P D James Project

I actually have 2 projects, although I'm still working on one. Since I read Shroud for a Nightingale, set in and around an English nursing students' dorm, my first (uncompleted) project was a stethoscope cover - it's basically a sleeve, about 24" long, that slips onto the tubing of the scope (you remove the head of the scope, slide it on and replace the head). Then when you place the scope around your neck (the handiest hanging spot, LOL) when not using it, your neck is protected from the tubing and vice versa. I have many that are cloth, all different fabrics, but I wanted to try it in some cotton yarn, so I started one in the round. Then I thought about this gizmo in my closet that makes I-cord, bigger in diameter than the typical French knitter, that the tubing might go through. Unfortunately, the garden finally dried out enough (barely!) for my husband to enlist me in placing the drain tile in there that he's been planning, so my first project has gone askew for the time being.

My second project (see pix), however, is nearly complete, just need to weave ends and block a bit (I had a devil of time keeping a consistent gauge - cotton yarn, bamboo needles, bad mix!). I was trying to cover double bases here, so this is a nod to the British Royals as well as another little birthday gift for my mom (who's coming here in 12 days - YIPPEE!) - she refers to herself as "The Queen" (no, she's not looney...well, not that looney - it started as a joke and has mushroomed!). It's really more of a camel color, not as orange as the pix; when I tried a flash pic the color was a little more realistic but with less definition (although it's hard to see the little bobbles on the points of the crown in any of the pix), so I left it with "natural" lighting. But now I think it may be too big, so...she can do whatever floats her boat with it, but I think it would make a great hotpad for her teapot (hmm, that's even more British!) and so I'm going to make some smaller versions as coasters!   ~  Valerie K