Random knitting thoughts of the week ... but sadly no pictures

Yes, I know. No pictures. Again. This time it's to do with a software issue and the fact that I can't go grovelling under my desk to connect my laptop to our dialup line without waking Mr A. As usual the story is far too long to bore y'all with.

It's not that I don't have pictures. I do. Both of a finished Clapotis and my own version of a long ribbed scarf in Debbie Bliss Maya. The fact that they all have a rather strange blue tint to them is neither here nor there. I will either take new ones or I will post the blue-ish ones and be damned later this week. For now you will have to content yourself with a selection of random knitting thoughts and observations that have been rattling around in my mind since I last posted.

* Firstly, my Jordana Paige knitting bag turns out to have been worth every last penny. I am so pleased with it. I bought the black one so that it would go with anything, and it has been to work with me every day since it turned up. It has just enough room for my day to day bits and bobs in one side, and plenty of room for my knitting in the other. My favourite bits about it are the fact that it has a really sturdy base with little feet so that it stands square on the floor and you can knit straight out of it (if you see what I mean) and it also has a little yarn feed loop in the knitting compartment so that you can pull yarn straight out of the bag without getting it in a tangle. I really love it, and it does make me feel just a little bit like a kick-ass corporate financier knitting chick :)

* Second, I learnt a valuable lesson in felting this Christmas, namely to turn down the temperature on the washing machine after you have finished for fear of inadvertantly washing a load of non colour fast clothing at 95 degrees. Doh! Luckily for me most of the things in the unfortunate pile of washing belonged to me rather than Mr A. I don't mind going out and replacing half my underwear because it has been dyed a fetching shade of grey but I'd rather not listen to a lecture on washing machine operation at the same time :)

* Third, have you noticed how knitting exerts an irresistable pull over non-knitters of all kinds? I did quite a lot of knitting on trains during the Christmas break and someone talked to me about what I was doing on every single trip. Anyone who has travelled on British trains will know how strange an occurance this is. Normally you could canter naked through the buffet car and noone would bat an eyelid, but get two sticks and some yarn out and suddenly everyone wants to talk to you. Luckily 99% of those folk have been very nice people. There was the slightly creepy drunk man who offered to hold my skein for me while I wound it into a ball but I managed to deter him by repeated polite refusal. What is it with drunk people and trains? I don't know.

The other aspect of the draw of knitting seems to be that as soon as you get it out of your bag someone totally unexpected decides that they want to learn how to do it too. We had a load of friends to stay with us in Norfolk over Christmas, including 2 other knitters. The click of the needles must have done the trick as one of the non-knitters has now seen the light and started on a jumper for the baby she is expecting in July. And remember the 10 year old recipient of the Liberty poncho? Not only has she learnt how to knit but she has taught her best friend how to do it too and they are happily knitting lumpy garter stitch scarves together :)

I love this craft. There's really nothing better than spreading the word to the next generation either.

So what's next on the needles for me now that Clapotis is finished? Some Dennis the Menace socks for Mr A. Sadly I have not been able to elicit from him exactly what he means by that request. I was hoping for some guidance on length and thickness of stripes but all I got was "you know .... Dennis the Menace socks". Being none the wiser I have hunted out some black and red superwash yarn and am preparing to cast on and knit them freestyle. I am currently fretting about calf shaping and how to eliminate the inevitable joggle at the colour changes. I know full well that Mr A is never going to notice either of those things, but I will. Any advice on how to deal with either topic gratefully received :)