PURLS OF WISDOM
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As the first blossoms of spring bloom, Christine
Perry looks ahead at seasonal layering...
No better time to
embrace layers!
T
here’s a saying that you might
know – “There’s no such thing as
bad weather, just inappropriate
clothing”. There are various forms of the
saying and it’s been attributed to various
people from various countries (I first heard
it uttered by the comedian Billy Connolly),
but I suspect that the real person behind
it was a knitter, and someone who knew
the value of appropriate clothing for every
occasion, at that.THE RIGHT STUFF
Need an elegant wrap for a cool evening or
a wedding? Here’s a shawl I made earlier.
Off for a walk through the snowy fields in
minus degree weather? You’ll need this cosy
jumper, and don’t forget your woolly socks
and hat! Small children wanting to make
snowmen? Have a selection of mittens (with
or without a cord through your sleeves)
so that you can dry them on the radiators
whilst you’re out throwing snowballs in
a spare set. Capsule wardrobe for your
summer holiday? Lacy tops and cardigans
in cool cotton always fit the bill, although
perhaps we’ll leave the knitted bikinis in a
bygone era where they belong...SPRING WATCH
As you read this, we reached meteorological
spring at the beginning of the month, and
the astrological start of spring a few days
ago, and Easter is coming up too. March
is traditionally a month that “comes in like
a lion and goes out like a lamb” (although
I don’t think the weather generally takes
much notice of folklore) – but we’re ready
for it, aren’t we? I really don’t think there
is anything that you couldn’t find either in
knitted form or a pattern to make it yourself,
and even though our patterns these daysmight be more modern in design, they are
still based on tried and tested styles from
the days when “technical” clothing wasn’t
really available.ALL ABOUT LAYERS
My sock drawer is always full, I’ve got
shawls, cowls, a jumper on my needles,
mittens and hats – just in case, given the
peculiarities of the British weather! We
know that wool and other fibres will create
layers of warmth – even the lambs born at
this time of year are wrapped up in their
own woolly layers! Whenever I put on extra
clothing, I can always hear my Mum in my
ear saying, “You can take layers off if you’re
warm...” – but I don’t really remember
the rest of what she said as it was usually
something to do with wearing a coat and
being a teenager at the time, I didn’t feel
the cold then! Nowadays, I’m all about the
layers and I’m usually putting them on, not
taking them off!EVERYONE WRAP UP
What I like about Simply Knitting is that
it’s a whole magazine of layers so that no
matter what our internal temperatures are,
there’s always something in the pages that
we might choose to knit for ourselves (or
possibly other cold souls that we know!).
From the tiniest sizes to the biggest, and
blankets to wrap up in too for those chilly
moments, it’s all covered and with the
warmest of natural fibres. There really is
no such thing as bad weather, and with our
knitting needles in hand there’s no wrong
clothing either. Let the spring weather do its
worst – or best – we’re ready!If you have a creative story you would like
to share with us, see details on page 31.I’M LOVING...
The new WYS Winwick Mum yarn!
This inspiring WYS Signature 4ply
collection is bursting with juicy
colourful shades of yarn.I’M SHARInG...
I’M making...
Another freebie – long socks!
The latest free pattern on my blog
and still what we might need this
month on early spring walks.Something snuggly
Socks in the brand new Winwick
Mum Winter Icicle yarn. If you love
blues this yarn is hard to resist!