Summer startitis

Gosh, didn't realise it had been almost a month since my last post. Well, we have been engaged in no-kitchen eating out, decorating, sorting through kitchen stuff, and trying to freecycle unwanted kitchen items. There's not been that much to report.

See all those projects in that bag over there? Yes? Let's start something else instead... This is the definition of startitis.

Drops Pauline cardigan back in progress. Part of me wishes I'd skipped the every 4th row purl stitch bit, but it does give me the motivation to knit just another 4 rows, so maybe it's not so bad. The cardigan has lacey inserts on the collar and on the sleeves, I might knit a sleeve next just to keep myself engaged with it. Acres of almost stocking stitch is not my forte.

Granny square blanket, diagonally joining as I go. This one kind of fits in with the destashing - leftover yarn ends make great granny squares, and sometimes the prettiest squares come from the combination of thinner yarns (though they can sometimes be the hardest to work, as the yarn tangles more)... There's something about granny squares, they are a bit like Pringles, you can't just stop at one. I'm just working 6 rounds and then when I have enough for a diagonal, crocheting another stripe of squares together. The joining method was inspired by a puzzle from a book I had as a child, how to draw a grid without crossing lines and taking the pencil off the paper the least amount of times. I'm sure it's not a new idea though! If I had planned it, I could have randomised the squares a little better, but it is what it is. It will progress as I have cone ends to use up. The fun thing about crochet is how fast it grows.

The kitchen is now at the painting stage. I can confirm I have cream emulsion on various parts of my body - by the time I'd got it off all the brushes and rollers, it had set on me! There is a new roller blind on order, and the last thing to organise is getting a bifold door and finding a carpenter to fit it. The fitters from Wickes were very good, I would definitely use them again.

Freegle is very trying at times - 90% of the people on there are lovely and genuine - we passed our dishwasher and fridge onto grateful recipients. The other 10% seem to think it's some sort of free version of Amazon - not only do they expect the item for free, they expect it to be delivered. We're not far from a bus route. You want it, come get it (and BTW it's still not 12 months since my seizure, so therefore I am still off the road). The only exception I made was to deliver a table to a lady with two small kids and an incapacitated husband who couldn't leave them unattended. I'm sorry, but "plz can u deliver" with no explanation butters no parsnips with me. I'm just waiting patiently on another Warwickshire Air Ambulance label, and what hasn't gone already can go to them. I'm fed up of having a pile of kitchen stuff in the living room, so this weekend's task is to sort through what goes into the attic and what goes into the garage to be passed on.

We have the added complication of the local bin men going on strike, just when we could really use them taking away the leftover house stuff that didn't make it into the skip bag. To be fair, they've only dropped the recycling and green bin collections, but they are the fullest and of course it's the season for gardening so the green bin is already full and I've more weeding to do. I hope they sort it out soon. I suspect most folks will stop recycling this week as there's just nowhere else to put it.

Our offices officially reopened this week after nine months of refitting. It's not bad, though my window seat turned out to be a whole 4" of window. Still, someone was moaning they were too hot by their window so perhaps I got lucky in the end! I'm still dependant on getting a lift in with a coworker when possible. It's surprising how much thought has to go into planning a trip when you know the train is involved. I must wear comfortable shoes, to enable running for the train, and can only take or wear what I can carry. No loading the boot and taking too much into the office. I am known for taking the kitchen sink sometimes!

Last coat of paint tonight hopefully. Fingers crossed - covering up apple green is quite tricky!

Current mood: amused

Autumn is coming

In progress: Granny square pattern blanket

A simple cardigan with yoke - it's been finished since this shot was taken.

Not shown, a completed sideways crochet scarf and another in a weave pattern, about a quarter completed, and some simple cotton trousers I made with rainbow fabric (they're more stylish than they sound!).

Sorry guys, I have been remiss in keeping the blog up to date lately. Never fear, all is well here. I am getting used to the medication (I don't seem to remember my dreams every night, which is a relief). Autumn is definitely in the air - there's a cold sharpness to the breeze now, and I often play the "crunchy leaf" game on walks, though it's a bit early for that. I made another version of the Norfolk blanket, but scaled it up to use all 199 needles. It didn't go that well - the rear pushers kept flatlining - so there are some mistakes. It's a good way of using up yarn though. Perhaps I will just pick a simple tuck pattern from the book next time.

My office organised a late summer party last week, originally postponed from 2020. It was in a marquee alongside a lake. Oh, so much food, I skipped tea completely! It was the first time we'd all been together since March 2020 so it was nice to catch up with people I wouldn't otherwise see. Alas, the glam outfit I had intended to wear no longer fits. It's surprising how much more incidental exercise I got when working in an office - they are now shut for refurbishment.

We managed to get petrol last week which will hopefully last until the fuel crisis passes - we had a short break in Worcester / Malverns and every petrol station we passed on the way home was dry. I hope you are safe and well, and keeping warm. Eddie the cat is delighted that the heating is on again. The Cog is moaning that summer is done but I'm secretly looking forward to getting through some box sets.

