Finished!!! Patchwork Prism QAL

Oh, I'm in love!   Yesterday I did a wee bit of free motion quilting in the middle of my quilt, it was a butterfly and once I'd done that I stopped as I didn't want any more, it was just perfect.    The binding was put on last night and now she's finished and she's beautiful.


Meet Beauty-A Patchwork Prism Quilt

All finished on display

On the couch, where she'll get used most often

Butterfly FMQ in the middle; love this!

The back, in flannel

Some quick details:

Front is the Prism Quilt pattern by Anna Marie Horner for Janome; I'm participating in the Prism QAL, see the button on my sidebar for details.
I used mostly stash fabrics; some from the pack of fat quarters I won from V&Co, had to buy a few browns and greens though due to a major lack in my stash.
The batting was an old cream wool blanket with some stains that washing didn't move.  It was a touch on the prickly side so didn't get used as a blanket often, this way it'll be used a lot.
Backing is Essentials Flannel by Wilmington; I got it for a very good price from Fabric Shack and it worked well for backing and binding.   Makes it nice and snuggly for winter; which is good considering winter has definitely hit here.

I took it into Stitch to show off this morning and it was very well received, some of the fabric I used came from there.   I think I might put it in the Summer Sewing Competition (see my sidebar for that button too); it looks summery to me and might help me think it's summer even though it's freezing cold!

Wardrobe Wednesday - final remix

I'm joining in with Wardrobe Wednesday on Sailor Spy


Today I'm wearing:

 My Jetty tunic of course
with a very old button-down shirt from Max
my Wrangler Jeans and my crocheted beanie with flowers on it. 

It was a tad chilly this morning so the hat was called for.    You can't see, but I'm also wearing my Doc Marten slip-on shoes which are also years old and are a burgundy patent leather.

Yesterday I got the ditching done on my quilt, took a fair bit of time and I'm paying for it today with sore shoulders, but it was worth it!

I can't show you what she looks like now as there are still more steps to go and I want to show the finished object next.  Some of my ditching isn't quite in the ditch, but considering this is my first proper quilt I'm fairly pleased.   I don't really count George's quilt several years back as that was huge blocks and was all done with the walking foot and no clue.
Btw, see the white on the machine side of the quilt?   That's the wool blanket I'm using as batting and it's fighting the process.  It's much heavier than batting so makes it harder to manipulate.   I showed it to Thomas last night unfinished and he asked hopefully if it was going on our bed; obviously he likes it!    It's going to be in the lounge though and George's quilt will probably be done before ours; our quilt is going to be really difficult being king sized and I want a bit more experience under my belt before I get back to that.

In knitting news I knit several rows on the test-sock last night, then re-read the pattern and tinked all those rows back.   Not the patterns fault, my reading skills apparently failed.

Finally, on Monday I dropped into Bolt of Cloth while I was waiting for the car to be ready, I spent all my spending money on 1m of fabric.   Today I went in and picked it up:

I have been looking for this stuff for ages!  I was thinking a skirt, but I'm not sure I have quite enough so now considering a bag instead.   It must be shown off.

Quickly

Looks like the car might be ok after all, fingers are crossed.  The overflow pipe was pointing in the wrong direction; phew!   I have to keep an eye on it which I will do.  I also dropped into a plumbing place and now have the bits I need to fix the main plumbing issues myself.   I'll probably do that this coming weekend as I want Thomas around for just in case.

Socks are halfway through the first cable and looking good, photo later

Quilt is now sandwiched and pin-basted.  I tried using 505 spray, but my can was pretty old and just didn't do a good job; will get a new can when funds allow.   Tomorrow I'll machine baste the edges and ditch it before starting the FMQ in individual triangles.   Downside of using an old blanket is that edges are a bit wavy and I think there will be some bits on the back that aren't quite smooth.  Not much I can do about that seeing as I'm determined to make this blanket useable.   Quilt will need to be trimmed down slightly on the long edges.

More tidying done, sewing room is looking better again.

Oh and finally I tried She Chocolatier's hot chocolate today; swoon!   Best thing ever!!!!

