shingles are for roofs

But not for backs!

Unfortunately, I have somehow contracted the dreaded virus so please excuse me if I'm not posting for a little while.I don’t feel inclined to do any crafting.

I am, however, keeping myself busy with family history research.

I'll spare you photos of my back!

See you soon!

What a week it was!

Last Monday, 1 July, DD and Younger Grandson had to come to “the big smoke” to see a cardiac specialist.Tests were done and the all clear was given! Hurrah!

On Wednesday, after seeing the specialist, WM, DD, YG and I headed north for a few days with the family to celebrate YG’s birthday. Little did we know the trip would take nine long hours – we arrived just before 1:30am! Just as well I had thought to ask SIL to collect our room key for the motel so we wouldn’t disturb the owners with our late arrival!

Thursday is the day the boys attend Day Care, so we three adults spent the day near the beach. The sun was shining but it was very windy. This is a view of Back Beach from the headland.

We saw some dolphins playing near these rocks but WM was unable to get a photo.

We tried to spot whales but we just didn’t see any. DD and I had almost given up and taken shelter in the warmth of the car when WM informed us that a whale had been sighted by a local who had told him where to look.

With renewed enthusiasm, we braved the cold – I wore WM’s fleece pullover which was in the car and DD wrapped herself in a small quilt (as best she could). At first we thought we were just imagining things but then we saw a whale breach! Wow! How exciting! WM wasn’t fast enough with the camera for that event but he did manage a couple of photos.

What do you mean you can’t see anything? How about this then?

We spent Friday with DD and the boys. We had a picnic lunch in the park near the playground. In the evening we went to SIL’s parents’ place to celebrate Younger Grandson’s birthday. There was food and drink and conversation but the most important thing to the little guys was this (made by their other grandmother):

YG wouldn’t blow his candle out so OG lovingly obliged!

On Saturday, WM and I went whale-spotting before heading out to DD’s again. Much to our surprise and delight, a humpback whale swam in much close than the ones we had seen two days previously. Taking photos is always a challenge – especially with a big lens and no tripod – but the memory of that whale just a few hundred metres away will stay with us for a long time!

In the early afternoon, WM and I had some one-on-one time with OG while YG had a nap.

Later WM took YG to the playground near the beach for some one-on-one time.

OG was given the chance to go too but he chose to stay at home! He likes to play games on the iPad, especially if it’s Grandmum’s iPad not mummy’s!

While DD was preparing dinner, OG helped Grandmum with her hand-stitching. Just look at that concentration!

All too soon our wonderful few days were over and it was time to make the long trip home.

Roll on October – I miss my grandsons already!

2013: The Year of the Finished Project – July edition

Is it just me or does this year seem to be flying past?

Despite the fact that I was on vacation for the first twelve days of June and did little crafting between my arrival home and the last few days of the month, I managed five finishes! You can read the posts about finishing here and here.

Of course, it helps that most of those were nearly completed before I went on holidays.
In fact, most of them were on my list for May!

Let’s look at my list for June:

1. Bed Socks for Beulah -- finished 3 June
2. Blanket for Emily -- finished 30 June 2013
3. cardigan for me -- knit sleeves (untouched)
4. bind the Earth and Sky quilt -- finished 29 June 2013
5. add border to Scrappy Log Cabin quilt (untouched)
6. finish Hexagon Project Bag -- finished 28 June 2013

What's that? You thought I said five finishes? 

Yes, I did say five. I also finished a pair of socks that had been on the needles too long. At the beginning of the year I stated that I had to finish one old knitting project before I could start a new one, and two quilting/sewing projects before I could start a new one. I also stated that “plain” socks are not  counted in my “new” projects because I always have socks on the needles – they are the perfect travel companion and are great for knitting in company (unless I’m up to the heel).

So perhaps I shouldn’t count this pair as a  “finish” either; but the fact of the matter is they are finished! So I did have five finishes in June even if only four count as part of the challenge!

Hey, it’s a linky party! It’s not life and death. Crafting is our hobby and we’re not supposed to take it too seriously. We’re here to encourage each other to finish those UFOs and WIPs – any finish is worth celebrating, right?

So, what's on my list for July?

1. Country Houses quilt – to be finished
   I want this on my bed this winter; it’s been hanging around for two years now!
   
2. Ambassador of Love mittens – to be finished
   No more Second Mitten Syndrome allowed!
   
3. Westall Cardigan –  to be finished
   I’d really like to be wearing this instead of looking at it gathering dust on the table.
   
4. Scrappy Log Cabin quilt – get the border on and turn it into a finished flimsy
   It’s been hanging around here waiting long enough!
   
5. Purple Cocoon socks – make a decision and follow through
   These have been on the needles for nearly two years while I tried to make up my mind whether to frog (rippit!) or finish!
   
6. Gift of Hope #2 quilt – to be finished
   I started this in March but I was waiting to acquire some white flannelette for wadding. I have it now so it’s time to get it off the list.
   Sorry, no photo, I haven’t taken one!

I also have samples to knit for the workshop I’m tutoring on 20th July so I’d better get moving on those too!

And I’d like to make some progress on Deb’s Diamond (knitted) Blanket, my current embroidery (outside of class) and my Dutch Caps hexagon project.

So, I’ve got quite a list but it’s winter, it’s cold and it’s great crafting weather.

I’d also like to clean out my sewing room and make the storage more functional – I’ll start by moving all yarn not in use to the spare bedroom! But that’s another post…

How did you go in June and what’s on your list for July?

blocking is not for the faint hearted

Imagine a rectangle 102cm x 96cm.

Now think about 126 round-headed pins. Yes, that's right, one-hundred-and-twenty-six!

That’s how many pins I used to block my Blanket for Emily.

It’s knitted in 10ply (Aran-weight) Fiddle-De-Dee by Cleckheaton; a sadly-discontinued line of 100%cotton which is both machine-washable and machine dryable.

Because the blanket was knitted in cotton, I needed less pins than if it had been knitted in wool.

I could get away with one pin in each of those scallops because cotton doesn't have “memory” like wool does. Once stretched, it’s stretched. Wool bounces back to it’s original shape (if not stretched too far). Items knitted of wool may need blocking again after a few washes if they were not severely blocked the first time. Cotton, on the other hand, stays stretched.

As I was saying, this is a good thing.

Good because I needed less pins to block it and was therefore on my hands and knees for a lot less time than I might have been!

Good because my niece can wash and dry this many times and it should retain its shape (unless she stretches it more (by hanging by clothes pegs or some such)!

Good because this particular cotton can be dried in the machine which, in the weather we’ve been having, is almost the only way to get the washing dry!

I love the way that blocking evens out the puckering that occurs while doing entrelac in stocking stitch.

So, may I present another finish for June? A blanket for Emily (details on Ravelry). The photo was taken while the blanket was still blocking (and before the ends were sewn in) inside on a very wet winter’s day without flash because that washed-out the colour. The lights were on which, of course, gives a yellow cast to the photo. The yellow is more lemon than the photo shows but I couldn’t get the right tones by editing.

The ends have been sewn in now but you don’t need another photo, do you?

Five finishes this month! I hope I can keep this up for the rest of the year next month’s 2013: Year of the Finished Object challenge.