Normal Service will return soon

I’ve been very ill the last couple of days hence no posts but am hopefully going to resuming normality soon.

Hexagon woes

I’ve just had a better look at my hexagons and around 70% of them aren’t true hexagons, so my evening will be spend taking all the tacking out to start again.

WISPy Wednesday

Well, I wish I had a cacophany of things to show you but I don’t.

So far this week I’ve knitted the grand total of 1 hexagon for my blanket – its magenta (which is more purple than magenta) for anyone who is interested. I won’t bore you with yet another picture of a knitted hexagon.

My energy levels are still horribly low and I only got that knitted because now I’ve knitted 50 of them I pretty much have it memorized.

I’ve done very little crafty since my WISPless entry last week.In addition to the knitted hexagon I’ve also tacked a dozen patchwork hexagons. I was going to make a cushion but I may make a patchwork teacozy inspired by the one in this post over at HenHouse…(Yes, I am addicted to this blog…she makes me smile). I also discovered half my home made hexagon papers aren’t true hexagons…I’m gonna have to suck it up and buy a hexagon template aren’t I?

Instead of knitting I’ve been dreaming about the things I’d like to knit and sew and am currently daydreaming about cotton flannel fabric that doesn’t come in baby appropriate colours and is available on this side of the Atlantic, and learning to knit fairisle/colourwork.

I’m also dreaming of having a decent button box again with suitable contents. I have lots of shirt buttons, and a couple of nice ones, but I am feeling I lack buttons at the moment..and I need something to keep them in.

Today I have managed to organise the slow cooker for tea and will tell you about that on Friday.

I am trying to remain cheerful, I promise!

Work has begun on the defeating of the laundry mountain however, and I hope to have it sorted out soon. Plus its probably time to swap out the summer clothes for winter ones…Or at least think about it. Thats proactive, right?!

October Autumnal Musings….

As happened last year I am currently musing on all things Autumnal.

As I mentioned last time around, I am somewhat biased towards this time of year. Its the season I was born into and therefore my first experiences of the world were tinged with autumnal tones, and the need to be warm and comfortable. The newspapers reported that due to a dry year we are having an earlier autumn, but I can’t say I noticed it coming any quicker but I welcome it either way.

Its the season when the light is beautiful; tinting things golden and making them shine, where the cold in the air is just enough to make you rush back inside for a scarf and gloves, even though the sun is streaming down. Squashes, pumpkins and the autumns crops of  winter vegetables are starting to appear at the greengrocers and the leaves on the trees are starting to change. The few trees that go red are starting to do so, and the local shops have started putting thier halloween displays out.

Some people see Autumn as a melancholy time, as people become more introspective and withdrawn than during the sociable summer months, but I find that time of self reflection and preparing for winter an important part of the year. Its a time for celebrations; My birthday and those of my parents are all in Autumn; in fact they are in concecutive months!

Harvest Festival was one of the few school activities I really got involved with at primary school – I missed a lot of school – but we would do the only majorly charitable act of the year that we were expected to take part in. It was the only cross cultural event everyone at my school could take part in. I went to a very mutlitcultural school. Everyone in the school would bring in a piece of fruit or a vegetable and a tin of food. These were then put into tissue paper decorated shoeboxes, wrapped in coloured cellophane, tied up with ribbons and then they were distributed at several of the local Elderly Care Homes. It saddens me that I don’t have that small contact with my community any more…but alas I am not the church going type and even then,  in this politically correct world, I’m not sure anyone does anything like that anymore.

Tea is high in my thoughts, as is hot chocolate and I dream of having a woodburning stove to settle down in front of in the evening as the nights start to draw in. My major project this autumn/winter is my hexagon blanket and I plan to be snuggling under it by spring. My inner seasonal clock is already aware that cold weather is on its way and it has me thinking of porridge and mulled apple juice, of homemade gingerbread and of warm stews with thick chunks of homemade bread with butter on it, of scented candles smelling of cinnamon, of pumpkin lanterns, and of chai tea and gingerbread flavoured coffee.

The thoughts of curling up with  cushions and blankets is also present in my mind as is the fact I need a new hotwater bottle, and probably some more flannel pyjamas this winter.

Wouldn’t Autumn be a pretty name for someone?

I’ll leave you with Evaleen Stein’s lovely autumnal poem; November Morning.

A tingling, misty marvel
Blew hither in the night,
And now the little peach-trees
Are clasped in frozen light.

Upon the apple-branches
An icy film is caught,
With trailing threads of gossamer
In pearly patterns wrought.

The autumn sun, in wonder,
Is gayly peering through
This silver-tissued network
Across the frosty blue.

The weather-vane is fire-tipped,
The honeysuckle shows
A dazzling icy splendor,
And crystal is the rose.

Around the eaves are fringes
Of icicles that seem
To mock the summer rainbows
With many-colored gleam.

Along the walk, the pebbles
Are each a precious stone;
The grass is tasseled hoarfrost,
The clover jewel-sown.

Such sparkle, sparkle, sparkle
Fills all the frosty air,
Oh, can it be that darkness
Is ever anywhere!

Oooh!

My favourite actress, Romula Garai, is playing Emma in a new BBC production of Emma which starts on Sunday.

I first saw her play Celia in As You Like it and then Amelia in Vanity Fair, and then I saw her in I Capture the Castle where she was cast perfectly as Cassandra. (Yes, I know I’ve seen them completly out of the order they were made but still….)