Oh Dear

Looks like we'll have another nasty big bill, yesterday after getting home from a trip to the storage unit I noticed the car was leaking, when I took a look, this was what I saw:

 See all those splash marks?   That's the coolant coming out of the thing at the top of the photo; I have no idea what that is, but suspect it might incorporate the water pump.   I was warned that if it hadn't been flushed and changed for a while the water pump might go when it was done, not a high likelihood, but my luck is running true to form.    I think atm the finance gods are having a bit of a downer on us.
We've also had Dh's glasses, other stuff for the car, dentist, spraying the Oamaru stone on the house (4 yearly maintenance), the dishwasher throwing a wobbly (about $700).  We still need to do other things too, but they have to wait; there's new glasses for me, we need to get a plumber in to fix both loos and replace some taps and Thomas needs new running shoes.   Finance gods, enough already!   Time to send some relief please.   Really though, we're lucky, it'll put us in debt but we can dig back out of that hole.

Back to the usual channel now.  Been working on the quilt and I attempted to take a photo today.  The wind didn't want me to, so this is the best one

I took this photo in the microsecond between wind gusts.   I also got the backing prepared today, so tomorrow I should be able to join it all together

Flannel print backing; now all joined and seams pressed, should be nice and snuggly on the back.

Started my test-knit the other day for Morag (Vintagepurls designs), I'm knitting the Garnet sock pattern which I love.

The colour is called Poolside with Hockney and is a lovely sky blue.  I wanted a colour that would photograph well, Morag was happy with either of my choices but I decided to go with this over the pink as despite it being a colour I have a lot of I don't have any socks in it!

Finally, preparation for the new carpet is going ahead.  Our hall is pretty much cleared out, this is the before shot (after will come in 2 weeks).

 The hall now feels huge; we've taken out 3 bookcases and put them in the dining room for the moment.

The lounge has also lost a bookcase, and has another that's now mostly empty.   Everything in here has to go in the dining room for Thursday week, then over that weekend all three bedrooms have to be emptied.   It's going to be a messy time, but should look fantastic.   The new carpet is grey again, but instead of light grey it's dark so should make the room look warmer, and of course our toes will be cosy too.

Mix it up - Wardrobe Wednesday

Today is a perfect day for the tunic to be worn again; it's cold so layers are good, but not freezing so I don't have to cover it up.

The photo was taken by youngest who is a point a shoot kind of kid; I had about 6 photo's to choose from, but this was the only one in focus.

I am wearing:
My Jetty Tunic
Me-sewn top in a soft wool-blend fabric from an Ottobre pattern
Me-sewn trousers which are getting a little big, but stay up fine with woollies tucked in.  The trousers are an Ottobre pattern in corduroy with contrast pocket flaps.
My favourite Planet Earth shoes which are really comfy
A felt brooch courtesy of Joanne from a fibre swap a wee while back.

The bag in front of me is an unprocessed fleece that came out of the freezer yesterday after a bag near it had a moth infestation.   It should be safe now as it's been in and out several times.

In other news I've got the fabric for the back of my quilt; it's on the line now and is flannel so good for snuggle factor

I'm over halfway through piecing the 12 rows of the quilt front, hoping to get several more done today but have to put the heater on in the sewing room first as it's freezing down there!

Last week I took our DVD player/recorder in under its extended warranty as it was starting to play up; it did the same thing about 2 years ago so this time I recognised the signs and took it in much faster.   It wouldn't read discs despite them being scratch free and it having been cleaned.   I got a phone call on Monday to say it was uneconomic to repair (was going to cost more than we paid for the unit) and although there was a clause in the extended warranty limiting their liability to the amount we paid, would we like a new one free of charge?   The new one is actually $300 more than we paid for the original.  Of course the answer was yes please!    So we popped down to get it, paid $50 for another extended warranty for the new one (I have horrible luck with DVD players) and brought her home; surprisingly they agreed to let us have the old one back, so I've been copying the last few bits off the hard-drive onto DVD's as that functionality is still just fine.   Just one left to go and we'll swap to the new one

There have been some changes since our old one was made.   They're now high definition, and come with Freeview built in, so if we ever get rid of Sky, we can still get tv even once it all changes to digital.

