Wednesday, December 02, 2020

While Miz Kittling Knits: Young Wallander

 

Here I've been knitting up a storm and not sharing anything with you. Shame on me!

In order for me to do a little bit of catching up, I'm going to do what Denis the Brit would call an "odds 'n' sods" post... a little of this and a little of that.

I'm still finding that a combination of watching television and knitting keeps my mind occupied enough that it doesn't go walkabout into subjects I really don't need to think about. I'm a strong believer in worry not being good for a body. Now let's get on to what I've been stitching and watching!


First up is an organizational goodie for my straight bamboo knitting needles.

I had been housing them in a large Mason jar with a floral wire grid insert at the top that was supposed to help me keep the different sizes separate.

Ha!

The sizes were constantly getting mixed up. Normally, I'm very careful about something like this, so I began to wonder if I had a gremlin in the house playing with my knitting needles. I got tired of mismatched needles and bought this bamboo compartmentalized turntable. When it arrived, I took a large piece of styrofoam and cut it into pieces that fit each of the compartments. Then I put a clear roll of tape into my labelmaker and printed out numbers for each size needle that I have.

You can see the results in the photo. This works much better than my old system, let me tell you! (For any of you eagle-eyed readers who noticed that I'm a needle short at the very top of the turntable, don't worry-- I know exactly where it's at.)

 

Next up is a scarf made with 100% acrylic Caron Simply Soft yarn in an almost radioactive shade of purple called "Iris." (Honest! In the right light, it glows.) I love Caron Simply Soft because of the richness of its colors and the softness of the yarn.

The free pattern I used is "Speed Bumps" although I call it something else, and it's got everything to do with living with an Englishman and all those British police procedurals that I read. 

I call it "Sleeping Policeman," and yes, that is British slang for what we Americans call speed bumps.



The next project I'll show you is one that I've done before. It's a particular favorite of mine because it works up quickly and produces a scarf that is so warm and cozy-- and there are so many ways you can wear it.

The free pattern is called "Rag and Bone Scarf," and I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn that's 80% acrylic and 20% wool. This color is called "Jam Cookie," and as you can see, it's self-striping. I usually avoid self-striping yarn but I think it looks good in this case, and-- just to add a little interest-- I added some bright red pony beads in the fringe.

I'll be making this scarf again because I have some of the same type of yarn in "Peacock" that I want to try blinging up a bit.

 



The last completed project I'll share with you is something I made for myself. I practically tore this house apart last year looking for my black sweater, but I never found it. (Maybe I do have a gremlin?) I started to order a replacement when the thought occurred to me that I had some of my favorite yarn-- Lion Brand Homespun 100% acrylic-- in black on my craft room shelf that I hadn't done anything with. I also had some skeins of a discontinued Michaels in-house brand of yarn in black that also had iridescent threads and sequins.

I combined the two in a simple knit three, purl three ribbing stitch. As you can see in the photo, I only used the iridescent yarn for the middle third of the shawl. My thinking was that the sections of the shawl that covered my arms would get more wear and tear and that I might litter sequins wherever I went. 

I'm quite pleased with the final result, but since I have more of the iridescent yarn not only in black but also in silver and gold, I'll make myself more shawls and try using the iridescent shades all the way through.

 

 

 

One of the programs I watched while making these things was Young Wallander, a series on Netflix. 

I read the first four or five books in Henning Mankell's excellent series, so that was more than enough inducement for me to see what Netflix would do with a prequel.

The prequel has us following Kurt Wallander, a recently graduated police officer, as he investigates his first case. I enjoyed this look at Wallander as he made mistakes and showed me his single-minded focus. It was quite different from reading about the veteran detective in Mankell's books.

I will say, however, that if you're not in the mood for grim and edgy, you might want to put off watching this until you are. 

Now that I've said that, I just made a note that my next Miz Kittling post will show you all something that is firmly planted in the warm and fuzzy section of the viewing spectrum!

12 comments:

  1. I love those bamboo needles, Cathy! And you've got them in a lovely keeper. Those scarves are beautiful, too. I've only knitted a little - couldn't get anything to look that gorgeous. You have a lot of skill. As to Young Wallander, I've not watched it (yet), 'though I hear it's good. Perhaps sometime when I'm in the mood for grit...

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    1. If you're anything like me, if you're not in the mood for something, it's a bad idea to go ahead with it!

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  2. What a clever, effienct, and beautiful way to store your needles! I especially love that scarf with the fringe, but the deep purple and the sparkly black are also beautiful. I have been looking at the Wallander series and may give it a try soon. :)

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    1. I liked what they did with Wallander as a young man.

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  3. You do beautiful work, Cathy! I especially like the black shawl. My mom loves to crochet and does so while watching her favorite shows. She likes to make afghans and dish cloths. Thanks for sharing your projects!

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    1. I've made tons of afghans and dish cloths, Gretchen. I've knitted so much while watching TV that it doesn't feel right to sit there and do nothing!

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  4. I love that iris scarf. Beautiful and goes with black, navy, other colors. And the multi-colored one is gorgeous, too. And you've made yourself a lovely shawl.
    How talented you are. Amazing. And you can knit and watch TV movies. Awesome.

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    1. Decades ago, I never thought I'd sound so... domesticated!

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  5. But multi-talented and a multi-tasker. That is good.

    I just read a rave review of The Moonflower Murders in the New York Times. The reviewer said she could not figure out the culprit.

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    1. Almost all the reviews of Moonflower Murders that I've read have been very positive.

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