Day 8 - A finish line reached

I've finished my little mystery quilt; all I need now are 2 cuphooks to attach it to the back of the sewing room door and it'll be in use.

As you can probably tell it's for holding fixed circular needles and seems to work quite well.   I will post the tutorial, but not right now as it'll take a while to get all the photo's downsized and write the whole thing up.   Might have to see if I can set it up in word and then copy it over here.    Still got to write up my mitten pattern too.
I'm really happy with it, a couple of things that I could do better; a little more fabric above the snaps to make it easier to grasp them, and I'm sure there's an easier way to put the hanging sleeve on the back; but aside from that it's exactly what I need.

I'm going to get some work done now, slightly achey after all the snapping unfortunately, but I still have to get the work finished even if I ache.   My workout tomorrow morning should fix that anyway.   Going to spend the night killing zombies with my beloved once the boys are in bed.

Day 7 Blogtoberfest - of triangles and wool

Didn't hear about the trampoline mat today, so another weekend with no working tramp; poor Ian.   Also don't know if the Xbox is on its way or not, suspect not.

Been pretty busy again though.  We've taken down the bunks and the beds are in a temporary position; hopefully this weekend we'll get the other furniture out of the way and give the boys a bit more room; I have no idea where we'll put the furniture though.   Picked up two school desks and 2 chairs from school this morning, going free as all desks and chairs are being replaced.   One had mildew on the top from a spillage, but a spray of vinegar put paid to that; they still need a proper scrub, but they're not looking too bad.

Yesterday I got a wee bag of fibre in the letterbox, it wasn't mail, it was from our guild challenge for the Christmas lunch this year and Joanne had picked up a bag of it for me last Saturday.  Each bag included some fine raw merino, silk, cotton, romney and corriedale.    We have to spin/knit/crochet/felt/weave it into something for the display of work.   I can't spin raw Merino, so tonight I was washing it, staple by staple.    It's something I don't enjoy, but unfortunately there isn't much other choice seeing as Merino is prone to felting and I couldn't find my wee vege bags that I normally use.

They should be dry by sometime tomorrow and then they'll puff up and I can start planning what I'll do with them.

Also today I got some more work done on the mystery item.   I used this:

after I'd decided what colour snaps to use:

There were 3 colour choices; the one on the far left was a deep maroon, middle is dark brown and right is baby blue.   I ended up going with the dark brown as it looked nicer somehow.   All I've got to do now is work out the positions of the tabs, sew them in place and then put the male snaps on the backing; iron on the size tags and sew on the sleeve at the top so I can hang it on the wall.   I think it's going to look fantastic!

Day 6 Blogtoberfest

Been fairly busy today.  Got a new cord so I can shift my computer tower down to the bottom of the computer desk which will give me more space on the desk to make a mess.  Then I dropped into Riccarton Mall to hand in George's competition entry; hope he wins something it would make his day.   Seeing as I was there I dropped into Borders which was still open, they had some good specials on DVD's and kids books; $40 later I had a bunch of books to try out on George, a movie for Thomas (Gamer) and one for me (Secondhand Wedding).   I also picked up Jane Eyre for me, I've never read it and it was only $10 so worth looking at.

After I got home I finished cleaning my sewing machine and overlocker

all lint now removed and all oiled as well.  Then back to the quilting.
Here's the quilted item with the bindings applied

Now, my binding corners leave something to be desired; normally I'd make a continuous binding, but I didn't think of that till it was too late.  As a result the corners are a bodge job; but it works all the same.
And, for those of you still working out what it'll be, here's a clue:

Tomorrow I'll hopefully get the final bits on, including the sleeve at the back to hang it up with.

I'm also hoping to hear from the trampoline place tomorrow, please?  Ian's getting antsy and I think he needs some bouncing.   He turned back into a troll tonight, so hopefully some exercise will help get that out of him; he tried to throw George out of the top bunk tonight, literally!  He knows I'm not at all happy about that; and that I'm thinking of taking the bunks down; have to discuss that with Thomas first though.