At the same time we picked up Thomas' new glasses; no photo I'm afraid but I think he looks really cute in them; he's not so sure but he's never had any despite his horrible eyesight since before I met him.   Suddenly he can see a lot better.  They haven't put full correction in as that would have been too hard to adapt to straight away, but they'll work up to that after he's ok with this prescription.   One good thing, his eye condition has stabilised so shouldn't get any worse.

Interweave Knits Summer 2012

It arrived today, at least it was faster than the spring one that was over 2 months late!

1st impression, the paper is rubbish quality, rather disappointed considering the magazine isn't cheap to buy.
Now, down to the patterns.   I wasn't expecting much considering the comments I've heard so far, but here's what I think.

Pictures here

Ipanema Hat
I rather like this, it's a nice shape and a wide brim which is always good, especially here in NZ where the sun is so harsh.  I think this one is definitely worth considering.

Endira Necklace
A very sweet little linen and beaded collar styled necklace.   I'm not sure if I'd make it simply due to the fact that I tend to forget to put jewellery on.  Would be nice to have in the box for a summer evening though.

Tiered Bangles
I'm not into bangles and to be honest these don't do anything for me.  I'm not sure what it is, but they won't be going on my queue.

Ingrid's Gloves
Nice, simple but I have other patterns that are nicer.    Too basic to bother with to be honest.

Ginkgo Lariat
I have visions of it dipping into my hot chocolate, and it looks like the teabags my husband dumps on the kitchen bench.

Greta Headband
Now this I like, would be practical to keep my ears warm while wearing my hair up; when my hair is up most hats aren't an option and I usually do have it up.

Summer Blooms Shawl
This is the cover item and it's very pretty.  I feel it would look better in a dark colour though, the lace pattern is a little lost in the pale pink over a pale grey dress with pale skin.    If it had to be in pink, then style it on someone with darker skin and a rich coloured dress to set it off.

Sakura Tee
I love the motif, but on a circular shawl, not a tee.   It ends up shapeless and makes the model look like she has a thick waist.

Planche Vest
I look at this and see a shopping bag; not my cup of tea at all.

Pianissimo Mitts
These I love, delicate on the edges, but plain in the areas most likely to catch on things.

Coquette Vest
This is pretty, I couldn't wear it due to my shape, but it would look fantastic on any woman who's not yet had their body changed by having babies.   If I added a cap sleeve though it would work on me.

Arrowhead Camisole
Another that I like but won't make as it's shape won't work on me.  Another pattern for young ones I think.

Dawn Dress
I feel that the bust area isn't as fitted as it needs to be on this, possibly needs to come up a touch higher, or come in a little on the top of the front.   I hate the skirt part, way too much fabric and will make anyone look overweight, it's also too short to wear without being certain you're wearing your best undies.   Might work for pregnancy, but only if you added quite a bit of length and allow for the shortening effect of a baby bump on the front.   I can see it working with a more fitted skirt

Menemsha Pullover
The top is really nice, but then it's let down with not enough shaping in the body; it just looks boxy.   More shape and longer would give a Grecian feel to it which would be lovely.

Seaglass Shell Top
I adore this!  I'd need sleeves, but I like it enough that I think I'd take the risk and make it anyway.  Love the lace on the back and the plain but fitted front.

Twist and Shout Dress
No wee girl to knit for here, but even if there was although it's cute there are other dresses I much prefer.  I think it would look better in a lighter weight yarn.

Popsicle Dress
I think I like it, but I don't wear belts and there are no photo's of it without a belt!  Considering there's no shaping on the schematics you really need to see it on a body without the belt.  I'd make it longer, but I like the colour-blocking and the neckline and sleeves.

Freewheel Tote
I can feel the knot on my shoulder just looking at it, and it's so deep you'd never find the stuff at the bottom.

Sand Dune Cardigan
I rather like this, it reminds me of a bought one but in a good way.   Very tempting to put it in the queue.

