This is not a knitting blog...

 ..and yet... here you see more knittery.

Between revamping beret patterns, I've used the knitting machine as think-music.  Without a map ( I never take notes) I tried to remake the red jumper (sweater) that I accidentally destroyed a few weeks ago. The original was an improvised version of Teresa Dair's Vaganza, from her book "I Knitted My Way".

 

There were a few minor...errr... quirks... in the sleeve and tail departments.

Which means that the optional split or knot detail is limited to knots....

 ...which is actually quite fine and comfy.

The longer tail works well when worn in the "shrug" variation... (it's a tad Matador, don't you think?).

 

 ...and the back, with its sometimes-neckline-sometimes-back-detail works just fine.

Quirks and all, I've been living in it.  Melbourne has turned COLD!

 

A knitty sort of Sunday

On Sunday, I had a mostly-kid-free day.  My initial thoughts were that there was a lot that I could do to make the most of the time without distraction.  

Instead of doing any sort of catch-up on things, I made a conscious decision to ignore the impulse to do anything that I felt that I should.... and do exactly what I needed to do. 

RELAX... (knit)

 I caught up with lovely friends for coffee and cake and then spent the afternoon with my knitting machine and an audio-book. 

Heaven. 

I could feel my tired, over-stuffed brain defragging.

There was even time to linger in another little slice of (textile) heaven....

 I'm a bit besotted with my new book.  Teresa Dair's design aesthetic is so completely up my alley, I sighed and pored over every one of this book's silky, matt pages.

Yes... I can totally see me swanning about in all of it, too.... feeling fabulous and textural and ever-so-clever because I made it myself...

 Of course, I haven't made any of it yet....
...but that's hardly the point of a gorgeous and inspiring book, is it...?

And until I can justify any more yarn purchases, I won't have any of the amazing Dairing yarn to create the textures needed for the full effect.  In the meantime, I have pure wool.  LOTS of pure wool.

 I took inspiration and went a bit freestyle with this idea....

As I wait for it to dry, instead of blocking it smoothly, I'm stretching and distressing the edges... messing things up a bit.  There is no steel in the yarn to hold the memory of this torture, but it's creating a lovely drapey shape with tendrilly corner bits.

You'll no doubt be treated to much swanning and poncing when I finally get my body into this one. 

I'm looking forward to seeing Teresa ... and her yarn... (WHO SAID THAT?) at Grampians Texture next year.  She'll be teaching workshops there too.

In the meantime, if you don't hear from me, I'll be knitting furiously, to make room in that yarn stash of mine....