Day 5 Blogtoberfest

Fairly quiet today in some ways; I didn't go out aside from the school run, and I got a reasonable amount of sewing done.

1st up I finished my trousers and they fit perfectly!   Hopefully they'll get too loose soon and I can take the side seams in.

Ignore the tummy, that's a combination of the IBS and a little extra padding.  My personal trainer says my tummy muscles are really strong though, so at least that's one good thing.   I think the IBS thing might be improving too, so have hopes the inflamation will improve too.

Once I finished the trousers I did my first ever free-motion quilting on my mystery item; here's a peek.  The photo is part of my tutorial shots so the pins are what I used to hold the layers together; not a hint as to the use it'll be put to.  

My free-motion quilting leaves a bit to be desired, my tension went AWOL on me; but after doing some reading on The Freemotion Quilting Project I've got a few new things to try, including not dropping the feed dogs, but instead placing the stitch length at 0.  I also spent the rest of my spending money at her quilting shop getting some quilting gloves and a teflon glider thing for the machine bed.  Unfortunately I can't afford the nifty wee table she uses, but this should help; and considering I have a king sized quilt that I'll be quilting once it's all pieced I'll need all the help I can get!  Even if I could afford the nifty table it's probably not worth it, much as I'd like to think my machine will last forever I have to keep in mind it's as old as I am, and if Mum wants it back I really do have to give it to her seeing as it's still hers.
One day I'll get a quilters machine with a bigger harp, and hopefully some alphabet fonts too....

Tomorrow I have to go out for a bit, I need to get a stereo to PC cable so I can shift our tower down to the section it belongs in on the computer desk.   I've also got to drop off a colouring competition entry form for George at the mall; he'd like to come, but I hate Riccarton Mall and if he's going it has to be either the weekend which is too busy or school holidays which is just as bad!   Not to mention that for either of them it would be just me with both boys as Thomas is busy each weekend till after the comp closes and working in the week.

School holidays start next week, you might have worked that out from the last comment I made.   There are some plans in place; the boys have 4 sessions with the Autism Society's holiday scheme going to places like Orana Park, swimming, ten-pin bowling, a llama park, horse riding and an adventure playground.   We also have to go out and get them both shin guards in the first week as they start soccer next term with a special needs group.  In the second week their grandmother is taking them for up to 3 days; it may be less, depends on how they behave, lol.  Ian's being a bit defiant of late, so it may not be the full 3 days; we'll see.

Day 4 Blogtoberfest

I did something against my principles today; normally I only buy natural fibre products, but today I got some polyester batting.   It was price based in part and also based on the fact that this item will never go on a bed, it'll be on the wall.
Here's a photo of the fabric and batting to tease you (grin)

Any thoughts on what I'm making?   I'll be taking photos as I go and if it works as I have planned there'll be a tutorial afterwards.

In other sewing news my trousers are almost done.  Just buttons to go on the waistband and the hems to do; they'll be finished tomorrow.   They fit perfectly, but no photo of them on till they're done.

Not the best photo, but you can see the contrast pocket flaps on the legs; loving those, the hip pockets have the same fabric as a hidden lining which is a touch that makes me smile.

Got to try out a new to us game on the Xbox today, Left 4 Dead 2; great fun with Thomas as a co-op game.  We'll have to buy our own copy I think, along with Gears of War 3 when we can afford it.   Oh, and the latest Harry Potter has a release date of November 16, so we'll be buying that too; I'll have the full series of HP movies then as well as all the books.  I'm actually reading the books again at the moment, lol.

New shoes arrived for the boys today from NZsale.co.nz; love that site!   They fit well, the only problem is that they are shoe lace ones and neither boy has mastered tying a bow yet.  I'm thinking I might have to get some of those no-tie shoelaces for them so that they can manage them at school. 

