Tuesday 17 June 2014

Yes, I do knit, why do you ask?

It’s hard to believe this started life as a knitting blog. I dare not even check when I last mentioned knitting on these pages, let alone talked about something I made myself.

But there are a couple of “advantages” in being too ill to do much. The greatest advantage, of course, is quiet time. And quiet time, for me, means reading and knitting.

My last post talked about my reading so I’m here to talk about knitting!

Yes, you know, sticks (albeit very short sticks joined by a plastic cable) and yarn.

On Christmas Eve, in response to the horrific bushfires (not far from here) that destroyed 200 homes and damaged at least another 200, I began another knitted blanket. I quite often have a knitted blanket on the go – there are many charities that will take them, especially at this time of year. The blankets most often called for around here are 70” x 40” so I chose to design my own. It is inspired by the Moderne Baby Blanket (Ravelry link) from Mason-Dixon Knitting (Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner) which I had just finished a few weeks before. I particularly like the two rows of white yarn I have used to do the first part of each section.

2014 Nouveau Blanket

The knitting is finished but I have lots of ends to sew in. There’s also a safety pin hanging from the large brown section to the right where I dropped a stitch more than 40 rows back and didn't notice. I will use a crochet hook to deal with that! when I crochet a border around the whole thing. I tried to use yarn from my stash to complete this blanket, hence the different shades of brown and green. Speaking of green, the colour here is way off: the green across the top is bottle green; the other green is a deep forest green! I tried to adjust the colour but this is the best I could get.

In retrospect, I don’t think I would cast off each section then pick up the stitches on the next round – I think I’d leave the stitches live on some waste yarn (or a spare “cable”). For some reason, my blanket won’t lie flat – I think it’s a combination of tension problems (caused by casting off then picking up the stitches) and using different brands of DK weight acrylic yarn – they all knit up to a different gauge even though they’re supposed to be the same ‘weight’. Fortunately, bodies are not flat so blankets with a bit of ”curvature” aren’t too much of a drama and I may be able to block it (if it bothers me too much – all that mucking around with the steam iron to block acrylic is not my favourite activity!)

I have also knitted a very basic beanie – it’s DK weight (tencel/acrylic) yarn knitted on 4mm needles using 120 stitches – it will fit somebody with a very big head (you can see that it is way too big for me)! What was I thinking when I cast on? The tencel blend (now discontinued Moda Vera “Jaclyn”) is such a soft yarn; I’m sure the new owner will find it warm and comfortable! The colour should be cream not the soft grey shown here; what is it with taking photos outside on a sunny Sydney winter’s day?

2014 Basic Beanie 

Although I gave some yarn away before we moved, the amount of yarn that moved with us had shocked me and goaded me into some knitting action’', even before I got sick. While I was away at my mother’s, I worked on and almost completed the first of two scarves; the second I finished last night. Both are knitted in a (now discontinued) DK weight, 50% tencel/acrylic blend (Moda Vera “Cynthia”), in a simple, slipped-stitch pattern on a garter-stitch base making them quick to knit, and ideal for conversation, listening to audio books or watching television in low-light levels.

I knew three 50g balls of black yarn wasn't enough to knit a scarf but I wasn’t sure how far one ball would go so I started with a provisional cast on and knitted one ball. This resulted in 152 rows, so I then planned 30-row stripes from the remaining two balls plus the two balls of ‘forest’ green I also had in stash. The result is a scarf of a good length and the combination could be worn by either a man or a woman. Come to think of it, I’m sure I saw it around a certain man’s neck on Saturday when he realised he was coming down with something (which the doctor confirmed yesterday was likely to be bronchitis!).

2014 Simple Scarf I a  2014 Simple Scarf I c 2014 Simple Scarf 2

The black and green scarf was knitted on 41 stitches using nearly 250g of yarn and came out at 7.5” x 75”. I had only 200g of grey yarn but still wanted a scarf of a reasonable length so made it slightly narrower – 37 stitches. The resulting scarf is 6” x 70”.

Unfortunately, that is almost the end of my stash of Moda Vera “Cynthia”; I have just six balls of ‘brown’ and one ball of a “natural mix” left; plus some leftover from the green and black scarf. I say unfortunately because it was a lovely soft yarn, both on my hands while knitting and in the final product. I still have several balls of Moda Vera Jaclyn (same DK weight, 50% tencel/acrylic blend) but I’m not overly fond of the boring cream colour. I think I’ll wait until summer and see how it takes dye; it’s not like I have no yarn to work with in the meantime! Meanwhile, the boring cream will be used as a background for a stranded colour-work hat using the leftover green, black and a small amount of the brown.

In case you’re wondering why I have to wait for summer (apart from the fact that downstairs is not completely unpacked and sorted yet), my “dyeing studio” is in a room under the house – it’s freezing down there in winter, it’s like a cool room without the need for electricity! No wonder the previous owner used some of the area down there as a cellar!

