Monday 23 January 2012

Pre-occupied With Elizabeth Zimmerman

Following on from finding my Elizabeth Zimmerman BSJ pattern pack (I call it a pack as there are several pages in it), it has not been far from my mind.  Yes the knitty part of my head has been pre-occupied with it.  I put the biggest BSJ on Mary-Jane, to try it for fit, it was too small.  I had a dig around in the chest of drawers in our room for some suitable yarn.  I knew there was a few different balls of yarn that I had bought to do Mary-Jane things with last spring.  I selected a mid spring green colour in double knit.  Next I had to bite the bullet and crack on with it.  Step up to The Challenge.

I did a tension square (yes me, doing a tension square, how about that.  I have learned by previous experience.  Plus it is more than quintessential to do a tension square for this pattern).  I got the measurements, the main one you need is stitches rather than rows, at the moment anyway.  Then follows some sums to get the figure of what EZ calls [K].  I got this then read the pattern through substituting my figure for [K].  By about half way, I had lost the plot.  I am very familiar with the BSJ, I have made quite a few and the pattern is like an old friend.  I am hoping that the construction is the same or very similar, then I will be laughing.  Watch this space.  I am encouraging myself to have some faith in myself and my abilities.  Not Blind Faith totally, because BSJ is familiar to me.  I have now done the first three rows.

I would like to do a jacket for myself.  I have some yarn in mind.  Oh yes - that is one stash busting project underway and another loosely planned!

Mary-Jane is having a much more settled evening than last night, thankfully.  All I can think of for last night was that she may have had tummy upset.  She only did a small doo-doo yesterday, but when I changed her this morning when she got up, by gum, there wasn't any space in there at all.  She has been tired today.  She had a good run around the house this afternoon.  I took her out this morning with Mum to go to Lidl and get some sock yarn and some 4ply cotton yarn.  I know, I know, I'm on a big stash busting kick, but a little new stuff now and then doesn't go amiss.

Which leads me sort of full circle.  Whilst my knitty head was full of EZ, I decided to look on Amazon for some of her books.  Ideally I would like 'The Opinionated Knitter'.  That was a little pricey for me.  There was 'The Knitters Almanac' and 'Knitting Without Tears', which could be delivered to my grubby little hands for the princely sum of £11.33.  Too much temptation.  They are on their way to me.  I will have to forego my modular knitting class on Saturday because of this (and HK needing some new trousers).  Never mind.  I've wanted these books more.  Beans on toast and creative cookery for the next week or two!  Saying that I picked up four tins of Branstons Baked Beans in Lidl today for 99p...... I'm waffling now, time for bed! N'Night!

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