Despite almost never wearing shawls, I seem to be on a one-skein shawl kick at the moment. Two down (triangular, crochet) and one to go - third one is to be a straight one. Pictures to follow...
The insomnia seems to have suddenly cured itself. So after all that, the fix is, do nothing. Ha. I'm enjoying dreaming again, that's fun!
My addiction to anything crafty created with a pointy stick, a needle or a hook.....
Tuesday, April 24
Monday, April 16
...and we're done!
Not a great picture, courtesy of my mobile first thing this morning. Looking forward to doing some MK for me when I next get long enough. Ha!
Current mood:
working
Friday, April 6
FO: hot pink jacket and pen holder
I rather like this, though the fabric was a complete PITA to work with. Frays like nobody's business. Wouldn't mind making this jacket again, but maybe with longer sleeves. Pattern is New Look 6390. Might make the dress next (but not in this fabric!).
A simple pen holder, for my bullet journal.
Current mood:
tired
Monday, March 26
Bits and bobs before the "storm of socks"
I took delivery of a lovely new overlocker last week, but work/life being what it is, only got to play with it in anger this weekend. Oh my, what fun! It just works, straight out of the box. I'm still trying to sell my old Singer Ultralock but as there are no takers so far it might end up going to TWAM if I can't find it a new home. What a shame - nice machine in working order but it just doesn't work for me. It might just need a service, of course...
You may recall I picked up some lovely deckchair cotton at the NEC last week - well, I made a rather oddly proportioned shopping bag with it. Yeah, I probably should have measured something, huh? And a safety note here - I should have swapped whatever needle was in the machine (probably a standard) for a denim one, because this happened, and it narrowly missed going into my eye:
I put my reading specs on after this, too!
We've been trying to interact with our overgrown kitten-cat more, so I made a 100% catnip kicker stick from some leftovers and...
...he's still not very interested in catnip. Bah.
I also finished up a pair of stripey tube socks, I knat the first one at Kegworth and I've a big sock commission on at the moment so I wanted to get this pair done:
I'm currently running a sale on my current etsy stock, two pairs of socks which will go in the charity bag in a few days if they do not sell. Please check it out! Or maybe they'll go into my sock drawer, haha! More stock will be coming soon, but by soon I mean in a month or so.
Yesterday I taught a new student in mk, she has had a stroke so no use of her right arm. It's amazing how tricky certain things are with only one hand, but she is determined! I am going to try and knit her a replacement for the ribber comb as it will be too hard for her to use the metal kind with the removable wire. Some yarn rewinding, and putting up of the chunky machine, required in the next four weeks then.
"Storm of socks" - yes, I've 8 pairs of custom socks to knit. 1 pair are on the CSM so that's 11% done I guess! :)
Current mood:
annoyed with Flickr and Mondays in general...
Tuesday, March 20
Nec show and Wroclaw trip
Well, I had a delightful weekend. Friday I was helping out on the Guild of Machine Knitter's stand - we were well-staffed, though, so it afforded ample opportunity to browse the lovely stands. There seemed (to my mind) to be more fabric stalls than last year, and only 3-4 yarn stands (Toft, Black Sheep Wools, Neil the Knit and Stash Fine Yarns). I succumbed to two lengths of some gorgeous fabric from Lintons, and three Kwiksew patterns, and a pack of Noro yarn (it's not Kureyon for once, this one has silk). And then, my main purpose - to buy a new overlocker. I settled on a reasonably priced Juki and am excitedly waiting its delivery. Only disappointment - no exhibitor's lounge area this year despite there apparently being a bar space available in the "crapbooking" hall...
