05-01-2021

The first six colours arrived with the postman this morning (thank you the Wool Zone for the brilliant mail order service). I’ll get the other shades if it all goes well.

Bracken was temporarily out of stock (more due in this month) so I’m swapping the first couple of colours round to Loch and Wild Salmon. If I don’t like it, I can always frog and reknit with the colours in the pattern. I quite like that I’m personalising it already anyway.

I knitted a gauge swatch at lunchtime with new 4mm KnitPro 60cm circular needles. On my Safe at Home blanket, I managed to break two cable needles. These seem sturdier, I must be an over-assertive knitter!

Anyway, my swatch came out fine at 24sts per 4 inches so I’ll be casting on properly tonight. New projects are always soooooo exciting!

10-01-2021

Over the course of the pandemic, early on people were hoarding loo rolls. Often there was no pasta or flour in the shops for days or even weeks at a time. Its spreading to yarn now. Would whoever is stockpiling @stylecraftyarns Highland Heathers in Bracken please cease and desist immediately! You can’t get it anywhere!

As I said earlier, to get started, I swapped the first couple of colours round but now I can’t progress any further without Bracken. Hopefully Stylecraft will be replenishing the Wool Zone’s stocks soon, The lovely swirly bit has started to emerge; I’m eager to get on with it.

01-02-2021

I’ve now got all the colours I need but had a bit of a disaster over the weekend, I was about to start row 40 when I realised I had made a mistake lower down. Somehow I transposed colours on the second half of row 22. The mistake was far too obvious to ignore; it produced such a pronounced line that I’m staggered I hadn’t noticed it earlier. Oh well, nearly 20 rows to frog. Rippit rippit

02-02-2021

Well, it wasn’t too bad in the end. It’s quite different unravelling stranded knitting. I put the stitches back on the cable any old how, then carefully tinked back another row to straighten the twisted stitches, ensure the row was even and each stitch was the colour it was supposed to be.

I’ve now knitted back to row 40 with no mistakes (I think) so I’ve only lost a couple of evenings.
Onwards!

06-02-2021

Managed to get up to row 55 last night. That’s over half way. Whoo hoo! I think I’m getting a bit faster. There’s a cold and snowy weekend forecast as Storm Darcy is due to hit here overnight. Should get plenty more done, plus I am way overdue for an update photo.

09-02-2021

Got up to row 80 out of 107, I ought to be finished soon … just in time for me to wear it for my vaccination when I’m called, over 50s are supposed to be done by the end of April.
Lovely little row of hearts have appeared just in time for Valentine’s day!

17-02-2021

I’ve finished the knitting on my Covid Cowl. My ends (see reverse side photo) look like a colourful mane that any self-respecting unicorn would be proud of

I’ve never taken on what looks like such a complicated stranded colourwork pattern before but you’re never working with more than two colours at a time and it has therefore been easier than you might think; it’s been both a pleasure and a distraction. I’m thrilled to have such a lovely cowl. I have just the ends to be woven in and some Swiss darning to go before the big reveal. I must go and rummage around in my stash, I know I’ve got some copper yarn in there somewhere …

Easter Bank holiday Monday, 5 April 2021

There is a chilly North Westerly wind blowing today in Lincolnshire so I can wear this again. When I opened the curtains at 8am this morning, there were even a few short-lived snow flurries flying around (in April!)

I actually finished the swiss darning in time to wear it for my first vaccination jab nearly a month ago but I only just got round to photographing the finished article.

It’s lovely and cosy with my big coat. I’m very glad I made it, not only will it keep me warm now winter is having a last hurrah, but those covid motifs will scare off any nasty viruses thinking about coming too near