I always meant to do knitting posts on a regular basis, but I’m not that organised and I still lack a decent camera. I’ve knitted a tunic and a cardigan that have still to be photographed since my last post, but now I have moved on to a few smaller projects.

The first is both finished and photographed!

When I gave up my job I decided that I would knit as many presents as I could, using yarn that I have in hand.First up was something for my aunt, whose birthday is on April 10th. She’s the perfect person to knit for: she doesn’t knit herself but she loves knitted things and appreciates time and trouble taken to make something nice.

I had a lovely skein with her name on it: Posh Yarn Elinor in fingering weight. The shade, Fireworks, was absolutely gorgeous but it wasn’t the sort of colour I’d wear, so it had been hanging around for quite some time. But it was my aunt’s colour exactly.

Once I had the yarn the pattern quickly picked itself – Calystegia Cowl by Lankakomero.

My aunt is a scarf person, but as I’ve knitted her scarves before a neckwarmer seemed to be the way to go this time.

The pattern is lovely and it was very clearly written. A little bit fiddly but after a few rows I could see how it worked and I only had to check the pattern from time to time to make sure I wasn’t going wrong.

The finished effect was wonderful, and definitely worth the time and trouble – I’m definitely tempted to make another one for me.

I couldn’t get a decent picture of the finished neckwarmer lying flat in the house or the garden. Here’s the best of my attempts, taken on Briar’s beanbag in our bay window.

Then I had the bright idea of using a plantpot. A little better. It makes my neckwarmer look rather long and narrow, but it isn’t. I’ve tried it on and the width is perfect and it’s long enough to pull up over your face without looking too bunched up if you don’t.

Finally I took a close up, and it actually shows the pattern properly. Hooray!

And that was the end of that. It just needed a final pressing, wrapping, and delivery next weekend.

And I needed to work out how to explain to my dog, who had been overseeing proceedings from her armchair in the window,  just what I was doing with her beanbag, and why I was spending so much time in the garden with a piece of knitting and a mobile phone …