Wednesday, July 01, 2020

While Miz Kittling Knits: Silent Witness



I've been knitting up a storm and not showing any of the finished products to you. Shame on me! But I managed to do something that surprised the pudding out of me, so I thought I'd share.

Normally, it takes me anywhere from two to three years to complete an afghan, but with this pandemic and a few other things going on, I've had a lot I didn't want to dwell on, so I settled down in front of the television with a pattern, needles, and a lot of yarn, and finished what I call my Lockdown Afghan in three months. I still can't quite believe that I did that!

The pattern I used is called "Endearing" and it's from the Big Book of Quick Knit Afghans. Since I've already made afghans from this pattern book (and have started another one!), the pages are coming loose and I have to use a binder clip to keep everything together. (My standard operating procedure is to make a copy of the pattern and enlarge it so it's easy to read from a distance as I knit.)

The yarn I used was 100% acrylic Red Heart With Love in a deep rich purple called Aubergine.

Here I've draped the finished afghan over Denis's recliner in an attempt to show you the color and some of the pattern detail. The light-colored spots you see are from a cushion underneath the afghan.

With all its yarnovers, purl togethers, and knitting multiple stitches in the same stitch, the pattern kept me on my toes, and didn't let me think of anything else besides what was on the television as I kept my needles working.

The pattern was complicated enough to remind me of some of the knitting my mother did, which makes me very happy.

If you're wondering what "quick knit afghans" are all about, they are afghans knitted on large (US 15 or 17) size needles using two strands of yarn, and they're all in one piece-- no sewing strips together. In about twenty-six repetitions of the pattern, you've got a finished afghan.

The next photo shows you the afghan laundered, in a vinyl zipper bag, and placed in a tote. It's all ready for the recipient. If you're wondering about the difference in colors, the lighting in my craft room is much different than the lighting in my family room!

All ready for the recipient!



What was I watching while I was knitting my Lockdown Afghan? Silent Witness, a BBC crime drama that's been on the air since 1996. Britbox had begun showing the most recent seasons, and once I'd watched those, I discovered that Amazon Prime had all the rest, so I decided that I'd begin at the beginning and work my way through the entire series.

The first six seasons or so I found a bit rough going because I did not care for the main character, Dr. Sam Ryan (played by Amanda Burton). Once I got past those seasons, I've been enjoying it. Sure those forensic scientists and pathologists do a lot of chasing down clues and interviewing suspects that they never do in real life, but the storylines are interesting and so are the characters.

Emilia Fox's character, Dr. Nikki Alexander, has stayed the longest while the other characters stay for a few seasons and then move on to other things. I have to admit that I like the current cast of characters the best, and I will be very glad to get to the seasons where they make their first appearances.

I let myself watch just one two-part story each evening that I knit while Denis is at work, and my only worry is that I won't get caught up before the series is dropped by Amazon Prime and winds up floating in the ether before Britbox gets it back online.

We'll see what happens while I'm knitting this new afghan, won't we?

UPDATE: Denis has requested his own afghan, so he's chosen the color and pattern, and now I'm waiting for the yarn to be delivered, so I'd better work on this current one fast!


12 comments:

  1. Looks so beautiful Cathy. 👏 And yes Silent witness is a great series. I haven’t watched it for a long time but it’s always available on Freeview here.

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    1. I've been watching it on Amazon Prime and Britbox-- and on Denis's days off, we've been watching "Heartbeat." Since I may get out of the house once a month, with all the British telly I'm watching and the time I'm spending with Denis, I'm going to start speaking with a British accent (hopefully Northern). Good to see you commenting here on the blog, Angela!

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  2. That afghan is beautiful, Cathy. And I do like the pattern a lot. I remember when I first learned to knit (not that I've done much of it!), we used those big needles. As for Silent Witness, I've watched a bit of it, and perhaps I should give it another try, because I wasn't exactly drawn in. Maybe it just wasn't the right time, or maybe it was the main character. Either way, I'm glad you've found it's gotten better as you've gone along.

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    1. I've also found that it's a bit edgy in its subject matter, which is why I only watch one two-part story per evening. By the time I'm done with that story, I'm in the mood for something a bit gentler.

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  3. Beautiful afghan. I cannot knit so I admire those who can knit and who make useful items.
    I haven't watched Silent Witness, but may try it out.

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    1. You may find yourself interested in some of the subject matter they cover-- and they tend to be honest and not provide easy answers.

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  4. I just found season one of Silent Witness in my stack of library dvd's so I"ll watch it. Who knows when I'll be able to get season 2? NYC is opening up 3 branches in Manhattan and the one closest to me is pretty inaccessible unless I take a cab.

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    1. Whenever someone mentions a cab in NYC, I always think of Ben Bailey and "Cash Cab."

      Let me know what you think of Season 1 of Silent Witness.

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  5. And I just found every eason on Amazo Prime which I have, and din't realize.

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    1. I did mention that in my post. All the seasons except for the last four or five are available on Amazon Prime. The most recent seasons are on Britbox.

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