FO: Agnes cardigan

I think I accidentally doubled the buttonholes on this, but it doesn't really matter - I don't tend to wear them buttoned up anyway! Quite pleased with this and it's a cheerful colour.

Current mood: cold

Interlocking crochet and other adventures...

Well, there's nothing like a friend asking to borrow a book to make you open the dratted thing and actually read it. I don't remember when I picked up "Interlocking Crochet" by Tanis Galik, but it turns out to be a fascinating foray into crocheting two surfaces that interlock but don't join up with each other (until you add a border at the end, anyway). I had great fun with the technique last weekend, although it turns out some of my struggles were down to errata in the book, and so far I've only managed this one piece. I love anything reversible though!

And yes, there are some minor mistakes in this. Not bad for a first attempt though!

In other news, I treated myself to a set of Clover Amour crochet hooks, this is most of them - I think the 5mm, a fetching royal blue, is downstairs somewhere. As himself is currently between contracts, it was lucky I had a £20 Amazon voucher towards these as it'll be the last treat I can afford for a while. I thought I'd give non-inline hooks another go, seeing as my anodised metal ones are great but make my hands ache after a while.

Finally, what does one do with leftover bamboo/cotton yarn? Make it into dishcloths, of course (I've had to throw a few lately that became a bit holey)

The more I think I know about crochet, the more I realise there is to learn. Check this out for a long list of techniques, some of which I've yet to try!

In the machine knitting arena, I'm trying to inspire myself to make something with cables on it for an event later this year, and completely failing to get magic cables working, even though I have a swatch from 2016 that proves it is possible (though it was done on a Brother machine, that might make it easier). Hmmph. I will keep trying.

Current mood: happy

Things can only get better...

TLDR 2 paragraphs: the car issues get resolved somewhat

I'm cautiously optimistic that the issues with the car are solved (financially, anyway; a full refund is pending). Still annoyed about the perception of how I was treated, as I had to resort to chasing them on the 'phone several times a week by the end. "I'll be in touch" seemed to be meaningless (I started to keep a communications log, mostly my calling them). They peed off more than three of my many hats - engineers (we do a good job, not a bodge, or we admit we are incapable and find someone who is), quality control (first install had zero), safety rep (first install electrically unsafe), and fire marshall (ditto). I think I will send a letter of complaint, because I'm still financially in deficit because of this, but I'm happy to write that off just to be shot of the whole matter really. I was poised to start legal proceedings tomorrow. It's rather handy to have a sister in law (retired teacher of law at secondary school level) who can turn a 4 page rant into bullet points, and then put the correct legal letter (just the facts, ma'am) at the front. But it will wait until I see the dosh. I might also cc trading standards, because this could have become a very serious matter. Let's hope they're wrong about my car still having battery issues - we'll find out soon enough I guess! Cannot test it at the mo because my cousin is repairing and calibrating our voltmeter which had blown fuses. 

So my sleep is still pretty shot. Dropping asleep at 8pm in front of the telly, fighting it until 9pm, then going to bed and waking up at 2am? Programmes that make no sense because my consciousness is in and out? Rubbish! So exhausted today, I feel drunk and woozy (and I had one bottle of beer last night, so it's not a hangover). I suspect I'm on the brink of nervous exhaustion, and I'm noticing my varifocals more, hence the wooziness. It'll pass, I hope!

Anyway, actual craft content! The cardigan below is Drop's Red Berry Hill, except I didn't knit it in coloured stripes, nor use the right yarn (this is James C Brett marble chunky) - and I did add the cables. Possibly could have been a smidge longer (I have a long torso and short legs), and it doesn't quite fit around my bust so if I made it again I'd add a few rows, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'm wearing it right now, in fact. 

Plus the finished tunisian crochet cushion. Mum said she thought the sideways sheep looked like pacman?

I just added press studs in the end, a zip probably would have been better but not something I felt up to tackling.

Today we've both just piddled about, I've been getting some minor tasks done. My favourite kind of day is a day with no plan. Yesterday I marched around town like a mad thing (my calves are screaming right now) getting provisions and library books, whilst the Cog watched the footie. We had planned to visit a distant relative, but he's poorly AND got COVID, so he postponed. I did get to catch up with C about planning a two day machine knitting seminar at her arts venue. Watch this space! I hope it comes off, because there's quite a bit of interest, but I mustn't say more until things are more firm. But of course I'm already making plans in my head. It's nice to have a fun thing to focus on, instead of the nightmare of the last nine weeks which pretty much erased any good feeling around Xmas. Spring is springing, and hopefully someone will be round next week to put in missing honeycomb mesh in the roof (the builders left it out 20 years ago, shocking!), because Ms Starling is back for year 3 of nest building already, and I need her to move elsewhere! 

It's very nice to see lighter evenings and buds on everything. Hurray for spring, now I just need to slow down and breathe again! We've got some time off coming up too. Lots to look forward to!

Current mood: exhausted but vertical (only just)

Machine knitter interrupted

First, way past due - this was birthday sock yarn, and these are the socks it made!

I really need to finish this - the knitting was done by a local lady who has since passed away, so far I've managed to add all the cuffs (in a slightly different colour pink) and sew it up, it just needs the front bands finishing. Because she did facings, it's slowing me up as to how to complete them.

