Coloured Printing on Pattern Instructions

I started my younger niece's cardigan on Sunday evening. The colour is dark but I had my craft light on but what I struggled with most was reading the pattern. Sirdar have a habit of changing the colours of the number of stitches to correspond with the different sizes. This sounds like a good idea but for someone with eyesight problems it's not. I have difficulties in reading pale colours on a white background and the fact that the print size on the pattern is quite small really slows me down. Once I have completed a pattern repeat or two I can usually work out the pattern without reading every row. After going wrong a couple of times and starting to get annoyed I decided to type out the pattern in large print and just typing the size I was knitting and not multi sizing. I haven't gone back to the knitting since I have done this but I am sure that it will make life a lot easier. I think that is another reason why I like using older patterns as the print was larger and the patterns easier to read.

I was lucky enough to be offered a lift back from the Kings Arms knit club last night from my niece and as I couldn't have concentrated on a new pattern especially in a dark colour whilst I was there I started another project. I already had the Wendy Moiselle in stash and decided to make use of the new pattern that my niece bought for me on Saturday. I am now smitten with this easy garter stitch and will have to drag myself away from it to resume the charcoal grey knitting. I am really enjoying this bit of easy knitting. It's what I call knit and natter or no brain TV watching knitting.

I wanted to go to the Kings Arms last night so that I could give Marie the 14 hats that I had made as she works near by the Big Issue and will drop them in for me. I knew that she was going to be there last night which made it important that I went. I think that I will start going every two weeks instead of every week and then I can afford the taxi fare in both directions. I also gave the baby knitted matinees to Phil the barman and I think that he liked them, well as much as any man likes baby clothes ;-)

It was quite a good turnout at the Knit Club last night and I had a good time. I love being in the company of like minded knitty friends as spending a lot of time on my own I love the feeling of being able to chat about what I like the best. Knitting and crochet isn't a subject that a lot of my other friends are really interested in and can't quite share my enthusiasm for it.

Today I tidied up the baby wool colours that I keep downstairs in the dining room and sorted them out into colours. One tray has the girly colours and white, whilst the other tray has the blues and multi colours in it. I have another box but that contains the wool that I am using now for the two projects that I am working on. I do try to keep the lounge as tidy as I can ( I usually fail) and keep the balls out of sight. I don't like keeping them upstairs as it annoys me having to go upstairs in the stash room everytime I want another ball. The baby wool colours tend to get a bit lost in the stash room as there is usually only 1 or 2 x 100 grams of each colour so I prefer them downstairs in trays where I can see them. I keep thinking that I should look around for a free or cheap set of drawers to make things look tidier in the dining room.

Tonight I should return to the charcoal knitting but I am enjoying the big needle knitting so much that I will have to drag myself away from it.I need to do the charcoal DK first in case I need to buy an extra ball. There is a lot of wool in Patons Diploma so it may not have as good a yardage as the wool specified on the pattern.