Wick (Moss & Diamonds): Week 1, 15 December

This past week, particularly the latter half, has been so full I’ve occasionally wondered whether I’m coming or going.  On Wednesday, the handbell group played carols in Dunbeath at their community Health & Wellbeing Hub. It’s a small day centre whose purpose is to prioritise local health and well-being, particularly of the over 50s.  It’s a vibrant facility with lots going on:  walking groups, art & craft workshops, a singing group, bingo, whist, and a tech class.  They also serve lunches nearly every day, and if you can’t come to the centre, they will deliver. We came away thinking that perhaps we all should retire to Dunbeath!

Abandoned

Wednesday evening was another orchestra rehearsal.  After a brief practice at home in the afternoon and the rehearsal itself, I decided that I will leave notes out.  No one will notice.  Two more rehearsals are scheduled for Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening.  After that . . . maybe the Christmas cards will get done.

Thursday morning the handbell ringers were part of a team-building exercise at a training facility.  There were about 20 attendees.  Few had read music before, and none had rung handbells. We ringers took on the task of being the ‘bouncing ball’, pointing out the notes as they played.  Our music director, after a wobbly start, had them playing a slow rendition of ‘Jingle, Bells’ after 45 minutes.  They were all chuffed. Afterwards, when the handbell team chatted over a cuppa, the discussion was not ‘if’, but ‘when’, we might do it again.

Foam-stitched carpet

The next gansey was started on Thursday afternoon, at the newly-formed ‘Gansey Gals’ at the Waterlines Heritage & Visitor Centre in Lybster.  The group formed as after a two-session gansey workshop held there in October.  Located next to the harbour, the windows look out to the Moray Firth, so there’s always somewhere to gaze into the distance and rest your eyes.  There’s a small café there too.  We knit, chat, and share expertise.  It’s a golden opportunity to step away from stressors for a few hours and get some solid knitting done. 

As mentioned last week, the pattern for latest gansey is again from one of the Johnston glass plate negatives.  I’ve shortened its moniker to ‘Moss and Diamonds’ simply because it sounds better than ‘Moss and Squat Diamonds’.  The first draft of the calculations has been done and needs double-checking.  I don’t want to make any bone-headed errors like I did for the last two!  In the meantime, though, I can start on the welt as I know the number of stitches needed.  It’s not clear from the plate, but I strongly suspect that the body is ribbed from hem to yoke.  As baggier jumpers are more the vogue now, there will be a conventional welt and a gently ribbed body, with the welt K2 P1 and the body K5 P1.  This will retain the spirit if not the letter of the original.