Bethany Wrap
It falls nicely and I like the wee collar, but I don't think it'll bump Vitamin D off the queue

Flynn Cardigan
Unflattering and shapeless, this being said it would be an ideal wrap up cardigan for the winter in a wool yarn for sitting in front of the fire.

Herringbone Vest
A basic vest with a little detail to update it.   Not sure my husband would wear it, but might suggest it to him.

Hana Shell
Another shapeless knit and with that opening in the back it'll be hard to keep warm in the evenings.   Might work in a hot beach climate, but not for here.


My final feeling on this - if I didn't have the sub I probably wouldn't have bought it, not enough that I love and many of them I've seen very similar items before.  At this point after 2 disappointing mags I'm thinking I won't renew after my final mag this time next year.

Yay!

Today I finally got around to publishing my Backwards Mitten Recipe on Ravelry.  It's the pattern I used to make Ian's mittens and yesterday I wrote it up before sending it to Morag of Vintage Purls to make sure she was happy it wasn't infringing on her Bug Out sock pattern at all (those socks inspired the original mittens).   She replied that she was happy with it so now it's up!   It's free, but the only test-knitter was me so there is a possibility of errors in there which I will fix immediately I'm made aware of them.
These are the 3 mittens I made in the course of testing this pattern.

 The Bug Out mittens (chart is Morag's, go buy her pattern, it's wonderful)

George's Skull and Crossbone mittens; charts are included for this one.

Ian's Squirrel Mittens which he adores!  Chart not included as it's not mine.  
If you knit it up let me know what you think; I put a fair bit of work into these and as far as I can find the way I've done it is unique.

Patchwork Prism QAL got a bit further today; I've done the layout, pinned things together and taken a reference photo and yesterday I ordered the backing fabric which is going to be flannel to make for a nice snuggly lounge quilt.

I'm loving it, it's mostly from stash, though I had to buy some more brown and green as I have very little of either in my stash.   I'm hoping to get started on the sewing later this weekend, but I do have some other things to do too.

I had a request from one reader for a closer shot of the necklace I wore last week, so here it is.

100% silk handspun and Navajo plied then knit into this lovely necklace.  Probably my favourite piece at this time of year.

As some of you probably know I'm a gamer as well as a crafter and at the moment I'm playing Assassins Creed Revelations on the Xbox.    I'm really enjoying it; I'm looking forward to the third one due out in October.   In the meantime I'm on my second time around ACR and have just got all the books in the game which are one of the collectables.   I've still got to find quite a few data fragments yet and have about 3 buildings to buy so I'm currently avoiding my next quest in order to get money together.   Also want to turn the rest of the cities to Assassin control; got about 6 at the moment.     The main problem with it is that like the internet it's a real time suck.

I'm joining in a sock knit along, the Patchwork Sock KAL to work through some of my leftover sock yarn.  I'll be keeping a butterfly of each one for any repairs to the socks I've already knit, but here's my yarn pile

I don't need to keep bits of all of it, but the Opal, the pink and the Regia are all existing socks so I need to be able to darn them if need be.   The socks will likely be fraternal twins, but I'm looking forward them.  I cast on this afternoon in the Opal yarn; 12 rows of ribbing before a colour change.

School Camp for George is next week so an early start on Monday to get to the railway station.  It'll be his first train ride and they're going to Arthurs Pass for 2 nights.   George is really looking forward to it and I think we've got most of the stuff ready now; not sure how it's all going to fit in the one bag; the sleeping bag takes up half of it then there's clothes, blanket, towel and pillow!

On Saturday I'm spinning at Riccarton Mall with 5 ladies from my guild; I'm pretty proud of myself for this as I organised it!   My thanks to Lesley at the mall for letting us have space there, we really appreciate it.  As a result of this and getting ready for camp and Thomas having a Judo competition this weekend there won't be much time for anything in the next few days!  Luckily Mum and Dad are coming over to look after the boys while I'm spinning.

Unfortunately this will also affect tidying for the carpet going down, luckily we still have a couple of weekends after this one to get organised; we're going to need it.   I have started on the sewing room, Bernie is back in her box and any sewing I do in the next couple of weeks will be using Ellie instead as she's much more portable and I can use her in the dining room.   I need to clear the desk, table and 2 chests of drawers.   Luckily though the bookcase is wall mounted so everything on that can stay put.