Day 3 Blogtoberfest

Got an email from my boss this morning, it's stocktake day.   There went my plans of sewing today; instead I spent the first couple of hours working, followed by a quick note take of which work I had in my cupboard to finish.  Then into work where I found a bustle of activity and a mild feeling of frenzy; not uncommon for stocktake.  I'll be back in tomorrow to get more work, but I've finished for today which is good.
Dropped the trampoline mat in for restitching; it's going to cost $62 (hope that's GST inclusive) and should be done by the end of the week; Ian will be pleased as he's been going out there and sitting on the frame, while looking mournfully at the empty bounce area.   Poor chap.

Our oven is now fixed; $260 later; ouch!   But still rather cheaper than a new one and it's a good oven despite being a bit older.   Also got an email from Tronix to say the old Xbox now has a new laser, is clean and is now playing games fine; $76 please.   That's actually a good price and means in a few days it should be back and we can play games that require a hard drive again.  Turns out the new one while advertised as having a 4gig hard drive does not in fact have a hard drive and won't download the expansion discs.

In other expensive news I've decided what phone I want as soon as I save the money

This is the LG Optimus One P500.   It's $349, but I should be able to get it for less on contract; it'll cost me $40 a month which is more than I currently pay, but as my current phone will stop working later next year I have to do something; and I want a smartphone!   GPS, decent camera which is always with you, calender, and a number of other bits and bobs will be very handy.

Hoping to get into the sewing room tomorrow after going to work, need to get some padded interfacing to make my wall-hung circular needle holder and it would be nice to finish my trousers and the t-shirt that's already cut out.

More gardening

No photo's today, but I now have 3 blueberry plants courtesy of Mum and Dad which are installed in their new positions.   Quite a few less weeds in the garden too, but a long way to go.
Got 3 lines of sewing done; the zip is almost in the trousers and I had planned on getting them finished, but there was a conspiracy against it happening I think.

Blogtoberfest - Oct 1

Wow, what a busy day today!   I've been gardening, a little spinning, some sewing and there may be a little knitting to come yet.

Out in the garden we've mowed the lawn and also removed and cleaned the trampoline mat as it needs restitching

Ian is a trifle unhappy about this; but as the stitching was starting to go on 2 rows, not just one it was no longer safe.   I'll be taking it in on Monday or Tuesday to be fixed.

Next I dug up some hostas and moved them to a new part of the garden where they can keep the weeds down.

This is their new area, here's hoping they can win the fight with the ivy; not sure how to kill that stuff.
In the area where the hostas were is now some heucheras; the new area gets no direct sunshine and we wanted something that will look nice against the concrete footings of the house; these look brilliant!

There's another of the lighter coloured ones to the left that you can't see.  It looks really good, and now that the hostas are out our rubbish bins can go right against the house which is much neater too.
After I'd done all that I investigated the vege patch and found this:

This is the first year our asparagus have produced something that actually looks like asparagus!   We can't eat them this year, but next spring we should be able to eat a few spears; yummy!

After I'd finished all of that I was pooped!   Did a little work and then decided to start spinning cotton again; my last foray into cotton was a disaster; but I figured it was time to try again.

Unfortunately the flash isn't brilliant; but although it's broken a few times it looks really good and I'm quite pleased.   The fibre is a pencil type roving and it's much easier to work with than the cotton sliver was.   I'm still planning on trying punis at some point though.

On the sewing front I've got to the point of inserting the zipper into my cords; unfortunately I don't have a zipper in the right colour or length so I'll have to pop out tomorrow and grab one from Spotlight (hate the place, but it's close and open on Sunday).  I'm really pleased with these so far, hope they fit!

That's the side leg pocket.  The same fabric is used on the main pocket facing as well; I like it as it makes them a bit different and they 'pop'!  Hope that I can get them finished tomorrow (and that they fit), things are a bit bloated of late thanks to the IBS.   Knowing my luck they'll fit now, I'll lose weight over summer and won't get to wear them next winter; mind you that wouldn't be all bad, lol.

