I also wound the Rowan Colourscape and a skein of mohair I bought in Croydon - not likely to use the yarn unless it's properly wound! The Rowan knits up beautifully at T6 on the Brother 260 - like Noro Kureyon without the annoying bias and sudden knots/colour changes - it feels slightly softer too, and I didn't spot any bits of straw, either. I so want to make a jumper with this yarn, but it's not cheap! So it's going into the "fancy yarns" afghan as squares. G keeps calling it the "sick blanket" (to snuggle under when you are ill) but I think that sounds disgusting! Saturday pm he was watching some DVD he's bought about stock-market trading, so I put up the short-rowing tutorial.
Saturday night we went for a thai meal in town - my fave restaurant, opposite the theatre. Went onto the bar at the Alex (thanks for the tip, S!) where we were slightly overdressed, but the jukebox is full of rock. Slightly the worse for wear, we got a taxi back and I gather I conked out on the sofa for about an hour. Oh, what a party animal am I! We made it to bed around 1am. Can't say I enjoyed the "extra hour" on Sunday, because getting drunk disturbs my sleep, so I got up around 5am and surfed for a bit.
Sunday G went out to watch the Liverpool game, and as I'd been tidying up in my knitting room a bit I decided to make a cover for my overlocker, so that I can keep it out all the time and put the box up in the attic. It came out a bit big - I overestimated my seam allowances - and I forgot to put nicks in the pieces for matching purposes, so the material (squared and from a duvet cover) doesn't quite line up at the front, but I think it came out OK for a beginner! Now, if I could just find my pinking shears for trimming the raw edges, it'd be done. I know I have a brand new pair somewhere, but I suspect they have fallen inside a binder or something.
Re-adjusted my Silver machine - I was messing about with the ribber a few weeks back, and set the left hand height wrong. Turns out that the sponge bar is damaged above the last ten needles at that end, and I didn't spot it, consequently leading to my over-adjustment at that end. I tried that sponge bar in the Vogue machine I did up (on the advice of an expert) and it stripped the foam off a bit; I had thought I'd gotten away with it, but apparently not. Oh well, I guess it's probably time I got a new bar anyway - it might explain the lace problems I've been having with that machine, too. Dammit - I just realised I sold my transfer carriage for that machine, because I didn't get on with it - I wonder if that was the problem? Oh well, never mind!
My overlocker may need a repair, too - I can only use one needle at the moment for some reason. It was playing up when I went on the second Metropolitan course - the "safety stitch" , well, doesn't, despite my re-threading it several times. It's surprising, because I've hardly used it this year. Anyroad, I got it adjusted for overlocking knitted edges and trimmed up all the remaining swatches and samples I still have for the afghan - whilst sorting out the room, I found another big bag of samples I'd kept. I also dashed down to Tescos and bought some clear plastic storage tubs - my fabric stash is now on display and properly stored, instead of billowing out of carrier bags. Most of my stash came from a thrifty friend, who scours charity shops for duvet sets and curtains, and uses that fabric for sewing. It felt a little odd cutting up a perfectly good duvet set, but when I made the front too short I didn't feel so bad cutting out another one.
I need to get the linker out this week and add more swatches to the afghan - I think I'm probably half-way there once that is done.
Oh, and I finished the front of a crocheted charity top. The back I'm doing in trebles, it's quicker.
Overlocker cover. Oversize and not straight, but not far off, and it'll do.
Afghan in progress.
It might look like a mess to you, but it's swatches in waiting. It'll look a lot less like laundry and more like an afghan soon, I promise.
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