I cast on a new project.

I loved this pattern immediately, and it took only the slightest encouragement from a trusted judge of cute to make the purchase. I am using a butter soft alpaca in cream that was one of my favouritist yarns in all Japan, and I am not sure that I have quite enough. I do have a big long scarf in this yarn and one mitten, so if I do run out, it’s curtains for them. I love a good cream, but it is so hard to find one that is not too white, or yellowy or cheap looking.

The stitch is super easy and there is no shaping, so the back is a few rows shy of doneness.

It is twisting to one side, hopefully a ruddy good blocking will sort that out though.

I think I am settling into a Southern Winter of Cardis. They are such a versatile and necessary item down here.

In other news, I have been picking up knitting patterns from all over the country, I love one pamphlet called Jean Greenhowes’s Jiffy Knits, not least because they have knitted baked beans! Knitted Baked Beans! I wish I had knit up some of these to send to my trans-tasman friends for Anzac Day last week.

And I also got New Zealand Picture Knitting. While it lacks Jenny Kee’s gobsmacking use of colour, it is still a fine collection of hugely unflattering garments.