Interweave Crochet Fall 2011 review

Today my final copy of Interweave Crochet arrived; I'm letting my sub lapse simply because I've not really got into crochet yet and if I do I have enough patterns to keep me going for a while anyway.

There are 20 designs in this magazine and as usual there's a mix of really nice styles and things that I would never make!   The cover is attractive, a nice looking wrap in a greige colour which made me want to open the mag and take a look; so here goes.....

A Modern Jabot:
I'm sorry, but this looks like a jellyfish got caught around her neck; it's just not attractive at all.   Too many tendrils.

Purple Smoothie Vest:
I think this might be quite attractive, but being in such a dark colour it's hard to see details.  It's not overly practical being very open at the front, but appears to have nice shaping and might be a nice transitional piece.

Green Chai Cardi:
This is basically a short sleeved, cropped cardigan.  It's rather attractive, but I think it would look much better over a dress rather than with the top/trousers/boots ensemble they've chosen.  I can see it as a summer cover-up for evenings by the bbq.

Study Break:
This looks nice, it's a wide-necked t-shirt in tunisian crochet.  I do like the idea, but I think the neckline really needs to be raised; I'm not even wearing it and I want to pull the shoulders up so they don't feel like they're falling off!    Being a V-neck front and back does raise the very real possibility of shoulder slippage.

The Story of Clones Lace:
Ok, this isn't a pattern as such, but it is an interesting history on the Irish crocheted lace.  I have a book on this that was published by Dover and the lace is absolutely beautiful!   If anything will get me into crochet properly this would be it.  There is a small segment on crocheting your own small rose and wild Irish rose using the techniques.

Lace Canopy Cardi Wrap:
This is the wrap that was on the front cover, that made me want to look at the magazine.  It's one of those ever so versatile wrap/cardigan styles.  This one has short sleeves and a long front drape that can be worn n many ways, a little lacy but a lot practical and flattering.  I'm seriously considering popping this one into the queue.  It's done in fingering weight yarn and it's not like I don't have any of this to use. 

Leaf Scarffle:
This is a mitred square scarf designed to look like leaves; to be honest from a distance it reminds me of the new scarf craze made from that funny mesh yarn.   Might look better in a plain yarn, but I'm not intrigued enough to find out.  I'm not planning on trying out that new yarn stuff either.

Oak Wrap:
I like this from the back, but not from the front.  It's a wee cap sleeved  shrug style wrap and in the colour they're using looks like a repurposed hessian sack that was cut down and not fitted overly well.  How can they fit something so well on the back and totally stuff up the front?  I'm pretty sure the model looks so happy cos they've just said to her "you can take it off now".

Honeysuckle Hat:
It's basically a beanie with some travelling cables; I've seen better.

Atomic Hat:
See above, though this one is slightly nicer I prefer travelling cables on knitted items.   I do however like a nice plain beanie in DC.

Birch Bark Scarf:
This actually looks more like a lacy jabot than the first item in the magazine.  It's nice enough, but doesn't really turn on my crafting mojo.  Apparently you can wear it multiple ways, pity they didn't actually show more than one.

Friendship Scarf:
This is meant for children working together to create strips that are then braided together to make a friendship scarf instead of the traditional bracelet.  It's a neat idea, and has potential, but the colours on this one didn't work for me.   It also doesn't look braided enough to me, it is however an idea with heaps of potential; I wonder if I can teach the boys to crochet?    I'll need to practice first I think!

Turtle Tracks Blanket:
I'm not really a blanket person, but this would be a really cool one to make for a cot blanket.   It's a nice size and I think it's quite unisex with it's geometric cabling.  There's something wonderful about a nice wool blanket for a baby; polarfleece just doesn't come close.

