Hello 2026!

TLDR: Updates on my absence, and some overdue project pictures

Hello blog! I'm sorry I've not posted in ages. Life gets in the way sometimes - I got busy at work, and then distracted by a new toy (more on that later), and I've fallen off a cliff on Ravelry too I'm afraid, which is embarrassing when you're a moderator of the big machine knitting group. Whoops!

Towards the end of last year I think I was subconsciously wrestling with the black dog a bit. I gained weight, I slept more - the Cog thought this was excellent, as my sleep always goes out of whack in the winter time and then I'm really grouchy - but as I tried to explain to him, sleep isn't something you can bank up. It resets itself every day - and as I'm usually an early bird, sleeping 'til 10am on a weekend is not normal for me. I suspect he was just enjoying some peace and quiet!

Anyway, life has taken a new direction lately. The Cog got laid off in mid November and promised me the house would be spotless (I'm still waiting on that, ha!). Automotive CAD jobs in the UK seem to have disappeared lately, so that's not good. We rearranged the living/dining room in early December - Eddie the psycho rescue cat is still sulking and has retreated under the Passap. Sorry Ed, but the room feels much bigger (we had the sofa as a "room divider" before) and it's staying for good, not least because we intend to replace the current sofa and coffee table with a corner sofa and some blanket storage.  

As for machine knitting, I lost my mojo a bit. I've often said, one needs a good clear few hours to machine knit, whereas handknitting/crochet is an easy project to keep for in front of the tv - so machine knitting is a hard hobby to keep alive when you work full time. Like anything, practice makes perfect. I attempted a fairly simple fisherman's rib sweater on the Passap, and the first front has such loopy sides from dropped stitches, it could double as a rug. The second side went better - but as usual, I didn't make any notes of what size I was doing, etc. I really am my own worst enemy sometimes - it's not as if I haven't got a notebook for writing down what I'm doing! So the only machine knitting that happened towards the end of the year was finishing up more CSM socks for xmas presents. I had planned to make lots of "magic" yarn from the sock yarn leftovers, but that's also quite time consuming. I'm tempted to use the leftovers up to make fingerless gloves for charity. I also finally pressed the gold boucle cardigan I first mentioned here, and it looks a lot better. 

On the handknitting side, I finished three cardigans.  The purple merino (Drops Agnes) was a resounding success, other than I ended up playing yarn chicken at the end, and had to shorten the back to finish the second sleeve, having already had to buy a second lot of yarn in a different dye lot. Don't ask, I don't know what happened there! At the same time, I got tempted into buying some end-of-line super chunky cream with coloured flecks yarn. The cardigan took just over a week to knit because it was such thick yarn. Alas, I keep forgetting that chunky yarns don't suit someone as sturdily built as I. Also, the button holes are so large that I had a real struggle finding suitable buttons. I think it will go into the box for Knit for Peace that I am putting together. The circular green cardigan (Drops Modern Elegance) I started early last year has turned into an unmitigated disaster. It doesn't fit well, the armholes are too tight and the sleeves are too long. The yarn itself is very pretty, so I will unpick it and do something else with it. 

I recently completed 25 years at my company, and got a small bonus because of it. I put the money towards a new bass guitar, case and practice amp. I've always wanted to learn bass guitar, and an ex of mine even made me one. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get the lowest string in tune because the bridge is too close to the neck (it was his first ever attempt, he's much better at it now). So it's gathering dust - kept for sentimental reasons, but no purpose otherwise. So I am currently teaching myself to play bass, which will, alas, mean less time for knitting. I am planning to attend and possibly teach at the annual Kegworth CSM event, but due to double-booking myself I will only be there on the Saturday. 

So, that just about brings you up to date! I'll try to post a bit more on here, but no promises - I go through phases of hobbies, and right now knitting isn't top priority. 

More CSM socks!

Agnes cardigan in Drops extra fine purple merino. Sorry for the busty picture, blame the camera angle! :D

The chunky aran cardigan - very cosy! Mistake rib, I added an extra line down the sleeves just to make them a bit more interesting.

The circular cardigan disaster - it's not for me!

The gold boucle cardigan - a Clair Crowston design

Some recent shopping bags - I love the Oriental one, the gold really glitters! The other two are from old IKEA pillowcases. Not shown, another plain white one which needs embellishment. Will probably donate some of these to the local foodbank, I have more than enough shopping bags. Also not pictured, a bunch of shopping bags I made as xmas presents last year. Oh well, it's noted here even if there are no pictures.

My new toy - an Ibanez bass in cherry red (now sporting a skull strap, this strap was temporary). I am in love! It seems to coordinate with other things in the living room too! Ha!

Current mood: okay