Bank holidays # three

We didn't do as much this bank holiday weekend. For a start, it was shorter (only three days, unlike four last time round. Humph), and we're going on holiday soon, so there wasn't quite such an urge to go out and see things. We had a nice time though, pottering around the garden (update coming soon with Garden at the Beginning of June), some reading (update coming soon), a bit of wandering round Staines, and a visit to Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames. Neither was wildly exciting (!) although I liked Fabric Warehouse at Weybridge and there was a nice church to wander round. Of course, as is usual with bank holiday Mondays, most places were shut. Including the tile shop where we'd wanted to go and choose tiles for the downstairs loo.

I've got a couple more blanket squares done, which  means I'm up to date (I think?) with where I should be on the KnitALong. This is the May square, which I've done partly in Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran, which I ran out of near the end, so the rest is in North Ronaldsay wool, purchased several years ago from the Woolclip in Cumbria.

and I used the rest of the ball of North Ronaldsay for the April square. This one hasn't been blocked yet!

I also got started on the jumper for the OH. It's the Neck-down pullover by Diane Soucy, and so far I'm really pleased with the pattern. The yarn I'm using is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, which, as always, is nice and smooth and squooshy to knit with. And it's going really fast - I've already knitted up 3 balls so only 9 left to go. Considerably faster than knitting with 4ply.

Knitting group is always dangerous for new patterns and at the meeting last week Wannaknit was giving away some she didn't want any more. I picked up this one, which uses Patons Fusion (bizarrely Ravelry says this yarn is discontinued, yet I can find it for sale on several websites with no mention of that?!). Anyway, I thought it would be a good jumper to have around in summer, to pull on in the evening when it's a bit cooler. The official yarn is an acrylic/rayon mix so I may attempt to sub with something a bit more natural...

And this jumper in Sirdar Peru. OK, so I am unlikely ever to be seen outside in snow leaning against a tree whilst wearing sunglasses, but I like the jumper. I can't find the pattern on Ravelry, but I often find that the patterns you get on British pattern leaflets don't seem to appear on there, or else hardly anyone has made one and posted it on Ravelry. Apparently the yarn for this is discontinued too, although this time I found this on a website and it doesn't say it on Ravelry!

And I like She's Electric in the Knitty surprises too. Of course, I'll never have time for half of this!

I've been trying out new things in the kitchen too. Last weekend I roasted a chicken for the first time. It was deeply traumatic, once I realised that the thing actually resembled a dead thing when I got it out of the packaging (yes, I know it's a dead thing, but most lumps of meat look fairly anonymous, whereas chickens have legs and wings and bones and stuff). So I cautiously bunged it into the roasting tin. It came out OK but that left me with the problem of how to remove the legs from the body. This involved bones and I was far too squeamish. The OH doesn't like chicken legs anyway, so I just left them attached and ended up making soup from what was left on the carcass including the legs the next day. I did however, also produce a chicken pasta bake that I was rather proud of. Recipe adapted from this one on All Recipes.co.uk

And this is a carrot and mushroom lasagne, from a recipe from Riverford veg boxes.

Well, I think that's all for now. I have various posts planned about gardening and books so watch this space!