Caleta Tortuga now available

Finally, my mangrove shawl pattern is done and up on Ravelry, for sale with 50p from each sale going to the Galapagos Conservation Trust. A lovely break in a Landmark Trust property in County Durham (living in an 18th century folly with no TV) gave me the chance to put the finishing touches to it, and take some photos:

It's name Caleta Tortuga, which means Turtle Cove, after the bay on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos (it's actually Caleta Tortuga Negra, but quite clearly it's not black). Actually, the shape of the finished shawl is more like another resident of the bay, the rays.

Commission to Land

I've just been reading the Darkness article in this month's Q (hilarious if you like tales of rockstar excess, and Lowestoft), hence the awful blog post title.

But I am really pleased and excited - I've had my 2nd magazine commission! After all the trauma of the last one , it's great to have another one accepted. This time the magazine in question is Knit Now, a lovely magazine which launched last year and focuses on accessories and smaller projects. I won't give any details of what it will be yet - it's for issue 18, which won't be out until Jan/Feb.

I wasn't convinced that the yarn I knitted the swatch in was the right yarn for the project, so I also have an excuse to head out to some yarn shops to see if I can find the right one. The yarn I did the swatch in was Louisa Harding Grace, which is a fabulous silk/merino blend, but I think the final fabric needs to be a bit less firm - a bit drapier, in other words. Maybe some bamboo, cashmere or alpaca content would achieve this. It also needs to come in a dark terracotta or brick red.

A brief hiatus between Olympics, cricket and paralympics...

Means that the mangrove pattern shawl is finished and blocking; the pattern should be available sometime next week. It's a lot simpler than my original concept (which involved trying to knit mangrove flowers, which proved impossible to reproduce) but I've created a slightly frilled edge using yarnovers which makes it quite pretty despite the simplicity, I think.

Designing + Olympics = no designing...

While the Olympics is providing continual inspiration in every way possible it is just TOO EXCITING to make it possible to concentrate on designing anything...

My Mangrove Forest Shawl and Tobago cross over top have both reached the "complicated bit"... which I'm afraid means they've been sidelined while I automaton-like knit in-the-round stocking stitch on the body of the lovely Challow from wonderful Fyberspates.

Once the closing ceremony's over hopefully both patterns will accelerate towards completion!

Am off to the Dressage tomorrow - so exciting - team GB currently winning both team and individual and looking to build on the fantastic success in the showjumping today. Don't want to risk bringing my knitting - even the baby birch DPNs that don't cause trouble on the plane - partly due to security and partly due to the fact that I'll be finishing the day at Olympia for the Great British Beer festival.  And I was at the Athletics on Saturday morning, which involved far too much screaming & flag-waving even for stocking stitch.

Two days at Lord's next week should be a more productive sport & knitting combo!