I had plans for that week! And poof! It vanished and I was back to work quicker than a quick thing on a very quick day!!!!
In all honesty I did get stuff done. My list of things to do in last Sunday's entry did have some things ticked off. I cleaned my house from top to bottom (although, looking at it now, you'd question that! Men!) I spun some and knit quite a bit. The sewing machine, however, didn't move from it's spot on my lounge floor.
Ben had a great couple of days with his friends. It was so lovely to go outside and find the three of them on my back decking whittling sticks. Don't get me wrong, they did spend a significant amount of time looking at TV screens eliminating vast numbers of aliens etc! It's good that they still enjoy going out to play though, you know, like when we were kids?
Sadly though the flying trip didn't come off. The weather on Tuesday was awful. We had low cloud, gusty winds and persistent, big, fat rain. All of which do not get on well with light aircraft. Dad has promised Ben a flight in the summer. I'm off for a fortnight in August, so we should have plenty of opportunity to get up.
You may have noticed a blip in the blogging schedule this week. I bit the bullet and entered Deramores' blog competition. I thought about it last year, but I pontificated too long and missed the cut off date. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that entry. Thinking about a specific theme was both challenging and rewarding. I'm thinking that I'll try to make an odd entry every now and then that is specific to one thought. Following my week in craft must sometimes be dull yes? I live my life and sometimes find it dull, let alone reading about it!!
I was so excited to see that my blog is top of the list on Deramores website! I'm sure this is just because I was one of the first to enter, but still it gives me a warm, fluffy feeling inside because I'm silly like that.
To all the folk who have found me through Deramores - welcome!
Feeling the love -
Considering the fact I haven't been at work for the majority of this week, I feel I haven't achieved much on the crafty front. I finished the Dragonwheel shawl at knit night.
Not the most elegant of photos! Something more arty will show up on my project page!
I needn't have worried about running out of yarn, I've loads left. I suspect it will become a piece of my sock yarn blanket. I came across a couple of places in the skein where I'd knotted ends together. If you remember, this skein had suffered an epic yarn barf a couple of years ago. Despite my infinite patience in untangling, there had to be sacrifices. When I was sorting the barf I just knotted the ends together. As I knit and came across them I cut out the knot and replaced it with the magic knot. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I can't find the knots in the finished piece now. Happy days.
After casting off the shawl, I'd planned to work on the red onion socks. Sadly, I managed to bring the completed sock with me, rather than the WIP! Eejit! But no matter, I'd brought my logwood BFL to spin too. Ah ha! I thought, I'll spin for the rest of the night. Sandra, however, had other plans! So I spent the rest of the evening making moose antlers. I kid you not!! Sandra is knitting a moose. It's a lovely pattern with WAY too many pieces for my liking, but it is sweet. I'll think on and get the pattern details for the blog next week. Unless Sandra comments below and tells us what it is! ;-)
Speaking of the sock yarn blanket, I may be having a wobble. I'm starting to think that trying to knit these hexagons together may be more work than is fun. I'm thinking that I might rip it out and go for a mitred square blanket instead. What should I do? I've got a hexagon I need to rip out anyway, because I've picked up the stitches incorrectly. Should I rip out the lot? Should I persevere?
Hhhuuummmmmmm
I spun some too. The Nunoco blue jewel bug batt is spinning up a treat. The silk noil isn't making my OCD itch nearly as much as I thought. I'm trying very hard to keep the single as consistent as I can. My aim is to chain ply it, this method of plying accentuates inconsistency something wicked. I'll have to make sure that when I ply, I alter the chain length. I don't want to have 2 plies containing noil in the same chain. I think this would make that area of yarn really bulky compared to the surrounding yarn.
This is not a great picture, but it illustrates the point - here is a length of single I spun thicker than I'd wanted. When I plied it I didn't pay attention to the chain length, so I ended up with a chain which essentially contained a circle of thicker single and I pulled through a thin length of single. When they twisted together, the thicker area is doubled up making a really thick area. The yarn then becomes visibly thinner as I ply 3 thin lengths together. As it was, these inconsistencies were not obvious in the finished piece - all hail garter stitch. It hides a multitude of sins.
But plying the jewel bug is a while off yet. I'll finish this single, spin the orange jewel bug, then go back and ply the blue one. The key to chain plying is letting your singles rest. As I learned to my cost in the Bah Humbug merino, energised singles make chain plying tricky and I ended up with stray pigtails spun into my yarn! Doh!
Yesterday was the first Diddy League gala of the season. Diddly League sees 9-11 year olds from different swimming clubs in Cumbria compete. Historically we haven't done very well, but over the last 3 years we've been steadily improving. Yesterday we had our best gala yet. At one point we were second. In the end we came fourth. It was such a shame for the kids. There was less than 10 points between second and fourth in the end. We got disqualified from a couple of swims. If we hadn't been we would have come second. So near yet so far! But we've got a month to work on things, and with a couple of tweaks, I'm sure that second place will be ours next time.
The gala was in Kendal. It's a good hour on the coach, so needless to say knitting was in order. I managed to get to the heel of the red onion socks and it turned it last night. I'm thinking that I should make quick work of the leg this week. Could there be another FO next week? Here's hoping.
On the horizon -
Finishing those blessed red onion socks.
Spinning the beautiful jewel batts
Working on the peacock shawl - STILL!!! Yes, yes, I know! I say it most weeks!!
Working on Hana Hou - Woolfest is creeping up quickly and I want to wear it!
Hoping you all have a great week!
Ellen x
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