Wardrobe Wednesday - mix it up

Before you ask, yes that is the normal state of our kitchen; including the book that George was reading as he made his breakfast.   Most of the stuff behind me is actually clean though, just a little messy.

Today I'm wearing my hand-knit Jetty tunic
I'm wearing a Bay Road Merino top that I bought from the factory shop at work quite a few years back
And my Pure Lime workout pants as I had a workout to dress for; these are my favourite comfy pants too.
On my feet though you can't see them are my Puma running shoes, super comfy.

My hair is in a bog standard pony tail, suitable for working out.

I'm participating in Wardrobe Wednesday at Sailor Spy

Last minute

George came home yesterday to tell me that he needed a pair of long johns for camp next week.    I got an email confirming this from his teacher so there was a quick dive into the stash to find some Merino knit and today I made these:

This pattern is a Kwik-Sew pyjama pattern which I've cut out in size 6 with size 10 length as my lad is fairly slim.    He tried them on before they were hemmed and before the elastic was inserted and he didn't want to take them off; they fit perfectly!   Definite success.
I also found a lack of undies for him and a lack of socks; obviously we have a sock gremlin; he's been around for a while though.  The undie gremlin is a new addition to the household.   A quick trip to the Warehouse took care of that, and I picked up a new torch as well, his is getting old and doesn't work so well now.

I'm also making a pile of stuff to put nametags in; the Dymo Letratag has had a bit of a workout today and tomorrow I'll be ironing those in.   I'll also be taking our DVD player in, it's got an extended warranty and is showing signs of the same fault it had 2 years ago which involved a 2 month wait for parts; really hoping it doesn't take that long this time!

In other news I've finished cutting out the fabric for my Prism quilt; I can start sewing it now!

and I frogged Ian's jersey due to a serious dislike of the yarn; it's not something I like knitting, though I'm sure that some people love it.   Naturally Landscape is the yarn and it's on my trade page on Ravelry if anyone's interested.

Love the colour, and it is mostly wool so it fits my yarn snobby viewpoint, it's just the way it's made that doesn't suit my tight knitting style.

Finished Objects!

I've finished the school trousers

5 pairs in that pile, all have double hems so can be let down when needed.  These should see the boys through till they hit Intermediate school.

Also the mittens are done and Ian is happy

And I've been cutting out triangles for the quilt, no photo's yet and I've determined I need more brown fabrics for the brown/gold ring of the quilt.   Brown is not a colour I have a lot of unfortunately so I might have to get some fat quarters tomorrow to fill that gap.  I really need to get this quilt made so I can't put it off.

Not much happening

Last few days I've not got much done; trousers are all ready to do waist and hems, but I've not got any further as the IBS has come back to haunt me along with that time of the month; normally the latter isn't really a problem aside from its tendency to set off IBS, but this time the nurofen hasn't really been working very well so I've had real problems concentrating.
Sorry work, this has affected you too.  An example of my lack of concentration happened this afternoon when it was time for me to pick Ian up from school, I shut the door and then realised the keys in my hand weren't for the house, they were for the car.   No cellphone on me either, just my knitting. I popped into the school office who were nice enough to let me ring Thomas' cellphone so I could leave a message; unfortunately he wasn't available.  We went home and at about 4.30pm I finally got into the house using a nail on the toilet window and then boosting George in so he could open the front door.  I rang Thomas, who had only just got the message I left 1 hour and 40 minutes previously.  One good thing, I got more of the squirrels done, the heads are now complete so not too many more rows to go on the colourwork. 

Until that's finished and I have something to show you I thought I'd post a quick ABC about me; I found this on another blog, but I can't remember which one!  I'm changing a couple of the questions; I think putting several of them together would make it too easy for someone to pretend to be me.  

