I HAVEN'T LOST INTEREST

in the amazing Oliver's Fund blanket project ! Allan seems to have been away quite a bit lately, which leaves me feeling wrecked and, if truth be told, vulnerable. Oliver was off school on thursday and friday with one of those short, sharp colds, that children seem to bounce back from so easily.
Of course, now I have it. The adult version ! I wasn't too bad saturday lunchtime, when two dear friends came round for knitting [not so much] and adult female conversation. Something we all need, and which feeds our souls. Good friends are precious indeed.
By the time they left [early evening. We do it properly !] I was feeling really rough. Also feeling guilty for possibly passing what has turned out to be a ''heavy cold'' on to them. Sorry girls !
My nose and eyes won't stop streaming and I feel like crap ! I thought you needed to know ! No rest tomorrow, as school is shut for a ''professional day'', so I shall be attemptig to keep Oliver amused, fed and watered.
Sigh.

Anyway, I look on with amazement at developments at American blanket H.Q. It has left me speechless ! The generosity of knitters, and the beauty of all those perfectly knitted squares is astounding, wonderful and humbling.
Thank you so much.
I am hoping that Michaela's computer will [very, very] soon be mended, and she, too, will be able to show beautiful squares. The G.B. piles are not as towering. There's a lot fewer of us, and not many of us have the incurable need to knit socks.
Who knew there were so many sock yarn scraps, just waiting for their turn in the sun ? ! That sock knitters are such a frugal bunch ? I gave a big bag of sock yarn scraps to school a while ago. I still keep finding hidden pockets of sock yarn jewels, hidden in the wool room. Well, that'll be all over the house, actually.

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No squares to show today as I had need to knit a hat. For a boy who keeps growing. I chose this pattern, mainly because I'd found a skein of Malabrigo [there appears to be a U.K. shortage of this yarn !] that pretty much matched the new winter coat.

The circumference is fine, but it needed to be quite a bit longer. Seems that he has inherited my huge head !
I had to rip.

Add more length.

It does go quite nicely with the new teddy bear fleece lined jacket.


It fits.

He might, possibly, like it !

Knitting with Malabrigo is a very pleasurable experience. It is so incredibly soft, yet full of life and bounce. Perfect for small accessories. I wouldn't knit a large sweater with it, as I'm sure it would pill and felt outrageously ! All the time I was knitting with it though, I kept thinking about much I love knitting. The action of it, the feel and smell of the yarn. The connections it brings. The knitters I have met. The yarn that binds us.
The thing that started me on this Malabrigo thing was a delicious hank of the Velvet Grape colour, very generously gifted by a friend. I made myself a pair of Fetching mitts. Added length above the cuff, and ditched the flaring picot bind off. In fact I decreased 9 stitches on the cast off row. A much nicer fit.

Send more Malabrigo ! :0)

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I have decided to participate in Pay it Forward. Mainly because it was CJ who asked. She doesn't blog too often, but she is always interesting.
The first three people to express an interest in my comments, who commit to follow through and be fair and honourable, will receive a handmade gift from me. At some point !
Anyway, below is the undertaking [CJ still has two ''slots'' going !] :

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."