Friday night I joined some work colleagues on a short break to Wroclaw (Poland) - we were delayed getting out due to snow at the Polish end so it was 2am before we dropped into bed - very swanky executive apartment with three double rooms. I had my own (snow-covered) balcony - not sure if all that snow fell at once, but it didn't thaw all weekend as it was the wrong side of the building to get much sun. We spent a cold morning dwarf-hunting and trying out pirogie, cocktails and cake, then made a trip to a supermarket to stock up on nibbles for tea. Two of us went to a nightclub, I decided to stay in and natter with A and we went to bed around half 11 - K and L didn't roll in 'til 4am apparently! Which wasn't a problem, except that I awoke around 5am - yeah, my bodyclock doesn't care WHERE I am or WHAT day it is! By 11 I'd gotten itchy feet, so struck out to find more dwarves alone. Of course, didn't clock that no data/wifi meant no GPS and I got a bit lost - we'd taken the tram back the day before (it was only one stop) so I wasn't entirely sure of the way back on foot. Sunday night we visited K's relatives - three families on three floors in one house (sounds snug but it was a good size house) and then went straight to bed by the time we got home. All the food and chatter (most in Polish) was a bit much for my poor ears which gave up around 9pm.
Monday we managed to book ourselves manicures / beauty treatments and wandered over to find the cat cafe - not bad except for when two of the cats got a bit agressive with each other. A quick climb up to the Penitent's Bridge - one of the churches has two towers with a bridge between them and back for shellac - got a cut cuticle which is still a bit sore - then a late lunch, Polish donuts, and back to the airport. Liking the purple sparkly nails but the sore finger, not so much! Well, I think I have ugly hands anyway... :)
Current mood:
enthralled
Friday night I joined some work colleagues on a short break to Wroclaw (Poland) - we were delayed getting out due to snow at the Polish end so it was 2am before we dropped into bed - very swanky executive apartment with three double rooms. I had my own (snow-covered) balcony - not sure if all that snow fell at once, but it didn't thaw all weekend as it was the wrong side of the building to get much sun. We spent a cold morning dwarf-hunting and trying out pirogie, cocktails and cake, then made a trip to a supermarket to stock up on nibbles for tea. Two of us went to a nightclub, I decided to stay in and natter with A and we went to bed around half 11 - K and L didn't roll in 'til 4am apparently! Which wasn't a problem, except that I awoke around 5am - yeah, my bodyclock doesn't care WHERE I am or WHAT day it is! By 11 I'd gotten itchy feet, so struck out to find more dwarves alone. Of course, didn't clock that no data/wifi meant no GPS and I got a bit lost - we'd taken the tram back the day before (it was only one stop) so I wasn't entirely sure of the way back on foot. Sunday night we visited K's relatives - three families on three floors in one house (sounds snug but it was a good size house) and then went straight to bed by the time we got home. All the food and chatter (most in Polish) was a bit much for my poor ears which gave up around 9pm.
Monday we managed to book ourselves manicures / beauty treatments and wandered over to find the cat cafe - not bad except for when two of the cats got a bit agressive with each other. A quick climb up to the Penitent's Bridge - one of the churches has two towers with a bridge between them and back for shellac - got a cut cuticle which is still a bit sore - then a late lunch, Polish donuts, and back to the airport. Liking the purple sparkly nails but the sore finger, not so much! Well, I think I have ugly hands anyway... :)
Current mood:
enthralled
Tuesday, March 13
FO: Deformed toddler sock and fingerless mittens
One deformed toddler sock - tried knitting EON on the CSM at the tightest tension, but it wasn't terribly happy about that - but T3 seemed ok (it's usually T6 for every needle anyway). Completely forgot to work a toe so they are rather square. Oh well, it was my first attempt!
A room with a view - an early Sunday morning shot of the fingerless mittens (yes, there are two!) which I finished sewing up Saturday night. A very simple mitten knitted over 40 sts with a short-row thumb. If I can find the notes I'll post the pattern (quite easy to figure out anyway).
Current mood:
working
Monday, March 12
Circles 2018 (Kegworth)
I spent a lovely weekend with my fellow CSMers (Circular Sock Machines) in a hotel in Kegworth. Got there straight from work Friday night, with only a small delay in the traffic. One fish and chip dinner later and I was pretty much ready for bed. That, and there were some rather annoying "hens" with an "impersonal stereo" aka a smartphone playing tinny dance music. There are pubs that play music, you know - you only have to google them.