Caramel Cardigan:
I really like this, it has shaping and they've managed to use granny-stitch without making it look like it belonged in granny's home.  It's a long sleeved cardigan with a jacket feel to it, even though I don't normally go for brown as a colour I'm still drawn to this colourway.   This will be queued, change that, it has been queued.

Blueberry Popover:
Very cute pullover for a youngster.   While modelled on a girl, this would work well for a boy too if you took the bell away from the sleeves.   A great cover-up with jeans or other casual trousers.   Ooh, just noticed, they've done a straight sleeve option for boys, yay!   And it goes up to size 12; genius!   Just going to pop over and queue this one too.   Pity it's sportweight, not much of that available here in NZ; might just have to spin something up.

Hank and Joe Vest:
This is a wonderful vest for a boy or a man and I'll just excuse myself for a moment while I queue this too; be right back.  Done, and it's DK as well, have a bit of that in the stash smile
I can see my boys in this and even my husband; it's plain enough that they won't be upset but also enough interest for me.

The Best Guy Hat Ever:
I think they might have the title on this one right, it resembles a ribbed beanie, but being crochet will propably be a bit warmer.  Might have to add this to the queue too; poor thing's getting longer and longer!   Ooh, and it's DK again, definitely queuing .

Trailblazing Tote:
I know Lily Chin is normally great at designing both knitwear and crochet, but I'm afraid I really don't like this.  It's clunky looking and while I'm sure it's eminently useable it's also really not me.   It does bring to mind Peruvian handcrafts, but not in a flattering way.  ICK.

Pacific Wave Scarf:
I don't really see waves in this, it looks more organic to me.  It's not my sort of thing, but would probably work for someone with a more eclectic style, it'd make me feel like I was trying too hard.   I think if made a lot wider though it'd make a fantastic curtain!

And that's the end of that!   No more Interweave Crochet reviews, I hope you've enjoyed the ones I've done.   I will still be reviewing Interweave Knits as I'm still getting those; well at least until I run out of space!

Onto other things.  I got some sewing done today, my 2 tunics are finished.   I did one in pink and the other in red.  Please excuse the self taken timer photo's; not overly flattering.   IRL the red crochet flower embellishment looks really nice

  The next photo is even less flattering, but I had to hold the tunic up so you could see the skirt.   This is also made my me in a grey wool blend twill fabric with some tape measure embellishment and a free-motion embroidery rose in black at the bottom

the lighter spot on the hip is not embellishment, it's flash reflection.
I've still got my corduroy trousers to sew up and a summer t-shirt and then I can get some stuff done for the boys.

In other news today Ian spent some time outside exploring our local weeds; he loves dandelion clocks

He was having a great time adding the seeds to our garden; it's not like we need more dandelions, but it was so cute I couldn't resist.    After Thomas got home we all then played tennis for a bit; I got the hiccups from laughing too much.

And just cos I can, gratuitous cat photo; Ray was enjoying the sun today

Life is too short for bad fibre

as a result of this I've just biffed 1kg of Merino carded fibre that was going to become a 3-ply yarn for the boys.   I wasn't enjoying it, it was full of neps and VM and was basically a pain to spin; every time I went into the sewing room it was glaring at me.
So, this afternoon I took the big bag out and emptied it into the bin, then the bump I had ready to spin and then finally removed all the singles from the bobbin I'd 3/4 filled.    I feel much lighter, now I can spin something nice!

I've not done this before, in the past I've persevered despite bad prep and the yarn has never been worth the effort.   Well, I sort of did before, but I did spin up a whole skein first so that doesn't count.