This looks much better on - the Green Grove tee. Though on closer inspection, it looks like I left some of the patterning out. Oh well, never mind! Now, what to do with the leftover yarn?

I made two pairs of these mittens on Sunday, but only managed to photograph this pair. Made from the Gerda Stitt pattern that she kindly let me host in perpetuity before she died.

Last, but by no means least, I have been distracted by the beading bug lately, when a friend gifted me her extensive bead stash. The bottom two are kits picked up at a recent craft fair - they will be either Spellbound Beads or Southampton Beads - and the top are beaded tassels I am making, after being inspired to make my own by some very expensive ones seen online. Mine are interchangeable, too! There might be some xmas present making going on too, but I can't post about that just yet!

Not shown, the kitty cross stitch kit I really ought to finish! In other news, we traded our cars in for a newer car and already some little sh!t has tried to hack the electronics. I guess getting stranded at a garden centre wasn't the worst place to end up, but still, ugh! It cost me £99 to get the car reset, and if it happens again I think I will trade it in for something less attractive...

Current mood: enthralled

More objects of desire, and machine knitting frustrations

Well, I bought two new lenses and already the 18-400mm has proved its worth - so much lighter to take hiking. However, I am now lusting over a 100mm macro lens. My 35mm lens (discontinued) is fine but you do have to get pretty close to things to get a decent shot. I've yet to figure out what to do with the 50mm. Perhaps that's the curse of photography - never got the right lens, always something to lust after! 

It's probably down to my terrible note-keeping, but I finally decided to restart work on the half-fisherman's rib cardigan (supposedly an easy Passap Model Book pattern - ha!) only to discover the tension I'd written down was really struggling. Stitches were hopping off all over the place. First attempt at a sleeve had so many missed tucks it looked like the moths had been at it - even a homeless person wouldn't want it! A restart at a lower tension went better BUT the left hand end stitch refused to form on the tucking back bed - I don't know that there's an easy fix for that! I do wish the Passap E6000 manual went into more detail as to how these things are achieved! The manual has very little information on this! I wrote on the pattern I'd used ss6/6 but on Ravelry I've written down ss5/5 which, apart from that left needle, worked much better. In disgust I'm afraid I frogged the lot, apart from the pocket, which I cannot figure out how it was knit (I *think* it was started circular - it refused to reveal its secrets and I didn't feel like looking them up by that point). Reader, I cast on a hand knit shawl in disgust. It does make me think the Passap is more suited to straight pieces and yardage, but I will have a rummage through my Passap books and see if I can find a better method for knitting sleeves in a tucked rib. I'm sure it's going to come up again! Increasing shouldn't be so hard! 

I recently offered to host Susan Guagliumi's free patterns, as she has recently taken her website down amid rising expenses. I can confirm that the garment patterns are now available online as PDFs with her kind permission. I didn't give her a specific page, but until the next round of updates they'll be the ones marked *NEW* in most cases. 

In other news, I finally finished the Pauline cardigan, with yarn to spare. I've yet to wear it of course, it is too hot to be wearing acrylic!

Mother Nature finally leaned on the "Summer" button here, we have had almost constant sunshine for the last few weeks, with the odd thunderstorm. Alas the ground is so dry it's almost as if the water is bouncing. I have been pretty lazy this year garden-wise and just pulled some weeds so far. We do seem to have a few bald spots that need occupying to keep the weeds in check if nothing else. 

The socks made with yarn I bought in Ghent. They were finished a few weeks ago, I think I put them away before I got around to taking their picture.

Current mood: annoyed

Completed projects 2022

Thirty odd projects - not bad in a year where I didn't feel like I got much done! 

 

Lest we forget and an unplanned finished object

This month's local WI postbox toppers - I really love the remembrance one. I cannot take any credit for any of these this time as September was just too busy for me! We always watch the 11am service on Rememberance Sunday, though this year we had to switch off early. Weird not to see the Queen there.

Some delicious looking handspun I picked up at the Big Textiles show. Not shown, the block printing kit I picked up that is alas devoid of written instructions, I'll need to get onto Youtube / the vendor's website. Also (for the eagle eyed amongst you) I finally caved and treated myself to a new keyboard for my WFH office - I really wanted a Logi and I much prefer the split keyboard layout, typing around "the girls", and work wouldn't pay for what I wanted. As my trackball is also Logi I gained a USB port, hurrah for that! The old MS keyboard has a tendency to cut out (of course you cannot buy a new USB  receiver without buying the whole flipping thing again!) but it will go back to the office in case anyone else wants it as a spare (as it is not mine). The wrist rest has seen better days alas...  

A quick handknit for my sweetie - he was complaining of cold hands WFH, and the blue pair I machine knitted for him a few years ago have always been too big. So quick these haven't even made it onto Ravelry yet, they are from a vintage Mariner pattern that I have had so long I have a TYPED copy as the original copy was almost illegible. I made the ladies size as this yarn is a wool 5ply that the SK840 did NOT like... 

Also not shown, the back of a cardigan knitted on the E6000 in half fisherman's rib. I definitely still have at least one dodgy front bed pusher, so I must reprogram the fronts so that the tucking happens on the back bed. Of course it's right in the middle too! Of COURSE! Bah... It's a very simple pattern from one of the model books with sideways pockets knitted tubular in the front, which I wanted to have a go at. 

Current mood: okay