Current mood: busy

The mad hatter...

Don't ask me why, but I'm inordinately pleased with this hat. It couldn't be simpler - just 1x1 rib worked in the round for 8 or so inches, and then decreased. I found the pattern (from Purl Soho) via Ravelry, and it's in a large array of sizes. This is the adult's small, which seems to fit me just fine, though it's another one for the charity bag. I've already got a second one on the needles - it's perfect for mindless knitting in front of the tv. This is something you couldn't knit on the knitting machine - ribbing in the round is reserved for CSMs with ribbers (and my CSM would choke on this anyway as it is two ends of 4ply to make up to DK). 

What else to tell you? Nothing much really. Last week's "highlight", if you could call it that, was a filling coming loose, luckily on the very day I had an emergency dental appointment. Then later discovering that the Cog had accidentally let his car's MOT lapse - cue a panicked trip to the garage - all is now well. Oh, I joined the local WI and we had lovely cake, delivered personally, to celebrate the group's tenth birthday - and an an amazing mind-reading act. It's amazing what you can do over Zoom, isn't it?! Next month is chocolate tasting. Looking forward to that! 

It seems I've lost all "oomph" to finish the burgundy jumper - serves me right for knitting two backs when I could just have easily done a proper shaped neck. The sweater parts are now draped over the Passap and rebuke me every time I enter the room. Do I care? No! What did I do? I cast on and knitted the back of Mary Anne Oger's Take a Turn sweater in some pale blue lambswool I do not remember buying. I misread the armscye shaping instructions, and probably should have re-read the "Take a Turn" KAL thread on Rav from twelve years ago. Oh well, the front will be correct. Luckily it will all be hidden under the arm - I won't be reknitting the back as it has a cabled yoke with reformed tuck stitch gutters. I do need to get the sewing machine out this week to finish up some other items so I daresay I will get onto the burgundy jumper this week. Wish I had a second overlocker like my friend J - rethreading it for what amounts to 10" of black cut and sew seems like an awful pest. I might just do a zigzag row - once washed it'll be secure enough I think. 

The other thing taking up my time is a cross-stitch kit for the Willow Pattern. It's very detailed but I am loving it. 

Current mood: okay

Finished object.. Fednesday?

 

I crocheted all of this before I decided that granny zigzags didn't really work with this yarn...

   

It will eventually be frogged into this, which works much better. I've been schlepping about the house in these, which I never got around to photographing until today for some reason:

   

Dreadful picture, straight off the washing line and wearing them again. Original blog post here, now with photo. I love the big pockets too! Need to make me some more of these... 

 

 Charity lockdown scarves

   

 Charity single blanket (made a while ago, forgot to photograph)

 

Current mood: warm

Happy New Year, and an incomplete project round-up...

Happy New Year! Gosh, almost a month since my last post. Well, December always goes a bit bonkers and I didn't even do much crafting for xmas presents either, that was just the way it was! They go into major xmas mode at work these days, something happening 3-4 days every week in December. By the time the 25th rolls around I have to say I'm calorific-ally fed up with the whole thing already! I know that makes me sound like a humbug, I'm really not. We did raise quite a bit for various charities.

Because the 25th fell on a Wednesday, there were two working days before it, and two after January the 1st. My partner had to take the whole fortnight so I matched him. Bliss - but such a wrench to go back to work afterwards!

We spent one night in the lovely Hotel Indigo at the back of the Mailbox shopping centre in Birmingham, got to try out the spa, and got a lovely view of the sunrise whilst we had breakfast on the 25th floor.



This was taken through glass - it looks like a UFO attack is in progress, but it's just the reflections of the lights from the restaurant.



Rosedale cardigan. Actually finished the handknitting in October but it's been hanging around waiting for a zip and waiting for me to insert said zip. Not sure the yarn is really my colours (it's Noro Kureypatoren, which is a DK version of their Noro Kureyon).

Some finished and almost finished projects:


Snowflake sweater. I machine-knitted the body (with hand-transferred snowflake front and back), hand-knitted the hems as the machine choked on the sequins / lack of weight, and crocheted the snowflake appliques. Not quite finished, I have a few more snowflakes to sew on, but ran out of time as Xmas jumper day was 13th December. And I won! Hurrah...



Fat quarter knitting cats top. This is a basic Prima pattern, think I could probably go down a size as this is the size 20 and the neck is a bit big. Fat quarters were two packs from Hobbycraft. I would like to have a go making this entirely with an overlocker next. Think I might need to add those little bra doohickeys on the shoulders.

Not pictured: I also made some 2x2 ribbed hats from my All gauges easy rib hat pattern, and another jumper from leftover Noro.

Leicestershire machine knitting club are running a 3 month project where we design and knit a jacket. To that end, I was asked to do some samples of edges, and picked four from Mary Anne Oger's excellent books (see below). They've been "killed" with the steam iron to make them lay flat, they are DK acrylic.



