Back. Again.

A lengthy break from blogging, for various dull reasons. Work and other things and lack of brain space. But back again.

Knitting continued:

A small hat, based on Terhi Momten's garter-stripe beanie, for my baby niece ...

... and a February Baby Sweater (and indeed actually made in February) for the same.  

A honey cowl is now on the needles, and let's not mention the magic loop sock that has been in progress since September. And Cria? What Cria?

Four things Friday

Knitting around the internet.

1. Loes Veenstra's knitting parade.

2. Killing jumper copyright controversy.

3. Wool House at Somerset House in March:

4. Franklin Habit on his lineage of creativity. (And a bonus link to FH's Yarn Shaming.)

NaKniMitMo

My (Inter)National Knit Mittens Month project, just sneaking in before the end of the month:

Not the initial plan of colourwork mittens, and a rather more simple end product than I had envisaged, but plenty of challenges came in the unexpected deviation into small-scale designing.

Pattern to follow.

In the works ...

A very, very basic mitt pattern.

Wallis blue

Edward VIII, no stranger to snazzy knitwear (shown yesterday, wearing Fair Isle like a boss), and was also a knitter, as mentioned in Wallis Simpson - knitwear pioneer. It seems that he was not just able to knit, but actively knitted:

From The Pittsburgh Press, May 22 1937:

NERVES FRAYED BY BOYCOTT, EDWARD TURNS TO KNITTING

Duke Makes 'Wally Blue' Sweater for Fiancee as His Bitterness Over Cabinet Attitude Grows

by The United Press

Monts, France, May 22 - The DUke of Windsor, seriously worried over a virtual British Government boycott of his wedding, has resorted to knitting to soothe his jangling nerves, it was understood today.

As the result, it was said, Mrs Wallis Warfield has a new sweater which he knitted for her in wool of the new 'Wally Blue' shade. It was finished last night and presented to her this morning.

Since the Government's ostracism campaign, it was said, the Duke has become more and more nervous, and slept so badly that he knitted and purled on the sweater until late at night.

It was reported Mrs Warfield was kept busy consoling the Duke. Events of the last two days have filled him with bitterness against the Government, it was reported, and have been a severe blow to his pride.

First denied the attendance of members of his own family at his wedding to Mrs Warfield June 3, only 10 days hence, the Duke now has been denied even the privilege of a religious ceremony.

Wallis (or Wally) blue was Mrs Simpson's signature colour, the shade of her wedding dress and said by some to match the colour of her eyes. It was 'the name given by the dressmaking firm of Mainbocher for a shade, especially dyed, described as having a soft tone between medium and pastel', 'a very soft yet an individual blue'.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Edward's favourite colour and became popular in the fashions of the time: in the summer of 1937 the Milwaukee Journal reported that the 'first fall costumes shown in New York included Wallis Blue'.

There is also a Wallis Blue cocktail, made of gin, blue curaçao and lime juice.

Awesome Knitwear #10

Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor

Awesome Knitwear #9

A cracking jumper spotted on last night's The Polar Bear Family & Me.

And some baby polar bears:

Now off to read up on the Setesdalgenser and the history of Scandinavian knitwear.