The latest gansey is off its tenterhooks and is rather fine, if I don’t say so myself.  I particularly like the small dividing band between the larger bands of moss or diamonds, which lightens the visual mix to keep it from becoming too stodgy.

This past week I started research in earnest to find somewhere to get a photo done because my passport needs renewing.  The last time, ten years ago, I went to a local photographer, but his studio is now gone without trace. The other option was to find a photo booth.  While I could have done the photo myself, I don’t have an appropriate background, and there are specific requirements.  First, I looked into the photobooth at the post office in Thurso.  Their photos were suitable for UK passports, but not for others.  After further searching, I found a company that supplies Tesco with photobooths.  They could do photos for many different countries. 

I added this to my list for the weekly shop, and when I went, I had a quick look round the store to find it.  Unsuccessful, I inquired at the customer service desk and was directed to the far corner of the store, past the tills.  It was not part of the store I’d even noticed before.  The machine was simple to use, once I’d figured out that “press screen to begin” meant not the large black screen,  but the touchscreen beneath it.  Two attempts later, I had some truly horrible passport photos.    

Wintry showers

The next step was to mail the application and a return envelope for the new document.  I idly wondered if I could buy the postage using the Royal Mail app and save a wait at the post office, and it turns out I could.  The passport application instructions specified the required weight, so I only needed to enter the address, choose the weight and type of delivery, and print out the labels. Then I stuck them to envelopes and handed them in at the post office.  The whole process, from getting the photo to sending the packet, was far less faff than I’d anticipated.

Tenterhooks.  The saying, ‘I’m on tenterhooks’, is probably familiar.  Tenterhooks were used in the weaving industry to stretch cloth and prevent shrinking while it dried.  The metal hooks or bent nails were attached to a tenter, a wooden frame.  

I’ve cast on the next project which is surging forward rapidly.  With a gauge of about 5.5 st/inch, it’s a far quicker knit than a gansey.  It’s begun at the top with a two-sided cast on at the crown.  This is the type of cast on you’d use for toe-up socks.  Instead of knitting in the round, however, the knitting is back and forth – knit along both sides, then turn and purl back, making a ‘C’ shaped row with an i-cord edging.  The pointy bit is at the back of the head. The yarn is a combination of Ravelry finds and cones from Colourmart.