

In slightly more capacious pockets of time, I have been working on Steve the Sleeve:

Steve is all that stands between me and completion of my Kingscot cardigan, which has been meekly hibernating for months.

It has been a long time since I completed a cardigan or jumper - I seem to have been knitting industrial quantities of lace of late - and I have rather missed the feeling of creating a new garment (as opposed to accessory). I have got my eye on several sweater patterns, including the aforementioned Buttercup (ravlink), and several of Kate Davies designs (Manu, and the hopefully forthcoming Tortoise and Hare).

It really is quite a big shawl

The bath-time plesiosaurus...

... took 231 pins to block...

... and now has a wingspan of about 3 metres...

... that's about the same as the wandering albatross. 

Modelled shots to come once I can find someone to take them, and figure out how to stop it trailing along the ground as I walk.

Sock Art

I've finished a sock! It made me rather grateful for having small feet - it seemed to whizz past after I turned the heel, though it remains to be seen whether I'll fall prey to the dreaded SSS. This is a sock-ish sister to a series of paintings by Martin Creed which I went to see today in a most excellent exhibition at the Fruitmarket Gallery, which slowly grade between colours.