Age: Over 40; not much but enough.  
Bed size:  King, love it!
Chores that you hate:  All of them, I'd rather be knitting
Dogs: Want one, have a cat instead.
Essential start to your day:  Must have my watch on, feel naked without it.
Favorite color: Peacock
Gold or Silver: Probably gold, but the lighter one; can't stand the brash version.
Height: 5'5"
Instruments you play: the stereo, that's an instrument right?
Job title: Outworker and Mum
Kids:  2 boys; love them both (George and Ian)
Live: Shakey city!
Mice: luckily I'm ok with these as the cats keep bringing them in and then I have to catch them and put them back outside.
Nicknames: None in real life, online I'm Sable or Sewsable
Overnight hospital stays: Appendicitis when a kid, laparoscopy that went wrong in my 20's and 2 not-straightforward birth experiences.
Pet peeves: using the wrong words like "boy" instead of "buoy"
Quote from a movie or TV show: I'll be back!
Right or Lefty: Righty
Siblings: One younger brother
Time you wake up: Before I'm ready normally
Underwear: Comfy lowcut cotton, usually American Eagle brand
Vegetable you hate: Parsnips and Turnips
What makes you run late: Family
X-Rays You’ve Had: only at the dentists
Yummy food you make: Russian Fudge
Zoo Animal:Red panda; so cute!

Wardrobe Wednesday - mix it up

I forgot to post last week so this morning I put on what I was wearing last Wednesday and then changed to what I had planned for today.

Last Wednesday:

I'm wearing my base piece which is the Jetty knit tunic; it's my favourite thing in winter since I made it last winter.   One day I'll make another in dress length.
The skirt is years old, bought it from a factory shop, it's stretch velveteen and I love it.
The top is a merino one and is also a winter favourite.
My hair is down too.

Today:

Same tunic
My Wrangler jeans, only pair I have that's high waist and comfy.
Same merino top
My shoes are Stegman
My necklace is me-made; it's a silk knit lanyard and a glass donut.  I love it cos I spun the yarn too, it's a Navajo plied silk single yarn in purple and peacock.
My hair is in a twisted bun to the side, I'll be doing some sewing today so needed it out of the way.

Vintage Modern Runner

Isn't it lovely?    I used Vintage Modern prints in this, I chose which ones by the colour depth and ran from dark to light around the outside and put the turquoise in the middle for some pop.  I'm really pleased with it and I still have quite a few prints left from the charm square set.   I really love the floral print which I didn't put in here; might have to get some yardage for a dress from that when I have money again.

My next quilting project should be George's quilt, but I think it'll be the Patchwork Prism Quilt, I'm joining the QAL and my fabrics are already chosen.  Tomorrow I start cutting.   I need to get working on it so that it's able to be finished around carpet laying.  I'm probably going to use a wool blanket instead of batting; I've got one that I don't much like as a blanket and if it's big enough it'll be great for this.   This quilt will go on the back of the sofa when not in use and will be great for snuggling under in winter when watching a movie.

Free Motion Quilting and surprises

First up the surprise; the other day I looked out the window and saw this:

You can't tell from here but this is our Silk Tree and he's over 6 feet off the ground.   I had to tell him to come down though as the tree is getting old and has die back; luckily the branch he's on is currently unaffected as far as we can tell.   This winter we have 2 large branches to cut back at the base; which is a pity as it will spoil the tree's shape.
I think Ian really needs to live in the country with lots of large trees to climb; unfortunately here in the 'burbs there's only a few medium ones and they're all getting sad about being old.

In other news yesterday was a busy day.  First of all was the spinners guild and I took along my drum carder along with 2 other people and we had a demo.   I hadn't gone in planning on doing the demo, but when it was time to start I found myself up there and showing people how I use a drum carder; apparently a few people learned something from it, so I'm glad I did.  I took along a bunch of fibre for people to play with, so afterwards a few new batts were made and they all turned out beautifully.
I guess the main points I made were:
- don't overload the intake drum, if you can't see the wood through the fibre then there's too much fibre
- tease or flick card locks before putting them in to get a better result
- go slow, and I mean really slow!    If you're watching someone do it and you want to take over and go faster, then that's the perfect speed!
- some fibres are better being applied directly to the large drum as they tend to wrap around the intake drum.  Silk and many of the sparklies fit into this category; also anything hugely long.
One point made by one of the other ladies which is important: if using long fibres with short ones, sandwich the short ones on the drum between layers of long ones.  It makes the whole batt more stable; I think that was Paula.

