Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Still Waiting

 I called in at the computer shop yesterday and heard that they are still working on my laptop. Sigh....

I’m getting ready for a market on Saturday. I’m not sharing a table this time so have to have enough to fill a table. I’ll have hooded towels and bath puppets; handspun wool and socks; and some pickles and chutneys. Jack has a good crop of ‘grandmother bonnets’, a mild chili or pepper, which I’ve been madly bottling. 

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Still Here

 I’m still here. I took my laptop to a computer shop on Tuesday. I collected it yesterday and..... It was the same as ever. So I took it back to the repair shop this morning. 

I’ve just finished a pair of helix socks with afterthought heels. They came out well. I had to unlearn my habit of crossing threads when changing colours. Looking at the work thoughtfully I can see why it’s not necessary to cross threads. The yarn is carried from one section to the next. But I hadn’t realized that crossing threads would result in the jog I was trying to avoid. I’ll put some pictures up when I can. I came across helix hat and socks on Pinterest, so look it up there if you’re interested. 

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Backing

 My computer is misbehaving, perhaps because it has been incorrectly shut down by numerous power outages in the last week. I have managed to get this far, but I haven't been able to transfer pictures from my phone to the computer. A pictureless post is not ideal, but it's that or no post at all, so here goes.

I've been putting backing fabric on the fiddle blankets that our group in an old age home have made for dementia patients. I had planned to do them all with 'frames', like my one, but after all those power outages I just didn't have time for that.  I've done a simple backing and reinforced each fabric square with the sewing machine. They look really good. I'll post a picture when my computer decides to cooperate.

Monday, March 13, 2023

The Socks Are Done

 



My Peppermintoes  socks are done, I'm all set for Winter! The original pattern has a longer top and uses triangles to fill in the gaps at the top, but I rather like my zig zag top. 

There were a lot of ends to sew in! If I'd had my wits about me, I'd have knitted the ends in. As it was, I found needle and scissors and had a dedicated sewing session. 


The socks look quite strange when they're not being worn, but they fit me well and are very comfortable.


On another tack, I was sorry to see on Facebook that muskaan is not well. I did wonder if she was alright because I haven't 'seen' her lately and she is normally an active member of the blogosphere. She asked that people don't email or message her, so I'm saying here that I hope she'll soon be feeling better and able to get on with tatting again. 

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Socks Interrupted

 


Some months ago, I started knitting a pair of Peppermintoes socks, using scraps of handspun wool left over from other projects. I worked them in tandem so that I could match the two socks. Somehow, life got in the way, I've been working on orders and other projects, and the socks have languished. At the moment I have no orders (though I do need to build up stock) so I thought it was a good time to finish the socks. 
They've moved from being a UFO to being a WIP!

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Travel Knitting

 


I used the time away to knit a second scarf in eyelash yarn. It's easy knitting, garter stitch on large wooden needles, but not so easy that I could knit as a passenger in the car, because you have to be sure to put the right hand needle correctly into the stitch on the left. Nonetheless, I got it done and can give the scarf to the friend who bought the eyelash yarn. She gave the yarn to me, but honestly, I don't want it! 

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Skirts

 I've been slowly working my way through the fabric I received in December. After the polka dot dress, I made the daisy fabric into a pencil skirt:


I've made two long skirts. First the green:


And then, yesterday, a similar skirt with the peacock fabric, a fabric that deserves a close up:


I had thought I'd wear the skirt with my turquoise silk top with tatted edging around the neck:


But when I put them together, it turned out that the turquoise is too green and they don't look good together:

Hmmm. I sent a series of photos off to my daughter, trying out different tops, and eventually the consensus was that this one works best:


So now I'm set for a trip away for a few days. It's funny how you 'never' go away and then find yourself taking two trips in a month. I'll check in when I get back.