Storm and Rain

 

As someone from the flat countries, I have to admit, I do like a good storm. Mind you, I know the destruction that comes with it, but as a fervent sailor in my youth, I think the sheer power of wind is something to admire. I also think that just the words “it was a cold and stormy night” are something to behold and of course Sinterklaas comes on stormy nights as well (Hoor de wind waait door de bomen….) . So yes this time of year, one good storm can be a good thing, to sit at home, have a nice fire going and some comfort food to eat...

But the last two years, storms come a bit too often. Every two weeks there seems to be a storm, this it is foreseen to have three in one week. And it is just not the wind alone, it is the rain and it is the layers and layers of clouds that make it dark and darker. We had a white Christmas and some gorgeous winter days after, which came as a huge surprise and lifted the spirits a lot, but then back to storm and rain and darkness….

But it also makes sure that knitwear is worn, as even inside, the wind howls through (at work or at home). So the newly knitted sweater for my husband will get its due! Which is good, as a men’s sweater is more knitting than a child’s or women’s sweater . Not that my husband is not knit-worthy, he does wear his knits….but a heavy winter’s one needs some appropriate weather or ?

The yarn comes from a lovely place, New Lanark . A real nice place to visit whenever in Scotland. My husband is from near there and his family lives in the area, so when we were there at halloween, we went there and I bought some nice rusty honest wool for a sweater for him. The promise was that it would be made before Christmas, but that was not possible, but I started it before Christmas and could knit it within the holiday period.I got the yarn on a big cone, so not really an item to transport around, so it was good to knit it in this period. Nice thing about the knitting from a cone, not many ends to weave in at the end….

The design is one of my own, with saddle shoulders, picked-up stitches and knitted down, with set-in sleeves. Columns of garter stitch at the sides . I am pleased with it…… It was pretty straight-forward knitting, good project for watching TV...

Just one picture of the progress, that shows the pattern better….