Garter and lace...

Had more of a play with my "new" garter carriage last night - it casts on and off by itself, too! And it worked straight away! The seller said it didn't look like it had had much use, so I am a very lucky bunny.

Also had a go with the lace carriage last night, which was not so successful. It kept dropping stitches, and not on a particular needle. It was ok, but it was time-consuming having to squint at every row to check if it was ok. I often wonder why we machine knitters put ourselves through all this hassle? Because you'd think automating something should make it faster and easier, but it ain't necessarily so! As I was telling someone the other night, it just allows me to make mistakes even faster, with the added "bonus" of the possibility of breaking my toes if I drop weights on them.

Whatever happened to the rest of the week?

I finished the skirt on Tuesday night. Two more sewing classes to go, and then the course ends. Finito. It looks as if the class might get transferred to the Coundon Court one (runs Wednesdays, which is the one night I'm committed elsewhere) - but I'm not quite sure how the powers-that-be think that will work.. By all accounts, the CC class is already full and has a waiting list. Our current teacher (who is lovely) is already struggling to get around 19 odd students as it is - if I was a beginner, I'd've spent most of Tuesday nights sitting around waiting for her attention. Not a criticism in any way, it's just the logistics of a class of 80% beginners.

Anyway, the skirt is done. It's a kind of flarey thing (Simplicity Easy Chic 4273 if you're interested) - and it doesn't sit nearly as well as in the picture. Of course, it's in the same suiting material as the trousers (a light polyester/cotton I think - it's easy iron, anyhoo!) and the picture on the envelope shows it in a lighter cotton so perhaps that's the problem, it's too stiff a fabric. Everyone who's seen me in it seems to like it, but the Cog said it emphasised my thighs. Well, I did ask him to be honest! So anyway, started cutting up a cotton duvet cover, to make a toile of the top. Most sewing patterns are a B cup, and my cup runneth over and is also possibly lower than "Ms Standard", whoever the hell she might be, so it's worth trying out the fit on a toile before cutting into the real material. Which may be too thick, now, of course. Le sigh! Was hoping to discover all my healthy eating had reduced my bust size, but alas, no. The Cog'll be chuffed though, haha! The weight's leaving my bottom half at the moment.

Casting around for possible alternatives to dumping the Coventry Knit Wits for extended 10 week periods - the sewing shop near the railway station is getting a professional tutor, and I'm hoping I can perhaps persuade them to run a course on a different night - yes, you've guessed it, theirs ALSO runs on a Wednesday. What is it about mid-week that makes it so popular?! There's also the option of keeping it in the family. The Cog's mum is an accomplished sewer, and I know she made shirts in the past - but it would have to be at the weekend because I think she goes to bed very early in the evenings. I did get lessons with my mum for a while back in '98 I think - even made a skirt - but the only thing I remember doing was the zip. She's lovely, but she has the tendency to take things off you and take over. Which is fine, but I could have left the material there and gone home instead. Not what I wanted, I want to learn and can only do that by doing it/mucking it up in person! I think my sister may have announced her wedding in the middle, which required a bridal gown and two bridesmaid's dresses, so that kind of aborted the arrangement and I never got around to re-starting what with various other things going on.

I guess I could just potter along at home, of course. It's just that other things (laundry etc) become distractions - and I can't ask anyone if I get stuck. Dammit. I'm really rather fed up of this sewing course loop I keep getting stuck in. Dunno what I pay my council tax for! I guess I should just join the herd and take up Russian instead. Grump!

Anyway, finally cast off the secret project last night, which took most of two hours, 'cause I'd quite royally messed it up in poor lighting. Mental note - cast off before sewing up, it's a LOT easier. Ha!

Managed to get two gym sessions (and a sauna! Yay!) in already this week, which means I can clear the decks for some me-time tonight. Will try very hard to ignore the laundry and restart some stalled things.

So long to the old chugger...

Picked up a newer garter carriage and sold the old KG88 (old chugger) for spares. The new one is a KG93, which means it runs on the 950i without extra rails. Which means I won't be able to do garter stitch on the poor old KH836 anymore. Hadn't thought of that. Ah well, it's still a good demo machine, and it'll always work, even in a powercut, haha! Didn't get a box for the new carriage so will have to make something up, because I need something safe to store it in when it's not in use.

Haven't tried the automatic cast on/cast off functions, and not sure I ever will - seems like too much hassle if it goes wrong. Anyway - I feel the need to do some swatching and get cracking with a garter carriage pattern I bought yonks ago at Nottingham Show. If I can remember where I've filed it!

Almost bid on a Superba but didn't - if it had been local as I thought, I'd've snapped it up, but it was down south somewhere. And I really don't need any more machines - I've gained three this year as it is!

Dropped off the yarn from the estate sale to Mary H from the KCGuild yesterday, a pleasant enough drive up to Castle Donington. Couldn't sell the misc. mk bits to my local "dealer", so have started to ebay them - my username is steelbreeze23. Any reader in the UK want a YC5 colour changer and some masts? Need to figure out how I can make a box for the masts, before I can weigh it and put it online.

