Fourth Time's the Charm

Afghan in Spain

At least I hope so.  I've put enough effort into it already.

Last winter I knitted an afghan and finished it in time to give to our friends in Spain. I hope it is keeping them warm.

It was a pleasurable enough project. And, with a knitting project to hand, I don't get thrown out of the TV room when the nightly news is on - busy fingers usually translates into less mouthing off to stupidity.

So rather than be banished to the kitchen for the winter, I thought it would be a good idea to have another substantial knitting project.

Goodness knows what possessed me, but I also thought I could design it myself, combining a number of different Celtic patterns, figuring out stitch counts and basically reinventing the wheel. A small wheel, I know, but nonetheless, a wheel that still had to be round.


For a while it seemed that I was taking out more stitches than I had ever knit up, but I now think that even if it isn't exactly what I first envisioned, the piece has its own charms.

If I'm lucky and work hard, I probably only have another two months left of knitting. Which means that by the time the weather is too warm to be cuddled under a almost-afghan, it should be completed. And maybe, just maybe, the news won't be quite so stupid.

1st Attempt

2nd Attempt

4th Attempt

Seems to be Working

Winter Harvest in Northern California

The mustard is bright, tasty and huge. The daffodils are bearing up under the rains. The lime crop is bending the branches of the little tree. And the elephant seals' pups are growing faster than the weeds.

King Alfred Daffodils

Giant Red Mustard

Rangpur Lime

Northern Elephant Seals