A Jumbo Tale

I definitely go through phases in my knitting.

About a year ago, I was coming to the end of a hat phase, when I got some Noro Maiko (the yarn was new at the time; now it's discontinued -- go figure) and this book of hat patterns. I started a Torunn hat, did the fun part (the colourwork) and then gave up when I got to the "un-fun" part; that is, the decreases, which must be knit with double-pointed needles. So I put it away for a year, and dragged it out recently and finished it.


Then, after my hat phase, I went through a scarf phase. More specifically, a feather-and-fan scarf phase. I don't think I ever posted this one as a finished object.


The scarf phase is not quite over, but I seem to have moved on lately to cowls and shawls. This has culminated in my next project, which will be a Cowled Capelet by Jane Thornley, which is pretty much a combination of the two. (I consider it to be similar to a shawl in that it covers the shoulders, which is what I love about wearing shawls.)

I am just waiting for a mail-order package to arrive with a couple of circular needles I will need for the project in order to get started. I have already picked out a selection of yarns from my stash which are potentially going to be in the finished project. (I'm sure I will adjust as I go along.)


The thing I love about Jane Thornley's patterns is that she uses yarn like paint, creating masterpieces of texture and colour. She is very much a "kindred spirit" to my style of knitting, I think.

On a different note, but also related to knitting, I went on a rather exciting (if you consider snowstorms to be exciting) road trip to St. Thomas on the weekend, for a visit to Little Red Mitten. St. Thomas is famous as the place where Jumbo the Elephant died. I mention this because it's relevant to my tale. The knitting store is located on Talbot Street, across from the commemorative statue of Jumbo.

I had wanted to take a photo of Jumbo while we were there, but so much snow had fallen while we were shopping (about an hour) that the car was buried in six inches of the stuff. My friend hadn't even worn her boots, since the weather was perfectly clear when we started out. So anyway, we had other priorities. Getting home, it took us two hours to drive from London to the east end of Kitchener, normally a one-hour drive.

I came away with lots of Noro (Kureyon and Silk Garden), a couple of skeins of Poems, by Wisdom Yarns (a now-discontinued Noro knock-off), and three skeins of Koigu KPM, in colours I have been unable to get elsewhere.