Like mother like daughter .......

Finally I've got something to show on the Entrelac Shawl. I've never done an Entrelac pattern before & found it really weird at first. You have to knit 5 base triangles & I thought I was reading the pattern wrong, as they kept curling like this, where they joined to the next triangle:


Entrelac problem?

I just couldn't get my head around what a friend had said & that the triangles would be alright & I didn't need to cut the yarn between them - but then I'd never knitted an Entrelac pattern before.


Left hand corner of the Entrelac Shawl

This picture shows the 5th triangle which had curled as much as it's friends but is now behaving itself. I've really struggled with this pattern over the last five days & have ripped & ripped but I've finally got the hang of it. It didn't help that the pattern is incorrect! Yes I've noticed a mistake that wasn't on the Debbie Bliss revisions page. That must mean that my knitting is improving!

On the first rectangle it reads

"with wrong side facing, purl up 22 sts along other side of base triangle, turn"

This doesn't work. It should read

"pick up 22 stitches, turn"

Once I'd worked this out things started to move along & I'm enjoying it now.

I haven't been able to work on my the French Market bag as the yarn only arrived from Moondance Wools yesterday. Royal Mail are a total joke but more on that in a moment. I'd promised DD that she can help me wind it into balls so that'll happen this weekend. I'm hoping she'll stand holding the skein with her arms out whilst I wind the ball winder & get the tension right, but I think she wants to wind to her hearts content.

I've been buying a few goodies over the last few days but haven't spent a lot & didn't buy any yarn at all! All the shops that I went to sold yarn but I resisted but that's not to say that I didn't look & feel to see what was avaliable!

This is will be the lining of the French Market bag when it's finished:


French Market bag lining

I also bought two pieces of this which will be used to cover two aluminium tables that we use in the awning of our caravan.

I then visited a shop nearby which has just started selling yarn (to tell them about my knitting group) & came home with this


my new knitting bag

for the grand sum of £5!!! I love it & it's just the right depth to take my knitting plus a pattern without the latter getting bent. The lining is a beautiful gold colour & it sits on my shoulder well without slipping down.

To complete the hat trick I went into a charity shop today trying to find some 7.5mm needles for this. I've tried to get some decent ones from from Tess at Angel Yarns but she hasn't been able to find any that she was really happy with so doesn't stock any at the moment.


Charity shop bargain

The whole lot cost me £1 & the straights at the back are 7.5mm. I much prefer circulars but @ 30p a pair compared with over £5 a pair for rubbish quality bamboo circulars I had to buy them.

Going back to my earlier comment - I've got another example of how useless Royal Mail are. I ordered a set of Addi Turbos Tess at Angel Yarns two months ago & today they were delivered through my letter box - TWO MONTHS LATE!!! I'd forgotten all about them!

Finally DD has picked up her needles again! I've been trying to teach her to knit for a while now & she is an occassional knitter. As she was with me when I visted the shop were I bought my fantastic bag, she heard the owner talking about what she knitted as a child & the bug has bitten her again. Tonight she was sat up in bed when she should have been asleep after a two hour training session, with the light on. When I asked her to turn the light out & go to sleep she replied

"I'm just finishing this row..."

Now where have I heard that one before????