A recently finished knitting project

 My sister asked me what I wanted for my birthday back in July and as it happened The Lonely Knitter had just announced their July mini club which was inspired by The Game of Thrones, so I asked for that. I knew it would come around about the right time for my birthday and it did. A few days beforehand in fact, so I was able to open it on the day. 

Now, Game of Thrones ... I had expected rich reds and golds for the Lannisters, whites and greys with perhaps some sparkle for the Starks, bright yellows and deep saffrons for Dorne, emerald greens and golds for the Tyrells, scarlet and black for the Targaryens, perhaps  a deep river blue for the Tullys....

Well that's not what I got. 

The yarn was pretty,  there's no denying, but the colour spectrum was a bit of a let down. 

Nevertheless I cast on my intended project, the Anne of Green Gables cowl which is a lace kitting sampler type thing. Since it was designed for 10 x 20g minis and I had 10 x 10g I had to make some adjustments to the pattern which I did by making the lace sections half the size they should have been and keeping the garter sections as written. If I made the cowl again under the same restraints I'd cut down on the garter stitch and make the lace sections longer. But you know, knitting is often a learning process, and given my general disinclination to knit lace this was designed as a learning project for me in any case.  So I'm not stressing.

Here is one side 

and here's the other

The rest of the pictures are of the individual lace patterns and the name of the colour in each case - more of an aide memoire for myself than anything. 

Top Arja Stark expanded feather stitch. It's probably not what I would have done for Arya, but actually she was a dark minded little thing so this dark blue/grey is perhaps right. And a fabulous colour I have to say.

Bottom Mother of Dragons little arrowhead stitch. Mother of Dragons That's those big things that fly about in the sky and breathe fire. So why their mother, a Targaryen, house sign a red dragon on a black background,  is represented by pale grey and turquoise is beyond me. 

Top Jon Snow Turkish Stitch grey and white - he turned out to be half Stark rather than Snow so that gets a pass, but he was in the Watch for a long time which dressed in unremitting black. A nod in that direction would have been nice. 

Bottom Margaery Tyrell Crest of a Wave Stitch - the Tyrells of Highgarden. House sign was a golden rose on a deep green background, so not sure where this very pale green with sludge splashes  was coming from.

Top Sansa Stark  mini leaf stitch

Bottom Tyrion and Shae eyelet stitch  

No idea where she was coming from for either of these colours, although they are both very pretty. 

Top,  Cersei Lannister. To be fair I have seen Cersei dressed in this colour a couple of times but it's not the one you think of straight off when someone say her name, right? Eight stitch Rib. 

Bottom Melisandre as in The Red Woman. This does not say The Red Woman to me. Half herringbone stitch.

Top The Purple Wedding, which is a bit apologetically lilac for me. Fan Shell stitch

Bottom Brienne of Tarth. Tarth The Sapphire Isle. Nuff said.  Cloverleaf Eyelet stitch 

I suppose the lesson here is never buy wool inspired by one of your favourite TV programs sight unseen. And I've learned it. 

The cowl looks nice as a loop but will also go twice around my neck for a cosier feel in winter. I'm pleased with the finished project and as Laura of The Lonely Knitter will be at the Glasgow School of Yarn I intend to wear it and see if she recognises her mini pack knitted up! I shall, naturally,  not tell her I was a bit disconcerted by her colour choices.