Lost cat found, Rainy days and a Pink Knit-woven Jacket

I am very happy to report that the cat which had appeared at our doorstep on the last day of April
and our guests took to the Lonsdale RSPCA , belongs to our neighbours two doors up the road from us. They had been away in their caravan in WA and I guess Smokey ,which is its name, wanted some more human company and so wandered down the road to us. So they were able to pick him up from the pound and welcome him back home. He is a hunter my neighbour told us and very hot on rabbits.

Perhaps I could suggest they lend him to my friend at Port Willunga whose garden is over run with rabbits and Council won't do a thing about them.
The rain today is still welcome. We have had over two inches of rain so far and it is still soaking in. The pond is overflowing and the fish are enjoying the fresh algy they can reach with the new water level.

The wet weather of course dislodges all the rodents and they come inside to look for a dry place and something to eat. So we trap them as it isn't very nice to have mouse droppings sitting on the benches and stove. We had a lot of trouble with mouse traps since the good old wooden ones are now no longer made like they were. The ones from China were hopeless I found and the new plastic ones not much better for a while as the spring wasn't strong enough. They are better now but sometimes the mice are so small they actually fit inside the trap and you have to drown them, poor things.

I have been busy designing another Knit-woven jacket.
It took quite a while to get the swatch right.
I am inclined then, to design as I knit-weave on the knitting machine (or knitting loom as the Americans say and I must say it sounds better) and add or subtract colours as I go along.

I had some very interesting rayon ribbon yarn which was used as a contrast and to add some interest to an otherwise boring fabric.

The lighter stripes are my handspun ,hand dyed merino wool which I still had on hand. I don't usually stock much pink yarn
so I ordered the two ply background yarn and the wool/bamboo
eight ply weave-in yarn from the Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I still had some fine cyclamen coloured yarn and I mixed that in too. I like mixing yarn colours as it brings greater interest
to the eyes I find and livens up the whole fabric.
I wanted to do a different closing as well as I loath doing button holes in knitting. So, instead I made separate holes, five stitches
apart and threaded fine cords made from the two ply yarns through on opposite sides and they can be used to tie up
or left as is.

On the back and sides I added godets so as to give more
drape and room as well and to have the jacket sit better
and move better.
It has been a challenge doing this but it seems to have
worked out reasonably well. I hand stitch all my garment pieces
together as I feel they sit better and I have more control over
matching the pieces together.
Now it is waiting for its owner.....