Flowers And A Failure

 

The flower bracelet worked well. I really like the other bracelet too, but I haven't been able to get the invisible join right. I've had some sort of winter bug and felt unwell. I think I'll wait until I feel better and have more wits about me before I try the join again. 

Two Finishes

 

In my daytime crafting, I've finished another bracelet. 

And over several evenings, I've knitted a pair of socks. They're definitely fraternal twins, one is darker than the other. I'm not sure why. As I showed in this post, the two skeins were dyed together. Anyway, I think they look ok, fraternal it is. It's also interesting how different the colour pattern is to this pair of socks which have definite stripes. Hmm, that's the joy of hand dyeing wool. 

Two

 

I've finished two beaded crochet bracelets. I've just been working on them during the day, knitting socks in the evenings. I can knit without looking at my work, which is good when watching TV. Beaded crochet needs more concentration. 

Beading Again

 

Well, I did sell the blue and white entrelac gloves at the market on Saturday, so that's good. I don't have any knitting orders at the moment, but the lady in the shop that sells my beadwork wants more bracelets, so I'm working on that. 

One And A Bit

 

 I think I'm still on track to finish a pair of socks before Saturday, provided there aren't too many interruptions. I took some time off knitting this morning to make a sample for Friday's craft group meeting:

The tutorial is by Narin Handicrafts on Facebook. 

Tried And Tested

 

There are a lot of patterns for fingerless gloves on the internet. Some work better than others. I'm in a hurry at the moment, getting ready for Saturday's market, so I'm sticking to patterns that I've used before and I know work. The charcoal pair is Spragues by Galt House of Yarn and the pair I'm working on is Nalu by Sparrowhawk. 

I spun four skeins of wool over the weekend:

Now I'm in the process of dyeing them:

I don't think I'll be able to knit two pairs of socks before the market, but maybe one pair? 

Beaded Crochet Rope

 

Right, I have two necklaces and three bracelets done, to take to a local shop. Now I need to concentrate on spinning and knitting for next week's market table. 

Another Diversion

 

I had a request for puppets, I assume to illustrate the Tortoise And The Hare story. I've made rabbits or hares before, but I had to give some thought to a tortoise. My first step was to look up cartoon tortoise images, because cartoons highlight the most iconic aspects of animals. I was surprised that many of the images showed the tortoise as green. I don't think of tortoises as green! I stuck to brown. 

A Change From Knitting

 

A shop that sells my beadwork has depleted their stock and asked for some more. So I put aside my double pointed knitting needles and picked up my crochet hooks. The colours are a bit more vibrant than they look in the photo. I've started on a second necklace:

One More Augusta

 

I've finished another pair of Augusta fingerless gloves, pattern by Lena Marie Gjerald. They're for an order; I'll deliver them tomorrow. I have another skein of charcoal wool for a pair for the market basket, but I think I'll use a different pattern. 

Another Pair

 

I finished another pair of Augusta fingerless gloves, pattern by Lena Marie Gjerald. 

Here's the husband and wife pairs together. The colour shows up better against this background.

Blogger seems a bit erratic about updating blog lists at the moment, which is disconcerting. It looks as though a blog hasn't been updated for days, when in fact there's a new blog post on it. I hope they'll get their act together again soon. 

Man's Gloves

 

I've finished the first pair of gloves for the orders I'm working on. The colour is darker than it shows in the photo, definitely charcoal, not grey. I used the same pattern as I used for last week's gloves, my own pattern. I should write it down, in case there's a longer gap between requests for men's gloves. Silly to have to work it all out again. 

Knitted And Spun

 

I used the pattern Augusta by Lena Marie Gjerald to knit these gloves in two colours. It uses a mock cable that is easy to knit and looks good. The gloves fit well because of the ribbed pattern, but can look a bit odd when not worn. 

I spun a batch of wool and dyed it charcoal yesterday afternoon. I put it out on the line this morning. There should be enough for the three pairs of fingerless gloves that have been ordered and, hopefully, enough left over for a pair for the market basket. 

You Never Can Tell

 

At the end of the market morning, I still had the blue and white gloves that I thought were irresistible! I did sell a pair of Spragues gloves that I whipped up quickly before the market. And I have order for three pairs of gloves, from two people, all wanted in charcoal. I've just started spinning for those. I delivered the socks that were ordered at the previous market and sold two pairs from the basket. What did I buy? Some vegetables and jam, two nasturtium plants and samosas for lunch. I worked on these fingerless gloves in quiet periods. I had taken my spinning wheel along, so people could see the whole process. 

Blue And White

 

I used the little bit of blue wool left over from the denim socks to knit these fingerless gloves. Once again, I used Allyson Dykhuizen's Reservoir Mitts pattern for the back of the hand, but made up the rest. My basket for the market is looking a bit sparse, but hopefully these will be eyecatching enough to draw attention. 

In Extremis

 

I had to take Jack to the doctor yesterday. No problem, I thought, I'll knit in the car instead of knitting at home. But when I opened my knitting bag, I discovered that I'd left the fourth needle at home! Oh my hat, as my friend Fran would say. I managed to keep knitting by pulling the needle out of one lot of stitches and then replacing it when I got to those stitches. Repeatedly. It was laborious and inefficient, but hey, I got up to thumb level and occupied 90 minutes. And managed to finish the gloves by the end of the day. 

Several

 

I've finished knitting the green socks, though I still have to sew non slip fabric on the soles. I started another pair of entrelac mittens while I was preparing the yarn for the brown gloves. Jack, my husband, took the order for the brown gloves. I wasn't home when a man came to cut up a tree branch that had fallen, but apparently he was fascinated by my spinning wheel and asked for a pair of fingerless gloves. Since it's an order, I want to knit them before the entrelac mittens, which are for my market stall. Mind you, the market is on Saturday and I would like to have a couple of pairs to offer, so I'm knitting earnestly! 

Non Slip

 

The man who ordered socks asked me to put something non slip on the bottom. Can do. I found a spot in the Winter sunshine this morning to sew on a rubbery fabric that should do the trick. I've nearly finished knitting the green socks. They are for his wife, so will need rubbery patches too. 

Handspun

 

My spinning is pretty consistent, helped by the commercial preparation of the fleece, but I'm not a machine. I think I must have spun the brown wool a little thicker than usual, so I ran out before I got to the toes of the second sock. I undid the toe of the first sock and knitted them both in green. I used wool spun for the next pair of socks, but they're a smaller size, so I'm sure there will be enough. I did consider adding some green to the top of the socks so that it looks less like I ran out of wool, but I'll knit the green pair first. 

WIP

 

I'm working on the brown socks. I don't think I'll get them finished today. I've spun the wool for the next pair of socks, but still have to dye it. I've sold all the fingerless gloves and need to make more for the market, so I'm trying to keep at it.