A few days ago, I walked up the riverside path to the end. Last Monday, the beginning of the path had been flooded due to snowmelt and rain. I didn’t expect to get very far, but river levels have dropped enough that I was able to make it to the mound at the end. This small hillock is covered on one slope with gorse, which covers it in yellow blossom in the late spring. Next to the gorse, stone steps lead up to the top, which is on a level with the countryside beyond. On the top, there is a tiny clearing behind the gorse, with three large flat boulders perfect for sitting on. I usually stop here with a flask of coffee, looking at the clouds and listening to the birds.
it was a frosty morning.
The path along the riverside was clear, apart from water-borne drifts of last year’s dried grasses. It was like walking on a deep, spongy carpet. As I walked back, I noticed a willow sapling growing out of a ditch. It had clumps of grass leaves in its upper branches, about six feet above the level of the path. I had no idea it would get this deep, but then, I usually turn back when the water level is above the tops of my shoes.
As I’ve been in a sewing mood recently, I spent more time this week on the lounge floor. Two tops were laid out, cut, and even sewn. Garments are certainly quicker to assemble when the seam allowances don’t need finishing. For non-sewers, I’ll elaborate. When you sew two pieces of fabric together using a conventional sewing machine, the edges – the seam allowances – are on the inside of the garment. If this fabric frays easily, the edges should be finished so the garment doesn’t eventually fall apart. This involves more ironing and sewing, meaning the seam is sewn at least twice – once for the seam and again to finish the edges. But an overlocker finishes, sews, and trims the edges at the same time, and on top of that sews faster than a regular sewing machine. This works particularly well with knit fabric. With woven fabric, the edges can be overlocked first and then seamed on a regular machine.
Another pattern was printed and assembled too, and then the fabric and pattern laid and cut. Due to a single layer layout, the fabric needed to be shifted and realigned three times, due to a lack of floor space. Most home sewing patterns have the fabric doubled. It was tedious but necessary.
Wrack on the fence
But despite not wanting to step away from the sewing, good progress has been achieved with the knitting. The second of the pattern bands on the yoke is done. The diamonds form pleasing textural ups-and-downs. These don’t appear on the original photo, leaving me to believe that I’ve probably not charted it correctly. But given the lack of detail in the photo, there’s probably no way it could be charted ‘correctly’.
The textural tab-shapes on the original seem to be arranged alternately, as if they were in a diamond array, or like bricks. Yours appear to be in precise stacks. Both are attractive.