My friend Josefin is tempting us to think ahead today to summer and the idea of spinning in the woods on a Portuguese spindle. Meanwhile, as I was waking up just as the first glow of dawn came over the trees, I saw people in groups of 2 and 3 starting out onto the ice on our lake. The ice is finally thick enough to support ice fishing, and that, apparently, demands an early start. It’s lovely to watch them pulling their gear across the ice on sleds, stopping here and there to drill a hole and set the bait. Each hole is topped with a flag, and sometimes a bell, to alert the fisherfolk that a fish has taken the bait. After several years, I recognize some of the spots that appear to be good locations, and there is a little rush to stake out those places before the slower folks arrive after the sun is up.

Meanwhile…

I’m safely in the warmth of my little cottage thinking about the next steps in my knitting. It’s sort of a miracle, but I’m only working on three things at the moment — the last few inches of lengthening the red sweater, swatches for my book, and the big textured sweater project.

I got a question from a friend about lengthening an already completed sweater, and she turned white as a sheet when I told her that the easiest way was simply to cut off the hem, ravel back to an unbroken row, and put the live stitches back on the needles. The idea of cutting knitting causes deep dread in many, but particularly with wool, the yarn is normally sufficiently “sticky” to hold the stitches in place as you work. Even if one or two stitches drop down a couple of rows, it is usually pretty easy to pick them up again and just keep going.

In addition to what can be found on the internet, I’ve spent a lot of time searching books (particularly stitch dictionaries) for reversible patterns. My criteria is not that they be identical front to back, but that they have a nice design on both sides, and are composed solely of knits and purls (no yarn overs or twists). Barbara Walker’s books (Treasury of Knitting Patterns — 4 volumes) are the classics for just about any knitting stitch. I’m also really fond of Melissa Leapman’s The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook, and recently found an e-publication called Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira and Anna Ravenscroft. Available on Etsy, this is an excellent resource with clear illustrations and instructions given both in written and chart format. Obviously there are many more compendia of this type, but these will offer you nearly unlimited inspiration for years to come.

As for the loaves…I’m thinking about rosemary and Kalamata olive bread for later today. My “go to” bread recipe is one of the easiest imaginable…the no-knead loaf that sits happily overnight and then gets popped into the oven the next day.