Also not pictured, I am trying to be more sustainable. The poor Cog does not know what has hit him - we have bar soap in all bathrooms now, and I'm experimenting with making my own beauty and household products. I had quite a lot of offcuts leftover from the "knitting cats" top above, and used the overlocker to turn them into rags. I've also had a sort out of undies and t-shirts, and made them into rags also. Knitted fabric is actually better for kitchen spills as it's more absorbent. Currently it's replacing kitchen towels in the kitchen. Use them once, pop them in the washing machine. The cotton offcuts are better as handkerchiefs. I got to play with my overlocker and figure out some of the settings, and I help the environment too. Win-win, I say!


Current mood: busy

And on...

Rosedale is complete and is just waiting for me to buy a zip. Hoping to pick one up at the Big Textile Show this weekend, where I am representing the Leicestershire Machine Knitters. Pop by and say hello! It's a super show with lots of crafts to interest - quilting, bobbin lace, sewing, block printing etc.

The spiral sock inches on, I am almost done on the first heel. I was debating ending the spiral soon but a friend has pointed out that the foot part will mostly be hidden in my shoe. She has a point!

Trying not to think about the carve up going on politically. P*ss up and brewery come to mind. That is all.

Current mood: annoyed

Bits and bobs

Misty rainbow and burgundy socks made on the CSM.





Rosedale and spiral socks in progress. Two thirds of the last round of that sleeve is red after one of those pesky Noro knots, so a little tinking is in order because I suspect it'll bug me, and it'll be right on the arm scye. The spiral socks are fun but slow! I'm debating on when to terminate the spiralling...

Newsflash: in the back of "Think outside the sox" are some very useful instructions on various basic stitches. What I have been calling k2tog for forever, is actualy k2togtbl. Oops! Luckily I'm not too OCD about such things, but it's something to remember.

I'm not even halfway done on Rosedale and am thinking of getting 13 random skeins of Noro and knitting another one, but making it in intarsia stripes so as to make the most of those lovely slow ombre shifts. Hmm, a late autumn bout of startitis. The ravelry stash is at 98, below 100 for the first time in ages, and that includes 10 yarns destined for socks.

Current mood: amused

Almost FO: drip candle socks

These are so satisfying, I'm almost considering buying some yarn to make another pair! Hmmmm... think the idea is to use up oddments, haha..



And no, I haven't woven in any ends yet...

WIP Wednesday, week 34

Drip Candle socks in progress - just cast on for the other toe today, so as to try and even out the yarn usage. Two CSM socks awaiting grafting.





Apropos nothing, this box of knitted and crocheted goods is just about ready to be posted. The Passap scarves are 80 stitches wide, ss 4/4, and at least 600 rows. Makes a 15cm scarf with 4ply.



And, sneaking in an FO, I bring you another sideways crocheted hat

Current mood: annoyed

FO: King Cole Bamboozle cardigan

I'm not totally happy with the way the sleeve heads fit into the armscye, but having worked on this on and off since 2015 I am done! I noticed that nobody else seems to have complete this cardigan on Ravelry, which is probably an indication of the nefarious nature of this pretty yarn. The pretty buttons are from McAnaraks, picked up at the last time I went to Woolfest.





For some reason this year, start-itis (the burning urge to cast on more projects, whilst ignoring WIPs) hasn't happened - I seem in the mood to finish off existing projects. Have now recommenced working on Blusa Queen (an intricate crochet cardigan).

And just in case people are wondering what I've been up to instead of knitting, I've been dabbling in watercolours. These three are my favourites so far:







We've so far been tracing other work to understand how to plan painting it, so I can take no credit for the actual designs. Next term I think we're going to start working on our own designs. I'm enjoying it even if my results are less than stellar.

Current mood: thoughtful

FO: hats, sigh and jumper commission

It's almost impossible to photograph black correctly. A recently finished commission for someone.



Spent most of the weekend making these hats from leftovers - more items for the charity box:



The third and final version of the neck on "Sigh". I'm done, it'll have to do!

Finished or not? Bits and bobs

This is the "finished" Rowan Sigh, which is exactly what it makes me do. Not happy with the neck (and that was the second attempt!). The pattern as written is a cowl neck, that was dreadful too. Still not sure what I shall do with this, maybe a simple rolled edge neck. The yarn is cursed - everything I've knit with it has gone wrong. The rest is currently being made into charity scarves.


Halfway done with the Longitudinal sock from Knitty. I had originally intended to knit the A-Step socks from "Think outside the sox" but could not make head nor tail of the very first line of the pattern. I feel as if a whole paragraph of instructions was omitted. The sock looks small but fits surprisingly well!


Now the heatwave has passed I felt more able to sew this up last night - the Taos diagonal jacket, though the yarn is Noro Shinroku. It just needs three buttons and a bit of steaming (possibly a stitch or two to keep the collar in place) and it's done.

Current mood: tired and grumpy

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

Completed objects 2017