2014 has got off to a rambuctious start, with two medical operations dominating, and lots of knitting as a result – if only it were actually winter, that would be nice. I think North America has greedily nicked our winter in addition to their own and should send it back, pronto! The grey we’re having is sometimes mild, sometimes cold, and this morning there were about 6 snowflakes for 5 minutes and that, once again, was it. But winter it certainly is not!
The consequences of OP1 can be shown as follows: 
Another Ishbel shawl (Ysolda Teague) in Malabrigo Sock in “Solis” – colours like the aurora borealis and always a pleasure to knit with this yarn! Only conundrum – apparently you need 555m to knit the larger size; I had 420m and knitted the larger size anyway, then had about 40g left over??
This is Blank Canvas, another Ysolda Teague pattern, in Drops Merino, which though plain, is a supersoft and smooth merino that has knitted up beautifully and is lovely to wear!
Which leads me to the third knit and OP2, an anatomical heart that was on Knitty a number of years ago, by Kristin Ledgett – 
If you could keep this 23 yr old young man, who is having a mitral valve repaired next week, in your thoughts, that would be lovely – thankyou!
That was actually really interesting and fun, if fiddly, to knit – I think it takes the prize even in front of the knitted dalek… 🙂
(knitted in a mixture of a leftover MadelineTosh sock yarn and a Regia silk-wool sock yarn)
I had a lovely surprise Christmas present in the form of a pattern for a mystery KAL – a knit-along for the non-knitters here! Ysolda is definitely in favour, as this is yet another of her clever ideas. Called “Follow Your Arrow”, a new clue is published each week, so you don’t know until you’re finished what it will look like. It’s a shawl, I know that much, but as there are two options each week, everybody’s shawl will look different anyway, in addition to the shawls all being different colours and weights of wool! So far, so good, this was after Clue 1: 
It’s more Malabrigo Sock in a colour called “Lotus” – be warned, it’s nothing like the photo on the shop site, as I was expecting pink/blush/cream and got purple/rose/grey…!
A bit late for Christmas, though it did rush to catch up as valiantly as it could, we are now rewarded for some TLC of an “old” amaryllis bulb that has produced a 2ft stem with four flowers on it and is very beautiful! 
And last, but not least, here is something in town that I simply didn’t register (possibly thought it was a squashed can of coke, out of the corner of my eye!) until I actually tripped over it… It’s art, apparently, and quite amusing, I think! 
Happy January…
The Little Wash-House 
Much impressed – and the harp is coming in handy,too! How many times have I managed to get my stiletto heels stuck in cobble stones and similar – never thought of it as art! Can you put a little inflatable pump inside that heart to make it beat? And yes. keeping him in my praeyrs xx
You, my friend, are more then welcome to our winter weather! I shall send it express to be sure you get it while winter is still going on. lol
Hello, I found you via Gillie’s blog and since I am also a knitter, I’m enthralled with your shawl.
I’m sure you may have half of all of the snow that the US midwest and east are getting. We in California desperately need some precipitation, too, as we are having a drought. Nothing ever evens out, does it?
Welcome, Willow, so nice to have a new reader! The Ishbel shawl is a good one to start with if you’ve not tried lace shawls before 🙂
Weatherwise we had a sunny weekend in southern Switzerland and there was snow on the ground in the mountains, of course, that we drove through – but still no real snow at home. We are at about 500metres above sea level and would usually have had some snow by now…
Ah, I’m not the only one wishing for snow then. Will keep that 23 year old young man in my thoughts….
Thankyou Freda – the young man in question had his op yesterday and my daughter was able to visit briefly… 🙂