Saturday I was down to attend Hilary's fairisle class - but got carried away making a toddler sock (came out somewhat misshapen because I'd grafted the toe before I realised I'd forgotten to do a short-row toe - oops!) and managed to miss her class completely. Luckily, she gave me a mini demo of the ingenious two-colour mast she'd developed. Of course I had to buy one!
I then had a class with Matt where he demonstrated polka dots, fairisle worked using the holding position - and a class with Mary - dragon scales ie pointed flaps and lace. As I'd written notes up for a class on cables, which had been left out of the programme, I gave her my handouts and a sample to show everyone. Three techniques for the price of one class! To be fair, teaching more than one class is a bit much because I want to learn stuff too, and that's a push in two days because you can't be in two places at once. In the late afternoon I gave my talk about starting a sock with the ribber - this year I'd manage to borrow a projector so that helped, and Mary borrowed it later for her history talk.
Sunday I did wedge toes and short-row spiral shapes with Steph, and I managed to knit one of a pair of tube socks in WYS blue. Yes, the Wool Wagon was there again and yes, I did succumb to some Stash Enhancement eXperiences. Loving the cashmere mix, hoping it feels as nice as socks as it does in a ball.
Sleep was in short supply - the room too warm and the bed very hard - but I'm not sure I'd sleep well anywhere these days, seeing as I can't even get a decent night's kip in my OWN bed - so I can't entirely blame the hotel for that. All too soon it was over and people were packing up and drifting away - the saddest part for me! I'm sure if we had five days we still wouldn't haven't have explored every topic these machines bring up.
Highlights for me? Steph's class (I've been admiring her socks on Facebook) and especially her "naughty" weights (soft sock weights with faces on), seeing a very simple Co-Op CSM machine and some beautifully painted CSMs. I guess perhaps you have to be an engineer to understand the attraction and wonder at beautifully-machined metal contraptions.
Lots of pictures here. Many thanks to Mary H (from Ruddington museum) for her endless patience in putting this convention together and putting up with lots of hassle, and the Wool Zone for replenishing my supplies!
Current mood: exhausted
Saturday I was down to attend Hilary's fairisle class - but got carried away making a toddler sock (came out somewhat misshapen because I'd grafted the toe before I realised I'd forgotten to do a short-row toe - oops!) and managed to miss her class completely. Luckily, she gave me a mini demo of the ingenious two-colour mast she'd developed. Of course I had to buy one!
I then had a class with Matt where he demonstrated polka dots, fairisle worked using the holding position - and a class with Mary - dragon scales ie pointed flaps and lace. As I'd written notes up for a class on cables, which had been left out of the programme, I gave her my handouts and a sample to show everyone. Three techniques for the price of one class! To be fair, teaching more than one class is a bit much because I want to learn stuff too, and that's a push in two days because you can't be in two places at once. In the late afternoon I gave my talk about starting a sock with the ribber - this year I'd manage to borrow a projector so that helped, and Mary borrowed it later for her history talk.
Sunday I did wedge toes and short-row spiral shapes with Steph, and I managed to knit one of a pair of tube socks in WYS blue. Yes, the Wool Wagon was there again and yes, I did succumb to some Stash Enhancement eXperiences. Loving the cashmere mix, hoping it feels as nice as socks as it does in a ball.
Sleep was in short supply - the room too warm and the bed very hard - but I'm not sure I'd sleep well anywhere these days, seeing as I can't even get a decent night's kip in my OWN bed - so I can't entirely blame the hotel for that. All too soon it was over and people were packing up and drifting away - the saddest part for me! I'm sure if we had five days we still wouldn't haven't have explored every topic these machines bring up.
Highlights for me? Steph's class (I've been admiring her socks on Facebook) and especially her "naughty" weights (soft sock weights with faces on), seeing a very simple Co-Op CSM machine and some beautifully painted CSMs. I guess perhaps you have to be an engineer to understand the attraction and wonder at beautifully-machined metal contraptions.
Lots of pictures here. Many thanks to Mary H (from Ruddington museum) for her endless patience in putting this convention together and putting up with lots of hassle, and the Wool Zone for replenishing my supplies!
Current mood:
exhausted
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