Monday, September 28, 2009

Slow progress


Managed to finally finish the front last night, desipte a small mishap that occurred when I moved a claw weight up a bit too high and somehow managed to mangle the claw AND snap the yarn/make a hole in the knitting. No, don't ask - it serves me right. I could feel the carriage was struggling but I ignored it. I am a doofus sometimes! The fronts seem to be the same length. Result!

Also managed to make one sleeve without too much hassle. Seems rather long, but the garment will be "pre-shrunk" (washed at 40 deg C) before it's finished.

To finish the garment, I need to make another sleeve, and add all the ribs in pale blue - the first time I made this garment, the cast on row of the rib (done at T0) snapped in a few places - this is 2ply lambswool. Luckily washing it stopped anything unravelling, but I am taking no chances this time around. Then I have to hang half the neckline - the neck is split at the back, I can't think of an easier way to do it on a split-front placket jumper with raglan sleeves. So I must rib both sides of the neck, and then add some knitting for the placket itself. The pattern is for a buttonband, but 'im indoors wants a zip. Nearly broke my sewing machine last time, this time I am prepared. Using the zipper foot only works on thin fabrics - the ordinary foot works far better on thick wool.

Hoping I have enough navy to complete the other sleeve, without trying to unfrog the "nest" I made on Tuesday - hanging onto it just in case!

Susan, yes, I'm sure I make just as many mistakes as you - I often don't get to the machines until 7pm so I am already tired from a full day at the office, and of course the light isn't as good this time of year (and I failed to buy a 100w lightbulb before the EU ban, so it's not getting any brighter either). I just don't post about my mistakes often - it never occurred to me. I can be a right moaner when something's going wrong and I figured once I opened that floodgate, I'd be hard-pushed to close it again, and everybody (all three of you!) would stop reading! :D Once I get a strop on (or get my a*se in my hands, it's a local expression!) my bad temper makes things go from bad to worse. And then it's almost as if the fates are mocking me. I admire your refreshing honesty about your exploits - please don't stop!

Not sure I'd be any good at flower-arranging, either. I do know I've looked at our double-glazing a few times, and wondered if a hurled knitting machine would bounce off it (and knock me over), though :D If it's really winding me up, I stomp off and go and find some wine/chocolate/something else to do, until I've calmed down sufficiently. I "punish" the machine for being naughty by abandoning it, because of course, the mistakes are never my fault! Ha! :)

1 comment:

Susan said...

I agree, it's always the machine's fault! Sometimes I try talking nicely to it to try and make it work properly but I've found that has the same effect as when I shout and swear at it. Most of the time I just shout and swear at it.