I love a challenge. I like a pattern. I love gingham!

How could I resist this?

… on my needles right now.

It is Checks and Balances by Boadicea Binnerts – a free pattern from Knitty –>> HERE

This is the pattern pic..

Isn’t that a terrific gingham? The actual pattern is quite an easy fairisle but you need to keep an eye on it – easy to go adrift.

The yarn I’m using is Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal – wool and 5% cashmere – very nice and soft but “sticky” enough for steeking. I was browsing to buy the yarn for this (surprisingly, not enough in stash!!) and was blown away by those greens. I do seem to be in a green phase right now!

The yarn is quite tweedy and “rustic”. It also goes very thick and thin – some parts are barely a thread but I have stuck with it and it seems to be evening out. Hopefully will look much better when pressed.

I’m weaving in the floats, which show a little but the tweediness and light and dark green flecks disguise that. I’m also enjoying my matching cat heart stitch marker 💚😻

Steeking. Yes I just used the “S” word. Source of pure terror for many knitters. (If you don’t know – Steeking is cutting your fairisle knitting along specially knit filler stitches)

The body is a straight forward, bottom up tube with no shaping – a bit of a slog for 17″. The Sleeves are knit in one piece and then steeked and joined to the body – I’ll show you when I get to that bit!

Oh, In case you were wondering what the lovely Ben bought me back from Seattle last time? He said, “It’s wooly and I thought you’d like her.”…. meet Woolhemina!