Current WIP and some Irish landscapes

Ever since giving up on the idea of knitting something summery, I’ve been working on my new cardigan, Sweet as Honey by Drops Designs. So far, so good! It requires more focus and attention than my most recent, mindless knits, but it’s going well and I’m really enjoying it.

And I thought that it may be a good opportunity to share my yarn winding method with you!

I don’t have a winder and I don’t feel the need to buy one, as I actually enjoy winding yarn on my own – except for lace I guess, but I don’t use it very often so it’s not a big deal. I do it at my work desk, because the arms of my chair are just what I need.

With the yarn wrapped around the arms of the chair, I can wind it with my hands easily and quite fast. I treat it as part of the knitting process and the opportunity to get familiar with yarn and its texture.

Back to my project though – it’s the only thing I’m working on right now. I’ve actually made enough progress yesterday to start knitting the sleeves now (not my favourite part although it’s a little less annoying than usually, as sleeves are knitted separately and later joined to the main body of the sweater), and I think, considering that they include 16 cm of cabled rib which is quite time-consuming, it’s going to take a while to finish it.

I’ve been on a few short trips recently too, including museums, volunteering in a local watercourse clean up, and many walks. Work starts again at the end of September so I’m trying to enjoy the month of freedom as much as possible – well, today and probably a few next days are an exception because I caught a stomach bug and I’m stuck at home for a while. But I thought I’d share some of the photos from my recent trip to Bull Island in Dublin – a charming nature reserve hidden very close to the centre of the city.

The tide was low when I visited, so instead of water, I could enjoy the sea of grass:

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But then I went to the other side of the island and could enjoy the Irish Sea too…

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And surprisingly, even though it was a little cloudy, I ended up with a sunburn!

Also, I found the traces of some suspicious ritual – I really don’t know why would anyone do it to poor Kermit:

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And last but not least, I think I can officially announce the end of the real summer, at least here in Ireland. Why do I say so? Because my cats stopped shedding , or at least they don’t shed as much as during summer months. That’s how I can always tell that it’s time to start preparing mentally for winter:)