Shes beautiful and has a certain sensibility about her that fits into period pieces so well.

I’d love to see her in Little Women (I think she’d make a wonderful Meg) or in another remake of Vanity Fair as Becky Sharp.

Am really looking forward to her take on Emma

Socktoberfest!

Well, Socktoberfest is on its way:

And although I am desperate to make

Toe Socks

and Ribbon Stockings

what I need to do is finish the 3 sock projects already on the needles:

Pennant Socks: M’s Birthday present

Being a birthday present these odviously have a deadline attached…which gives me just over 2 and half weeks to finish them.

Only downside…hes a man with large feet, and I’d forgotton how large. I am making comfy socks (slightly on the large size and the first of the pair is already taking most of a ball of yarn…which means I need another one….

I have got in touch with the lovely Alison at P2tog and she has some on the way so unfortunatly half his birthday present cash is going on a second ball of yarn for his socks…

The pattern is from More Sensational Knitted Socks and is called Pennant Stitch.

Its not too difficult if you follow it line by line and don’t use a multicoloured yarn like I did which means the lovely texture of the pattern is lost in the colours.

I have to admit, that I’m doing a plain foot on these socks as that section will be covered by his shoes, and the pattern takes me so long that otherwise he won’t get them till xmas.

Sideways Silky Short Socks: For Me

Using Tallulahbelles variation on this DROPS pattern which is not only a lot easier to understand but just seems to make more sense I cast on my second pair of these sideways knit garter stitch socks well over a month ago.

I’m making these on 3mm needles and have shortened them and as soon as the birthday socks are finished these are the next priority.

Industrial Rose Socklets: For Me

The first of these is finished. They are made from the left overs of my Industrial Rose Set in Araucania Ranco Multy 4 ply which I have called Industrial Rose as its shades of rose and tarnished, and smoke and soot, and so on.

Having designed on the needle and having taking lots of notes its gonna take me a while to work out what exactly it is I did on the first sock and these are going to take a while.

Hope to get these done to wear for Xmas.

Well, that appears to be a plan doesn’t it?!

Now, I just have to not get distracted by my other knitting projects!

Craftily plodding along

Fear not, faithful readers, i havent been eaten by my cumalative knitting, sewing, and crafting stashes.

I have however been working rather hard back at the museum and on ebay and haven’t had much spare time left to knit/sew/blog.

My camera batteries are charging and I will be back to blogging soon, and will show you what I’ve been working on

I’m back!

Obviously when I said in a few days I mean quite a few…

Well, I’ve been a busy little bee lately.

I’ve been buzzing around the country visiting family and friends and then when I got home I became self employed again which has taken time and I also have a couple of weeks work back at the museum.

So, when I’ve not been doing a headless chicken impression I’ve been knitting and doing housework…well, OK…more knitting than housework but am only human and knitting is more fun!

We have a set of eyelet shawl, mitts and beret in Araucania Ranco Multy 4 ply which I have called Industrial Rose as its shades of rose and tarnished, and smoke and soot, and so on. Of the three skeins I had these were got out of two! So, socks are currently being designed on the needles with copious note taking so I can work out how to make the second one.

I blocked this which was my first experience of doing so, and lacey knitting really does grow when you block it! After knitting and washing the Araucania Ranco Multy becomes deliciously soft and is lovely and warm.

And, as I am someone obsessed with making sets of the things we  have a set of garter beret, mitts and scarflet in my perfect purple yarn – Bilberry Country Style DK. With several tweaks I got this out of my only ball of the yarn with literally about 1 ft left!

We then have a pair of slippers I made for my mum in acrylic as she wore holes in the bfl socks I made her at Xmas due to wearing them constantly while on holiday in Spain. *rolls eyes*. They are from a finnish pattern and I worked them out via the diagram.

Finally, and yes, that is actually me, we have my Neaty Cardigan. I made it in Marble Chunky from Texere and its lovely yarn to work with. Its 100% acrylic and knits up so softly I am seriously considering stocking up on it.

Will post again soon, but right now, I need to get on with some work!

Time Slipping By – Explanation of Blogging Hiatus

Well, its been an age since I last posted, mainly due to my flitting about the country visiting family and reconnecting with old friends and then becoming self employed again.
Things are finally starting to settle down again and I’ll be back to regular blogging again soon.

In a few days time there will a nice post with lots of pictures

Nostalgic Days

Last Sunday I went to the 31st May Day Music Festival in a lovely little park in my home town, called Alexandra Park.

I spent many of my summer afternoons in this park in my college days, as it more or less back’s onto the art buildings.

This festival has been part of my life for many years and has developed in its own way during that time.

It has always been a socialist workers organised free music festival, with speakers from the TUC, the ANL and other active groups but these days the people who go seem to have lost sight of what the festival is all about and were rude enough to boo the TUC speaker off the stage.

A newer addition to the festival is the Eco/Global village area where there was a vegan cafe, and some interesting info about allotments and community gardens and there was a found objects art tent, and so, I had a go.

You started off with a piece of coathanger coiled at the bottom to make a base and then you threaded bits of found objects onto it to make your sculpture. As you can see, mine has; stones, buttons, bits of plastic, ribbon, net, wool and artistic use of a pemanent marker.

I didn’t take it away with me. I left it as part of the little display they were creating….but i did keep a piece of the wool as a wristband.