Made a secret project over the weekend and am sewing it up, Pic next week - don't get too excited, it's nothing much.

CSM proto sock!

CSM proto sock!
Originally uploaded by steel breeze

The Imperia works like a dream - ribbing as soon as the dial is on! Very chuffed with it.

Was trying out different tensions. The sock "proper" starts at a selvedge (looks like a rib crossways) at MT/RT 5/3. The grey stripe was an accident (was unpicking a previous attempt). Sock is stocking stitch base from heel onwards. Ran out of yarn (this is leftover Trekking handpainted).

Need to make myself a cast-on bonnet, because the grey yarn is getting low now. Also need to work out how many rows for a size 7 foot. And practice heels - it's a little holey at the corner.

Annoyed again

The community sewing course that only just moved to the City College from Hereward college in September? The one I'm attending on Tuesday nights? They've decided to close it (it's still got a few weeks to run). Despite the fact it was full, and I was the last person to get on - I enrolled only 45 minutes after enrollment opened.

Really don't want to go back to the Leamington one. The only other one they offered was "Asian dressmaking", and that one was full by the time I got to college (despite it running several times a week). Plus I don't really want to make Asian dresses. So the courses are obviously popular.

Of course, if I wanted to learn Russian or French or Maths or something, I'd be laughing.

This comes after I discovered the college-run sewing and machine knitting courses, that ran concurrently Tue-Wed-Thu in the Coventry Arcade, also got canned in July. Well, it used to be free, and run Mon-Sat, and then they made one of the tutors redundant, went Tue-Thu and stopped getting the government subsidy, so it was £600 per year for two years. No wonder they lost 80% of their students. One might say it was almost a deliberate attempt to close the course. You might recall, they pulled that one on me whilst I was halfway through the machine knitting course, so I had to pay £600 to stay at home and use my own equipment. I only attended 3 or 4 times, to show work for examination, but had to take a day off to do so. Daylight robbery.

I really don't know what I pay my council tax for. I subsidise courses that I can never attend, unless I lose my job or retire. Alas, I have a good 30-odd years to go to retirement, and that's assuming they haven't increased the legal age by then. Courses that I wouldn't want to attend, either.

We all told the teacher we were up in arms about it. There's a course run by our tutor at Coundon Court, on a Wednesday night, which already has a waiting list, and the suggestion is that we might transfer there - I don't see how, if it's already oversubscribed, and it would mean giving up running the Coventry Knit Wits. Any other night than Wednesday I could do it. Typical.

I am really cross!

Knitch and kvetch

I’m gradually getting my mojo back (I think). The title is because I'm a bit stroppy this week, probably post-holiday blues. Took my “new” 950i on holiday to Wales. Alas, I forgot the end rails, and I didn’t spot that the lace carriage had had its magnet snapped off along with the rest of the courier carnage. Also the instructional DVD is scratched, so a large chunk of it no longer plays.

Luckily - and this is the first time I ever thought I’d be grateful for fortnightly refuse collections - the magnet was in the wheelie bin outside when I got home, so I managed to rescue it and glue it back on. I bought a U-shaped magnet in Rhayader which will work with the addition of some sticky tape, should my repair not work.

The seller bought me a new lid – it only clamps at one end as the machine casing has been bent at the other end, but I reckon I can dig out some ribbon or string to tie around that end, should the need arise.

Wales? Wales was ok, we mostly stayed in the log cabin and I messed about with the knitting machine. Owing to a complete lack of foresight, I forgot to bring a copy of Knitware with me, so couldn’t install it on the Cog’s laptop (mine’s a mac) and calculate the dress I wanted to make. I took the knitleader, but my maths brain must have been AWOL because I couldn’t get the calculation to fit the machine bed until Friday, when it was already too late. So I started to make a sideways knitted skirt from the Mary Weaver book, but got bored with it and wasn’t sure I had enough yarn. Eventually I made a swatch testing out the various stitch settings (which is when I discovered the lace carriage damage), and then made a charity tee with some fairisle patterns. I quite fancied the sheep fairisle, but discovered that on the two rows where the background knits alone, the machine continues to do end needle selection and creates two massive floats on the back of the jumper. Ah well, it’s a learning discovery – it only happened the once, because I was wise to it afterwards.

Samples:

Slip and tuck


Fairisle



Charity tee

The weather wasn’t great all week. We travelled to the National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre through driving rain – the museum was great (it’s a working woolen mill), but most of the equipment wasn’t in use. They had a really cute animated wooden model, to show how hand-shearing is much slower than electric shears (see below). The little sheep went around in a circle. Bought a fabulous woven wool travel blanket for the car.



