WIP Wednesday and other things

I've been making solid progress on Eleonora this week. I've reached the shoulder and have started the long and boring back section, stocking stitch knit back and forth for what seems like will be an age. You'll notice I'm still using the DPNs; the pattern indicates I should have switched to my circular by now, but the cable isn't long enough on the one I have for magic loop and I'm still too close to the tube of the sleeve to knit flat comfortably on the circular, so for now I am knitting back and forth on the DPNs, which isn't so bad.

You'll notice my bright pink lifeline in there. I wasn't convinced the sleeve would be long enough if I knit according to the pattern directions, so I put in a lifeline where I was supposed to stop. Good thing I did, because it was clearly too short when I tried it on after increasing for the shoulder shaping. I had to rip back and knit another inch or so. 

I put it back in the second time I reached the shoulder shaping rows, just in case I get halfway across the back, try it on again and decide they are still too short. One thing I am quite pleased about is that you can't tell where I stopped knitting in the round and started knitting flat, as there is no difference in my stitches either way. That wasn't always the case, as I discovered recently that I've been twisting my purl stitches all this time! Not really noticeable when knitting anything else I've done in the past, but really would have been highlighted in this cardigan!

I noticed the other day that the rose growing outside our kitchen window was starting to bud. I have no idea what variety it is, so was not sure what colour to expect.

Turns out it's pale pink. They are so pretty and I can see them from the kitchen when we're cooking or doing the washing up (by which of course I mean loading and unloading the magical washing up cupboard).

This little guy was just chilling out in the garden when we came home from work yesterday. He was quite unafraid of us, and I managed to get up onto the lawn to take photos before he decided to run away. I think he was more concerned about Mr Fidget than me!