The Cog thinks it's a bit too big (and this was the SMALL size!) - he said it might be ok for gardening, but he likes his jumpers PLAIN (yes, I did know this, but BORING!) and it's, in his words, "a bit too barrelly" and too warm. He's a 38" chest so not particularly small. There's one project on Rav reckons the starting stitch count was a typo (by quite a lot), but it did work out mathematically so I'm not sure. Yes, I deliberately asked him to stand with his arms out like that, so you could see how big it is.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. The yarn (discontinued Patons Bracken, a wool-acrylic mix) is a lovely green, with a fleck of gold and mint - which he DOES like, despite him being the prince of darkness normally. I have 400g left and swatched it on the SK860 yesterday - I suppose frogging is in order, because I'm pretty sure 400g isn't enough for an adult jumper. I did make him a pair of simple fingerless gloves with the leftover part-ball and the yarn taken off the sleeves. I must admit, I don't really like the cast on edge anyway - which, in the pattern, went straight into stocking stitch - I added 4 rows of garter stitch. I almost wish I COULD spot a mis-twisted cable, because that'd give me just cause for frogging the whole lot.
This xmas has been a bit of a bust, really - I had planned to get lots of machine knitting done before I was instructed that sitting was a really bad thing for a lumbar herniated disc. I have ordered a fancy new chair, but left it to the 31st, it being a large purchase. Thanks to the courier company deciding to delay it, it's going to turn up tomorrow when I'm back at work, despite having been despatched on the 1st. Apparently Christmas came as quite a surprise to several parcel companies, and there I was thinking it's the one main holiday of the year that never moves (unlike Easter). Yeah, can you hear the sarcasm here? And no, it's not Yodel who rescheduled my delivery - a pity really, as the Yodel agent lives down the road and I could've picked up from her myself.
I can only give thanks for the serendipity that caused me to have the chiro appointment on the day my sister was planning on freecycling her kneeling chair, otherwise it would have been an even more uncomfortable fortnight than it was. I spent most of the 27th and 28th watching tv lying down. Thank goodness for a reclining sofa that goes almost horizontal - but of course that's not conducive to eating or drinking, and lying down in this house tends to attract cat butt. Also, I tend to fall asleep - having a major deficit of sleep from November and December to catch up on. I am going to have to think about a portable solution for this "not sitting" thing though - because otherwise I have to give up ever going to the cinema or the pub (or anywhere else with normal seating) ever again.
Add to that the whole VATMESS the UK government has brought in - as if to remind me, someone from the US bought a crash course leaflet on New Year's Eve. The leaflets sell (via Etsy) for a nominal amount - and probably, in a year, that might happen up to 10 times a year - that's a very generous estimate. I'm seriously considering whether I should take them down - I mean, the only reason I charge a small fee is that I put time and effort into them and I felt it was justified. Some interesting ideas here, anyway. Maybe I should offer them for a donation, instead, or go back to the paypal and email it method (although it seems unclear whether that is a legal workaround). So well done, whoever came up with this legislation, and didn't think that removing the VAT threshold would be an issue - way to go. I can see an awful lot of microbusinesses just shutting up shop. (Kudos, incidentally, to Ravelry for coming up with a 3rd party solution for folks to continue to sell their knitting patterns).
And I hate having to get all political on what is supposed to be a knitting blog, dammit.
Anyway, I'm determined to look on the positive side. I made serious inroads to the Zen jacket yesterday, and am on the final border. The sleeves will have to go uncrocheted, so it's going to be more of a sleeveless waistcoat - because I won't have enough yarn - but as it's almost 1kg of alpaca I think sleeves would be a bad idea anyway. I finished a kumihimo braid I started, and started a friendship bracelet - I have no idea what I'll do with either of these things but the creative must out!
Talking of which, I've spent far too long on this blog post already. I need to go knit something! :)
Current mood:
quixotic
1 comment:
From one machine knitter to another, I LOVE the sweater your guy is wearing. Lots of texture, looks great. I find it sad that all that legislation around the VAT is going to strangle small enterprises like yours.
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