Of course, any trip to Mid Wales wouldn’t be complete for a knitter, without a trip to Colinette. I had a quick browse in the sales corner, but there wasn’t much on cones this time. There was quite a quantity of Colinette Lasso in discontinued colours, and I suspect the stock hadn’t really changed since my last visit in 2006. I’m surprised they don’t hawk it on their website, as they don’t open Saturdays which precludes most people shopping there unless they take time off from work.

I picked up 10 skeins of Colinette Iona, an aran weight wool with 15% kid mohair and 15% silk in the most gorgeous of colours – I picked 10 different colourways, because I couldn’t possibly decide.



All week it called to me and teased me for not bringing a skein winder and swift.

I also picked up two balls of King Cole Zig Zag sock yarn in Llandridod Wells, one ball for me, and one ball for ‘im indoors. I bet you can guess which one’s for me, right? It was nice to see the LW shop was still there, the Rhayader yarn shop has closed since my last visit.



What else did we do? Watched a lot of tv (live tv, which is a novelty in our house) – the cabin has Freesat, so tons of stations, but no Channel 5 for some reason (I fancied watching a film). It also had a DVD player, but we couldn’t get any sound from it, so we watched the first series of Quantum Leap on my laptop instead.

The Cog didn’t roll in until 8pm on the Friday before we left for Wales, so did all his packing on Saturday, and managed to forget most of his spreadsheets, a vital cable for his playstation and the book he intended to read. Luckily there was a WHSmiths in Welshpool and he stocked up on magazines.

It was nice to get away, but I missed my internet connection, my fan oven, my dishwasher, and decent not-low-energy lightbulbs. Not necessarily in that order! Couldn’t see to machine knit after dark, which is about 5pm at the moment, and didn’t roll out of bed ‘til 10am most days.

The cat was incredibly pleased to see us on our return, and promptly ran off to re-mark all his territories, before falling asleep face-down on the Cog’s laptop (he was trying to use it at the time).

To get back onto knitting content, I discovered I’d misunderstood the Rowan Kimi pattern - or perhaps it’s not written very well? I had messed up the front, and this was the second front. Luckily there is a schematic, so I figured out what it was supposed to look like, and have corrected both pieces. I am now onto the first sleeve. There are two (I think – the pattern doesn’t say “knit two pieces” ANYWHERE!) batwing-shaped pieces, and I think a long thin tie to go, and then I’m done. Which is good, because the Colinette is already re-wound into nice little balls, and is begging me to knit it, to the exclusion of everything else in my work-in-progress queue. Colinette yarn has this odd effect on me – as soon as it’s in the house I HAVE to knit it up.

It might have to wait, though – somebody’s expecting some socks!

Back online...

...from a week's holiday in Wales, and only just surfaced from catching up with blogs and emails. Bought 10 skeins of fantastic colours in Colinette Iona, and two balls of sock yarn. Pics later - right now I just want to cuddle up with my cat!

Not dead...

....just up to eyes lately with social engagements, work, and being too bushed to do much else when I'm at home apart from slump in front of the telly or sleep.

However, last week I picked up a Brother 950i for a steal on Ebay. The courier had a good go at smashing it, but mainly damaged the lid (which will have to go down the tip). I had to cannibalise some bits from a spare carriage because the sinker post screws were bent - so much so I had to bend them with pliers to get them undone.  The electronic end on the LHS was loose, but is fine now I've popped the tab back into the casing. Luckily, it's all in good nick apart from needing a good clean and a new spongebar.

No, I didn't really need another knitting machine, but the red mist descended when I saw MachineMama's beautiful garter stitch afghan on Ravelry done with patterning across the full bed. So I dug out my garter carriage on Sunday. It refused to knit unless I pressed it down onto the bed. Eventually the light came on - it needed the additional rails, despite the fact that the 950i has the slotted rail built in. My garter carriage is the oldest one (KG88) and I'd never had much luck with it before - it used to turn around too early and generally misbehave. So I was overjoyed when it worked perfectly (once I'd put the rails on, DUH!).

Alas, was it ever that simple? Had a bit of a game casting on a sleeve (the pattern is a T shape, for the charity tee jumper I make a lot of), so did that bit with the ordinary carriage. Got it running with a new pattern when calamity occurred! I was tidying up the rest of the room (I had to pack my SK840 and its ribber etc away) and I managed to swing my chair around and catch the gc. There was an almighty ping! and it started to drop stitches - the needle was broken. Replaced it, but it still drops stitches, so I think something more permanent and irrepairable may have happened. The KG88 is the oldest of the garter carriages and the foot plate has hairline cracks, so perhaps I should upgrade to a newer model. Gave up in disgust about 8pm Sunday, the knitting is still partially hanging on the machine. Will get to it at some point, but out every night this week! :)

See, even when things are going well, I have an innate ability to screw them up! Thinking about getting the Cog to help me remodel the knitting room, with dedicated machine shelves (but that would mean decorating and everything packing away into the attic. Horrors!). Either that, or I start putting knitting machines up in the bathroom. What do you think?! :)