Thursday night is knit night. It’s a lifesaver for someone like me, a trailing spouse slash part-time freelancer working from home. Not that I’m unhappy or bored in my own company (I’m a knitter after all!) but particularly in the weeks when Mr Soknitsome travels overseas on business, I appreciate the friendliness and warm-heartedness of my knitting buddies. We have a good laugh. We ooh and aah over each others’ projects and yarn – and there was some breathtakingly drop-dead gorgeous yarn out tonight! We sympathise over daytime office dramas. I find it pretty useful, too, for understanding how things work here. I now know where I’ll go in search of my next pair of specs. I hear about places to see, museums to visit and festivals to enjoy. It helps me to feel at home here and that is priceless.
So what have I been knitting?
I’ve knitted a bit more of my East Gable Shawl. This is a pattern by Judy Marples and is as always very straightforward. This pattern is slightly less intuitive than some others as it grows in a feathery/fern way rather than geometrically. I’m using Madeline Tosh Merino Light in a kind of blueish turquoise and I love it. It’s a bit hard to see the pattern here – it’s all so squashed but I know I’m going to love this once it’s blocked.
This is my home knitting. Since Mr Soknitsome is away I have a little more time, so I listen to various book readings on the BBC while I knit. Some are classics that make great audio dramas especially as you know you’d struggle to read the book; others are new publications. They are always good.
Thursday knit night really requires simpler knitting. This is the body of Rye. 
It’s a very new cardigan pattern from Thea Colman. I’m using a yarn that comes in limited un-dyed colours – there are flock numbers instead of dye lots! It softens up after a bath. How do I know? Because I’m a good girl and always knit tension squares. I’m being quite adventurous here and knitting an in-between size. More soon…
soknitsome 
I need a knit night/knot group stat! Will add to my to-do list ASAP.
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Great!
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Your shawl is beautiful. Beautiful pictures!!!
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Thank you 🙂
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You are so patient with lace. Afternoon Tea is the closest I ever got to knitting a full lace shawl.
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I checked out your ‘A spot of tea’ on Ravelry. It’s beautiful! I enjoy the challenge of knitting lace and I love the ‘magic’ of blocking them.
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It is a great group to be part of! And it is always lovely to welcome new people. Here’s to many more Thursday evenings!
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Definitely! 🙂
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Gorgeous colour and beautiful pattern! I can’t wait to see the finished result!
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Thank you. But it will still take a while!
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Love your shawl. And that cardigan is going to be stunning if I look at the pattern, wow!!
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Thank you. The cardigan makes me a little nervous – I’ve previously only knitted garments that have been made by many others before me!
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I am positive it will be perfectly beautiful. You knit so well. 🙂
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That’s very sweet of you 🙂
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Your story resonates with me; my knit night has been the best possible way to belong here in Paris. I too need uncomplicated knitting for knit night, my speaking French and knitting lace skills are not good enough to do both, it’s one or the other. Your lace is looking lovely.
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Isn’t it lovely how we have something creative that allows us to feel at home anywhere? I can imagine that using a second language and knitting lace must be quite a challenge – it’s complicated enough in your mother tongue! Can you read French patterns? I have used German patterns in the past. They are very brief and to the point and not dissimilar to Garnstudio DROPS patterns.
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Yes reading the patterns is ok, it’s a mixture of understanding written French and knitting. Even if I don’t know the word I can make an educated guess.
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