The Wool Palace

And the sky is grey

It's feeling rather autumnal around here at the moment.  Everything is still very green but there's a definite chill in the air when I let the dogs out at night and first thing in the morning.  Last night I even put on a pair of socks for the first time in ages.

I have been on total lace kick since leaving London.  Diamond Fantasy is finished and blocked and looking rather lovely.  I was wondering what to start next when my new IK arrived.  The Swallowtail Shawl called out immediately, although it's more of a scarf than a shawl isn't it?  After a disastrous start (4 starts and ripping outs actually) with some very, very fine pink laceweight on bamboo needles and a complete misreading of the chart I switched to some J&S laceweight wool in a lovely dark brown.  That, coupled with reading the chart correctly, sorted things out and I'm now up to the first Lily of the Valley edging, complete with the dreaded nupps.  Does anyone have a good method for making p5tog easy?

I am also very keen to start Bianca's Jacket from the same IK issue.  I'm thinking of it in dark red, to be worn with corduroy or denim skirts and long boots.  I have nothing that will get gauge straight off so I am fiddling around knitting various things together and seeing what I can come up with.  At the moment it's looking like I will have to get the calculator out as well but I think that will have to wait until we have moved.

Talking of moving, which is pretty much all I talk about these days, we move into our cottage tomorrow.  Hooray!  Not so hooray for the fact that there will be no broadband until the end of the month.  Given that I'm not sure we still have a dial-up modem, posts will be sporadic until then.  Stick with it - just imagine all the photos I'll have to show you when things are finally sorted out...

Oh - just realised I forgot to link to this absolutely gorgeous pattern.  Check it out - this is definitely going to be my next lace project. 

The days of our lives

Thanks for all your good wishes on the move.  We are currently in the second stage, prefering a long drawn out process rather than a simple move from property to property, because that would be too easy wouldn't it? 

All our belongings and children were moved to Somerset last week and are living with Toby's mother.  Toby and I spent a week living in an almost empty flat in London, which took me right back to our squatting days - no furniture, eating, sleeping and socialising in the bedroom, although at least this time round we could afford to go out for meals most nights rather than eat veggie burger mix and rice for dinner.  Now I have come to Somerset too and Toby is left to get the flat up to letting standard in a fortnight, then we can move into our house.

One good thing about having to pack up all my yarn and books is that I have been forced to concentrate on my WIPs.  My Rowanette exchange project is all done - not that I should be too proud as I am a few weeks past the finish date for that.  I flew through the Diamond Fantasy scarf, which I plan on blocking tonight.  Pictures will have to wait I'm afraid as I have internet connection but the cameras' USB cables are 'in a bag somewhere', to quote Toby.  Given that one whole room of the house is currently filled with our boxes and bags I don't hold out much hope of finding them anytime soon.

In the meantime, I need your help.  I've posted before about me and short row heels, but I refuse to be beaten.  I am almost done with the second of my Trekking socks but the heel is giving me problems.  I'm doing the hourglass heel, taken from the Twisted Sisters sock book.  Two things are driving me mad.  1.  I end up with an uneven number of stitches on one side when I'm doing the decreases and 2. While the p3tog side looks nice and tidy and tight, the k3tog side looks horrible - all loose.  Has anyone done this heel with success?  If you have, please let me know how you managed it.