In sewing news, I’ve had a huge hiccough in my progress with the Country Houses quilt which was (but, sadly is no longer) on track to be finished by the end of the month. There’ll be a post about it soon; but right now I’m off to cast on for that stranded colour-work hat!

What are you working on at the moment?

Friday 13 June 2014

bronchitis and books

Since I came home from mum’s late last week, I have been knocked about with a bout of bronchitis. Yesterday was the first day that I felt able to do more than sit in a chair and cough!

Today I have plans and the first of those is to write this post!

The past twelve days have given me a chance to participate in a hobby I rarely indulge: reading!

It started while I was at my mum’s. I received an email from my second cousin, who told me that he had just published his first book -- “a golden age mystery novel”. Of course, being a fan of mysteries, I went straight to Amazon and bought An Echo and a Light for my Kindle; which I read through the app on my iPad (poor Kindle, it rarely sees the light of day now; in fact, since we moved, I don’t even know where it is!)
An Echo and a Light
Richard (his nom-de-plume) has even included a character with our mutual family name – Loder! What fun!

The fictional town of Chadfield is based on the town of Lichfield where “Richard” lives. Here is a video he created of photographs of his town as a promotion for his book.


After reading Richard's novel, which I enjoyed, I set off on a quest to find more books to read – this time from the digital collection of my local library. In a week I have borrowed five ebooks and two audiobooks. I enjoyed all but one of them and would recommend them to you if you are a fan of the mystery/suspense genre. (The one I didn't enjoy I have not included here.)

They are seen here in the order I read them. Some I enjoyed more than others (as is always the case) but I have no qualms in letting you make up your own minds. Because of my own particular tastes in books, none of these books has erotic scenes, all have at least a hint of romance and only one (Seven Kinds of Death) has repeated use of “foul” language. The Prayer Box is not a mystery/suspense novel although there are several mysteries that are unravelled through this gentle story.
Seven Kinds of Death    VanishedAgainst All Odds
The Great DivideThe Prayer Box Imposter
What have you been reading lately?

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Happy 80th Birthday Mum

Mum and her three children taken at the Longyard Hotel on Sunday 1 June.

I love you very much!

Monday 2 June 2014

Something Old, something New -- June edition

Winter has begun in Australia – traditionally a time for knitting, and reading good books by the fire.

It’s not yet so cold that I need to heat the whole house “just for me”. Our [bottled gas] “fire” isn’t in working order at the moment but good books have been consuming my time; as has some knitting (but only in the evenings and nights when WM and I are watching television).

The rest of the time seems to have been swallowed up in turning this house into an organised home; and in getting the neglected jungle outside under control.

There has been some sewing but nowhere near as much as I had anticipated.

Right now, I am staying with my mother, 550km (approximately 345 miles) from my new home. It’s mum’s 80th birthday this week and the family gathered on Saturday night to celebrate. It was wonderful for mum (and for me) to see all of her descendants and their respective spouses in the same room at the same time. That hasn’t happened since my father’s funeral in January 2010. Having my mother-in-law there too was a bonus – she and mum have been friends since WM and I first started “going together” back in 1974!

WM and MIL drove home yesterday but I am staying with mum – there’s no way that I’m letting her spend her 80th birthday on her own!

But you didn’t come here to read about my family life, did you?
Never too hot to Stitch!
You want to know if I’ve made any progress on my goals for May and what my plans are for June.

My “Something New” projects were to continue working on the skills of foundation piecing and curved piecing. I did more of the latter than of the former but there has been progress on both fronts. Unfortunately, I have no photos: the items in question are at home and I am here!

My “Something Old” project was to bring my Country Houses quilt, started three years ago, to the point of binding. When I finally got the chance to look at it (given all the interruptions listed above plus an all-day sock-knitting workshop, church activities and shopping for new storage on Mothers’ Day), it required a lot more work than I had imagined while it was safely folded and stored!

But I have made some progress and it will definitely be finished by the end of June. We have guests coming to stay. They live in a warmer part of the country and it will be very cold here for them so the quilt just has to be finished!

Having worked on the quilt, it is no long a UFO but a WiP, so it doesn’t qualify for “Something Old”!
Therefore my plans for June are:

“Something Old”:
Curtains I started for Older Grandson way back in the dim, dark past. DD has decided that she does want them after all. We are going for a visit the first weekend in July so the curtains have to be done by then!

“Something New”:
more foundation piecing! I have two more blocks to make in class then I’m going to join them together to make the first row of a future pink-and-purple “row by row” quilt, which will also include my circular pieced blocks.

“Something in Progress”:
finish the Country Houses quilt.

As we tried to organise our storage in this new home, the amount of fabric and yarn I have is ridiculous; especially considering I have only been a ‘quilter’ for four years. I wish I could work faster or have more hours in a day but the latter isn’t possible and the former will only come from more knitting and sewing (on the basis that more experience brings greater speed).

I’m here at mum’s with a knitting project and some hand-sewing; neither of which will make progress towards my goals but never mind, I’ll be home before the first week of June is over!

How about you?
Did you achieve your goals for May?
What have you got planned for June?
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