View from my Pillow

Spent tonight taking a rest from knitting to watch "Mrs Henderson Presents". So funny. Really worth a look - the casting is spot-on and the costumes are, as Dame Judi would say, "delicious".

When I say "taking a rest from knitting" I don't mean I didn't knit, by the way, merely that I did some swatching so I wouldn't have to look at the knitting or a chart. All I have on the needles right now is Pomatomus, which you can't really look away from.

The swatch I knit tonight is for Bayerische...Eunny gives the tension in stockinette, so I haven't tried the charts yet. I am thinking of it for a friend's birthday present, or maybe Christmas if October turns hectic. I'm using Regia 4fadig, which I haven't tried before. It's quite scratchy, actually - I didn't anticipate that since you can't really tell from petting the ball. But it knits up nice and evenly, shown here on 2mm needles (and 2.25mm - separated by the purl row). I think the Bayerische will look nice in this colour. It'll be understated, without a lot of that variegate busy-ness. You can't tell by the photo, taken in the dead of night in a poorly-lit room on a burgundy background, but the colour is a nice malt, masquerading as ho-hum brown. It is growing on me as I knit it, although generally speaking it's not what I would choose at all. Right now I'm getting 9.25 sts/inch on the 2mm, so I am pretty close - only that .25 of a stitch stands between me and perfection. Annoying: going up a quarter millimeter to the 2.25 gets me 8.5 sts/inch. I think I will settle for the 9.25 since I think I will loosen up when I've been knitting with this yarn for a few hours.

In the last few days this is what has gotten in the way of knitting:


The Perimeter Drain Excavation. The big digger (yes, that's a technical term) came today and tore up the entire back of the house, from one corner to the other. The photo doesn't really convey the devastation, nor the panic we are feeling. The digger dudes (I understand that is actually the job title) left it like this because clever husband (let's call him "Mr. Man" for now) decided he'd save a few dollars and put the pipe in himself. He Knows A Guy. This guy apparently is going to order the pipe wholesale and get us a Deal, then help Mr. Man to install it. So Dig Dug, as I like to call him, cocked a doubtful eyebrow at the pile of earth and rocks, and broken up concrete, said "you sure you don't want us to do it for you?" and then, upon hearing the confident, if completely ignorant "nope, I got it covered", shrugged and climbed back into his caterpillar, or whatever you call it, and rolled away (flattening the neighbour's blackcurrant and gooseberry bush on his way).

Any bets on how long it takes The Guy to get the Deal, and he and Mr Man to lay the pipe? Come on, let's make it interesting.

And, lastly, the View from my Pillow as I write this.

Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night

Sleep well. Tomorrow, pictures of my new belly dance skirts, bought on the weekend for a song.