The Irony of Spring

The good better weather is slow to arrive this year.  Last week was still cold for the most part, but dry (mainly!).  This week the temperatures are beginning to look up.   So inevitably, the rain has arrived.  This is probably one of the drawbacks of living in the South West of England, probably most of the U.K. actually, but here in the South West we get more than our fair share of rain (as does Ireland).  Being West is one reason and the fact that in some places it’s only a few miles from coast to coast is another.

The irony of spring here is that I find it almost impossible to get any laundry dry.  A small thing on the whole I know, but one that never ceases to annoy me.  Most of our clothes have to be dried on the washing line (or flat in the case of our hand knits), we have very few things that will go in the tumble dryer.  All through the winter I dry the washing on a giant old fashioned airer that hangs from the laundry room ceiling, which is fine.  Only now the weather is warmer, and the heating isn’t on so much, the clothes don’t dry.  The only way to overcome this is to wash as much as possible, hang it everywhere, turn the heating up and pay to live in a sauna while it all dries (it’s not much good opening a window either, it’s damper outside than in here), which goes against several of my principals.  For the last couple of days my answer to this has been to ignore.  Ignore the rain – it will stop soon and ignore the washing – perhaps that will go away too.  But people in the house have started to complain, gently it must be said, but complain they have.  For some reason they all wanted clean clothes this morning, who knew!

So, forgive me if the post is a little poor, the light levels are awful for taking photos and I’m sitting here, well dare I say, a little damp!  (don’t even think it!)

I do have a photo, all be it a bit of a gloomy one, of the finished yoke from the Cable Yoke Cardi.

It is unblocked (problems with drying the thing!) so curling at the edges badly, but you can see the brilliant curve all those short rows have made.  This fascinates me from a design point of view, the calculations needed to get the top and bottom curve lengths right for neck size and arm/body size must have taken a while.  Part of me wants to sit down with paper and pen and actually work this out for myself just so I can see how it was done! Then again.. perhaps another time!

I have finished the back of the Calico Cardi, but I don’t have a picture yet.  I do, however have a picture of the strange armhole decreases on it.

I may have led a sheltered life, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across an armhole decrease where you haven’t first cast off a number of stitches, usually say five,  before beginning the ‘curve’.  This armhole shaping is just the curve.  I checked the pattern twice before committing myself to it.  Still, I’m interested now to see how the fit will be, and what difference this shaping will make.

I’ve a bit of a busy week this week.  Amongst other things I am the taxi for three different hospital appointments, two of which are on the same day.  Part of me is hoping that I have some sitting in waiting rooms to do, it may be the only chance I get to do some knitting!

I’m off to make a rice pudding using this as the base.

I tell myself it’s healthier that using half milk, half cream