July 8, 2016

I love the way this looks a little like a military cape, particularly with the epaulettes, but subverted from that by picots and colour work. So I’m hoping the very very dark green-blue body and orange-yellow stranding will enhance that military/feminine dialogue. The epaulette yarn is stash-busting stuff that seemed ideal for the bill - the yellow from my nut-hap! and the orangey-yellow from the long-ago and much loved apis dorsata. The button, of course, will also be important. It has not yet been discovered.

Knitting a large with finer yarn in the expectation of a mediumish result, but exact size isn’t that important. And no, I’m not steeking. Flat stranding is far easier for me.

Onward! with hap-the-third.

July 12, 2016

Epaulettes are done - cast on an extra stitch either side which I slipped at the start of each row to give a sturdy edge. Carried the contrast yarn not in use across the back and then up the side to avoid too many ends to darn in.

July 15, 2016

This waffle stitch seems to be a sort of “fisherman’s moss stitch” or, for those who knit ‘Murican, “brioche seed stitch”. So, when working in pattern after incorporating front side stitches, it is important to keep track of how to start on the right side rows. My first RS row was k1 (work in pattern), the next has to be k2 (work in pattern). A similar accommodation has to be made at the end of the row in order not to end on a k1b. If the stitches get out of sequence you end up with half fisherman’s rib!

July 18, 2016

Progress has been slow since the recent heatwave also coincided with the worst flu-like cold I’ve had in decades. Thus conditions (fevered and horizontal) have not been conducive to knitting. Or indeed anything much other than sleep interspersed with occasional whimpering. However I’m getting better now and further rows have been completed. Approaching the end of the front shaping. A brass button has been located on ebay but not yet arrived so I still don’t know whether it is the button or will be added to the button tin.

July 22, 2016

The brass button arrived and I love it. Not much knitting done because of business but advancing slowly.

July 24, 2016

About to start the edging. Because I found the body stitch pattern so difficult to read (failing eyesight? very dark yarn? both?) I wrote the beginning sequence of all the rs rows out and ticked them off as completed. Also used a marker to note the position of the last turn in the short row section to make keeping track easier.

July 29, 2016

Hurried FO pic taken without button because off on holiday!