Summer Scarves and Socks

I was trying to make an effort to post more frequently again, but time just seems to fly by.

Nearly 2 weeks in Malta for scrabble last month unsuccessfully defending my Malta Open and European Open titles - I came third and second respectively, so not a total disaster. (Unlike my BEST match on Saturday).

Visitors when I got back over the long weekend of the Jim Clark rally. We were very lucky with the weather for a change - glorious sunshine so everyone was outside in the garden rather than crammed in to the sun room for the barbecue. This may have been the last rally after the unfortunate turn of events.

Garden needed some TLC and still does, but it has actually been too hot the last few days!

And knitting...

I took the new scarf design I was working on to Malta but very little progress was made. Too tired when we got back from playing, and the two days off we had were easily filled with other activities.

But I knuckled back down when I got home and completed version 1 (Iolair-iasgaich - osprey):

and immediately started on version 2 (Iolaire - eagle) - thinner and longer with different placements of the cables and lace:

I wrote the second version up first as it was the easier of the two, and the charted instructions are currently being tested. A little disappointed that I have had no takers for the written instructions - lots of 'love' on the post. Maybe it is the time of year - school holidays, hot weather...

I finished writing up the other one yesterday. For something that was so easy to design and knit, it was amazingly difficult to write up the pattern! I am now torn about putting it in for testing at the moment because of the lack of testers for version 1.

And now I am back to socks...

Started working on the prototype of my third variant of stripes to use up left overs. I am still trying to come up with a name... currently Stripes - The Final Frontier. If I come up with a fourth stripes variant they would have to be Never Say Never Again...

Helagon

There is one week left until my Helagon scarf/wrap design test finishes.

I have been very lucky in getting a tester for each length for both weight yarns being tested.

 I am really enjoying seeing all the progress photographs.

Some beautiful scarves are being made in wonderful colour combinations. Red seems popular - red and black, red and white, and red and grey, and they all look stunning. Two different shades of blue and a blue and green. White is also popular, being combined with blue, purple and black as well as the aforementioned red. Finally a blue with a contrasting red/orange variegated yarn with small sections of blue to 'join' the two together.

I have had several comments on how fun this pattern is :)

I think my one tester who was having problems with the changing of yarn colour has now "got it". A bit of a language barrier, but I have several German testers and I think between us we managed to explain what to do.

So far only one error has been found but I have re-written a couple of sections for clarity after comments from my testers and done a few other tweaks.

Once the content is finalised (hopefully no more changes) I still need to convert it into my template.

And I want to get some more photographs of the longer version when it isn't blowing a gale.

I asked for advice on the Designers forum on whether to put a collage photograph as my pattern 'hero' shot to show the different ways it can be worn but the overwhelming response was to use the above photograph.