Knit-find

I may have mentioned once or twice that I’m involved in amateur dramatics. I’m currently rehearsing two different shows, one a play and the other a musical. The musical is still a couple of months off, but production week for the play rapidly approaches. The set is built, props are being gathered and costumes are being found and fitted. You never quite know what delights or monstrosities are going to be assigned to you during a costume fitting, so I was pleasantly surprised to be handed this little beauty.

Not exactly my personal taste in clothing, I’ll admit, but perfectly appropriate for my 1930’s character. But mostly I was grabbed by the fact that it was knitted and had a very pretty, unusual stitch pattern. Just look!

I’ve not seen anything like it before. It doesn’t look hugely complicated, but as a fairly novice knitter, I couldn’t work out how it was done. I love the effect it gives. Textured, three-dimensional, without being lumpy. I guess it may just be a cable of some kind, but I don’t have enough experience to know.

I’ve now been given something different to wear, so this is no longer required, but I managed to pinch it from the wardrobe mistress for a few sneaky photos before it gets stashed back in the costome store.

I have no idea how you would go about finding a pattern for something like this, but I’d love to know if there is one out there somewhere. Please let me know if you have any ideas?

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Whirlwind

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of cakes and rehearsals, car troubles, birthdays (cake), theatre (cake), new car and a party tomorrow (more cake!), with a little knitting thrown in where time has allowed.

The show was brilliant. It felt so good to be out on a big stage again, with all the trimmings in place. The set was fab – it took some adjustment from rehearsal room to stage space, but it looked fantastic and was so great to work on. Costumes, props, lights, a full band on stage, dressing room shenanigans and cast cameraderie. I made cupcakes as a good luck/thank you gift for the cast and crew which went down rather well.

I honestly loved every second. It was like a weird blast from the past and a very enjoyable present. I’ve got a week off now before we go into pre-audition workshops for the next musical which will be presented next May.

Not that I’ve really got time off.

Pumpkin had his birthday during the half term holiday and we had a very small gathering of friends and family to celebrate. I made a quick birthday cake, which turned out very well and was rather effective, given its simplicity.

It was just a simple chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing. I baked a square cake which I cut in half and stacked to make the bottom part of the chest, and then a loaf cake for the lid. I sliced a little off the edges of the loaf cake to make the lid more curved, and I sliced a little off the lower back corner so that it would have a flat edge to rest on still when it propped up. I stuffed the front edge with gold and silver covered chocolate coins (thank goodness the Christmas stuff is out in the shops already!), using buttercream to stick them in place, and used various sweets to decorate it. The ‘sand’ is made from crushed shortbread biscuits and liberally sprinkled with jelly bean, smartie and chocolate coin treasure. Pumpkin and his friends loved it!

The big birthday party is happening tomorrow, and the cake is well under way. I just hope I don’t end up staying up too late tonight making it. My poor brain is feeling pretty frazzled. I’d better get on with it I suppose.

More on the cake and knitting next time.

Boom and bust

I was doing so well. I learned how to put in a lifeline and rip back. I knit on successfully, with the decreases in the correct places this time, and continued on to the armhole shaping. I was on a roll. I just have the final shoulder decreases and binding off to do and I will have another panel of my cardigan cast off.

But…

Have I mentioned that I’m doing a show? I’m in the chorus for my first musical for 12 years. I’ve done other am dram productions in the mean time, but not a musical since I left my youth theatre at 18. We’re about 5 rehearsals in, and have just been learning the choreography for the big full company number that opens Act 2 of the show. All going swimmingly well until disaster strikes. Some big collision between cast members mid-dance? A trip doing some ambitious step? A fall? No, I managed to kick my own hand and practically broke my finger. 3 hours spent in A&E (thankfully sans children and with a good book) and I’m all strapped and slinged up for at least the next week, so no knitting for me for a while. I think we’ll call that a fail!