After that I came home and did my free-motion quilting.   I used a burnt red thread on all the red sections and white on the teal and white bits.    Next step is to trim it, then add the binding.

Quilted but not trimmed, Star appeared to inspect the moment it hit the ground.

1st try of Railroad FMQ (double stippling)

1st try of pebbles

Echoing of the print FMQ

1st try of standard double stippling, you can see a few errors

2nd try of standard double stippling, a bit better.

3rd try of standard double stippling; getting better!

4th and best try of standard double stippling, I obviously still need more practice as the foundation line is a bit long in the stitches, but looking much better!

I've decided that although Ellie (my Elna) does brilliant FMQ her free arm is too small and you can't extend the table on it so I won't be doing larger quilts on her.  Bernie will be my fallback until I can save enough for a Janome Horizon or similar.  I want a bigger harp and more flat space.

Once I'd finished that I got all the school trousers to the next step; today I'll be doing all the seaming and hopefully elastic and hemming to finish them too.  Photo's will come once done.

Bits and Bobs

This will probably be a photo-less post.    Just wee bits of news and stuff I'm doing in whatever order they come to mind.

1st is the garage/EQC thing.   I've had real problems getting hold of the chap I've been dealing with, he was supposed to ring me on Thursday morning but he was running true to form and didn't.  This morning I left a rather upset message on the local hubs voicemail and the words "pissed off" were uttered.   I don't normally use that sort of language on voicemails, but I'm afraid it's getting to me and I'm also tearing up more than normal too.   My stress levels are obviously elevated atm and if I'm feeling like this I can't imagine what those people in the orange and white zones are feeling.   I ended up getting Dh to ring them and the end result is nothing is going to happen for quite some time, any information we've been given in the past about escalation etc is incorrect, nothing can be done and we just have to wait.   Also garages are way down on the priority list.   I'm suspecting that in a years time we will still be waiting and our insurance will no longer be paying for storage of garage contents; we'll be having to wear that ourselves.  At the end of the day there's nothing we can do about it and I'll pick myself up and keep on keeping on.

Part of keeping on is obviously my crafting.  

Yesterday I cut out 5 pairs of school trackies for the boys; Ian shot up since last winter and has several inches of gap at the bottom of his.    I've cut them all in size 10 and will make deeper hems than normal to allow for future growth.    Will start the sewing as soon as I've posted here.

I've determined that I can't do a picot cast-off for my cowl using the handspun mohair as it's just too hard to work with so instead I'm going to do an extra stretchy one and have a plain edge at the face.   That edge is normally achieved by a provisional cast-on and then taking that cast-on and casting-off with the picot's.   Not going to work with my yarn at all; will still be lovely though.    I'll cast on for that shortly, but first I need to finish Ian's mittens.
The second mitten is almost finished with the increases and I'm hoping I'll get to the first squirrel today at their gym practice.

My quilting is not yet moved further; I had to get more thread the other day and haven't reset the machine since; that and the school clothes are a higher priority.   I'll get onto the quilting this weekend, need to cut out for the next one too.

One good thing about the whole EQC thing though is I can ring the carpet company next week and arrange laying of the carpet; I have no idea where we'll store the old stuff that we're keeping, but we'll work something out.  I'll need to talk to work about taking a week off to sort the house for that I think.

In other news I've decided I need to cut out the sugar from my diet and once again stop spending, this is part of the reason for sewing school clothes rather than just popping out and buying them.   We've go expenses coming up next week like the car service and also my teeth aren't happy (continuous ache in one).   I really want to start making a decent dent in the mortgage so that when we need the money it's all available.
The sugar thing means I'll have to give up my hot chocolate, but that's expensive stuff and I really shouldn't be that dependent on it; I am, but I shouldn't be.   I'll finish what's there, don't believe in wasting it, but once it's gone....