It's all such a sequence of continuous delights*

After finishing a number of projects last week, I felt it was time to cast on something new. With lots of new yarn and patterns in the cupboard, I was a little spoiled for choice! But I decided to be good, and start something from my Year of Projects list.

I've had this Stylecraft Special Aran for a few weeks, all lined up ready to go for the Alasse Miriel Hooded Cowl. All I was missing was the pattern, but as it is only a few quid to download that wasn't really an obstacle! I very quickly got bored with the start of the pattern - a seemingly endless parade of 2x2 rib. I swear, the next thing I knit isn't going to have ribbing at all!

Yesterday evening I reached the interesting part, where you switch from knitting in the round to knitting back and forth. Switching from my DPNs to my ridiculously long cable needle was easy enough, but now I am faced with a new challenge - magic loop.

Somewhere between the yellow and white markers is the end of the row

Because I'm still quite close to the tube of ribbing, knitting back and forth is proving very awkward indeed, as the stitches are all determined to stay so close to each other and in a circle. Having never knit using a magic loop method before, I am finding it extremely slow and fiddly, constantly shifting my stitches up and down the cables to keep the needles free for the next few stitches! I can see that it will get easier as I progress up the hood, but for now each row is taking forever. I will persevere though, as I need to get this finished in time for the start of the LRP season at Easter.

I had hoped to have finished my friend's gloves by now, but after not quite concentrating enough while knitting them at roleplay night last week, I think I've made a mistake. Currently they are hiding in my knitting bag, while I pretend they don't exist so I don't have to figure out where I went wrong. I'll get over myself in a few days, and pull them back out to fix. I think I've messed up keeping track of my thumb increases, so will have to undo a few rows and recount.

As I'm going to link up with Ginny's Yarn Along today, I guess I should also talk about my recent reads. When I last mentioned it, I had just started Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I can't believe I never read it when I was younger! I loved every word of it, even if it does get a little religiously preachy at times. Reading it in work, I had to try very hard not to cry over Beth. I did struggle to keep that episode of Friends out of my head though, when Joey gets so sad about Beth dying that he has to put the book in the freezer.

I've moved on to another classic, as we couldn't find the trashy sci-fi novel I wanted to read anywhere in the house. I'm reading Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, mainly because I loved the BBC adaptation of it. The book is very different indeed! But it's a really easy read, with plenty of talk of knitting and crochet in it, and I'm flying through it at quite a rate. I shall be done in a few days. I think, even though at the moment I can only snatch half an hour or so at lunch to relax with the Kindle.

*Quote from the Cranford TV series