Cornflower

Red sox

    At last!

    I wound the yarn (80% merino/10% cashmere/10% nylon) in the summer of 2009, began a cabled sock, decided it didn't cut the mustard, unravelled it, and in March 2012 cast on the first Cauchy sock (from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.). I finished it last month, went straight on to the second one and cast off today.

    I made a mistake on the top of the right foot, but a blind man running for his life wouldn't notice, so there it will stay.

    If I were to make them again I'd do a ribbed cuff instead of the picot one, but otherwise they are fine, they fit well, and I'm glad to have them finished.

 

Edited to add: I've now blocked the socks (I gave them a good wash and eased them into shape), and the yarn has fairly bloomed.

When did you last ...?

    "When did you last ...?" I asked myself when I picked up my spindle the other day and had another go at spinning.

    These pages (very useful in that respect) tell me that I bought the spindle back in 2008, and I worked away for a while, improving my technique but not really getting very far. Determined to have a more productive year craft-wise (hence the 'roll' which Karoline astutely spotted I'm on just now), I took the spindle out of the cupboard, refreshed my memory with the help of some Youtube* videos, and set to. A helpful tip I picked up late yesterday was to pre-draft the fibre, so I'm trying that now and getting a more even, if still very beginner-ish, result.

    How about you? When did you last knit/spin/sew/quilt/embroider/play a musical instrument/draw/paint/etc.? If it's been a while, why not pick it up again?

    

*In the olden days, a girl would have been taught to spin by a female relative; nowadays, you can learn from YouTube - or as Mr. C. quipped when I made that observation - 'ThouTube' ...

Hat's off

    The Simple Rib Hat I showed in its early stages the other day, all done now and ready to keep out the cold.

    I love the very dark blue with its subtle shading, the yarn (bought here) has great stitch definition, as you can see, and the finished piece has body. The pattern is very simple, the hat was quick to make, but most importantly, the recipient is happy with it.

A bird in the hand ...

    Night Birds mitt.

Fresh off the needles, this has yet to be blocked, but I'll do that when the second one is finished. My French knots are a little uneven, but this was a quick and enjoyable knit, and I like the combination of colours, from the charcoal cuff  through the iris section and on to the tweedy green ribbing.

That colour again

Pulse-quickening

    I've been an admirer of John Lill's playing since as a student I bought his recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas on cassette. I've seen him play live once or twice, though not for some years, but he's currently on his 70th. birthday tour and was performing here in Edinburgh at the Usher Hall* last night, so I couldn't miss the chance to go and see him again.

    He was playing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 with the RSNO, and his enormous power - very focused, very direct, intense, and supremely eloquent - was quite electrifying.

    Glasgow people, I think there are still tickets left for the Royal Concert Hall and the same programme tonight (Saturday), so snap them up if you can. Anyone else who's interested, you might like to hear John Lill's Desert Island Discs recorded a few years ago.

 

*The painting of the Hall is by Stanley Cursiter.

 

Edited to add: I haven't found a review of Friday's concert, but here is one of Saturday's, and, as you'll see, its writer shares my enthusiasm.