I don't mind stuff that I find hard to spin because I've not done it before, I've got that issue with cotton and also linen, but that's my fault and it will teach me something.   In fact I'm going to try a different prep of cotton next and see if that's any better.  If not I have some gorgeous BFL that I got in the latest fibre swap.   Now that the weather is warming up I can start prepping my own fibre too; no-one to blame but me if things go wrong with that

What to knit next

Thomas' socks are on the needles and I'm almost up to the gusset increases, done some hexipuffs and sent them up to Knitsch but I'm feeling I need something else on the needles.   I could have gone to my queue on Ravelry, but have decided to try something different.   I have a few yarn boxes in the conservatory; this is not ideal yarn storage simply because of the light levels in there and the fact that Ian keeps taking my fabric covers off the yarn boxes exposing them to light.   My next project is therefore coming from those boxes.
I've got some Naturally Landscape which has been the stash for some time and really needs using.  It's not a colour which would suit me, but I think will look fine on the boys so it's going to be a jersey for next winter for one of them.

I'm using a pattern designed for another 10-ply yarn by Naturally and I hope it'll work well.   I may end up making some changes, the pattern has a pocket on the front, but I think it would work better with a kangaroo style pouch which would be easy enough to knit on the fly I think, and I can do it after the rest is done to ensure I have sufficient yarn.

I've done  a wee bit of sewing too, no photo's I'm afraid as I haven't got around to that, but the skirt is finished and has had several compliments.  I'm really pleased with it, not just because I finally have a skirt that is long and from wool, but also because it's different from anything anyone else has and looks really good!  I will take a photo, but probably won't be for a few days unless I can persuade one of the boys to take one tomorrow after school.

Down to 1 WIP - temporarily

Today, in fact about 5 minutes ago I finished my 3rd Time Lucky Socks, these are knit using the Anniversary Socks pattern by Nancy Bush.   This was the third pattern I tried for this yarn, I tried one with travelling stitches, one with cable and finally decided to try simple lace.   Simple lace was the perfect choice for this yarn.   It's a handspun Merino/Silk blend that I overspun and then plied tightly to make it wear well.

I love them!  For the moment it means the only thing left on my needles is the Central Park Hoodie.   In a few minutes though there'll be another pair of socks for Thomas in some Opal yarn I found.   It's the type that does the fake fair-isle but it should work well for him being fairly hard wearing.   Also once my needles arrive I'll get started on some hexi-puffs too to send off to Holland Yarn Company for their Beekeepers Quilt that they'll be auctioning off to support a local charity.

Unpopular Knitting Opinions

A few days ago I submitted my take on knitting with DPN's (double pointed needles) to the above site; it was published there and so far I have 21 responses or reblogs.   http://unpopularknittingopinions.tumblr.com/post/10212926298/94
For those who don't want to go to the link, this is what I said
"Knitting with DPN's is like knitting with an angry hedgehog"; this is precisely how it feels to me so gosh only knows why I'm looking at knitting hexapuffs for the Beekeepers Quilt,  but I'm going to anyway.    I've ordered the DPN's I need today and will get started on my first few when they arrive.   The first ones aren't for me though, they're going to Holland Road Yarn Company to go into the quilt they're making to auction off for KidsCan, then I can do some for me with my angry hedgehogs.   I will most likely be working out a way to do them on circulars before long, much as I love hedgehogs they're best in the fields or the garden; not in my hands.
Another thing I'll be doing differently; I'll be sewing the hexapuffs together, having them tied just feels sloppy to me like you couldn't be bothered doing it properly.  Yes, it'll take ages, but it'll be worth it!

Design time

I've only got 3 pattern repeats and the toe before I finish my handspun Merino/Silk socks so I'm planning for the next couple of projects.   I already have a hoodie on the needles so I need a pair of simple socks, a colourwork project and maybe one other thing.

The socks will be plain ones for Thomas in some Opal sock yarn I found the other day, it was going to be something else, but these are already balled and ready to go.   I'll also be casting on a pair of fingerless mitts for myself in Wandering Cat Yarns Jungle Cat in the Vampire colourway; I'm using her pattern Dalhousie.  My colourwork is also my design work.   It's going to be Ian's mittens for next winter.  He wants squirrels so I need to chart it up, although I already own a squirrel pattern I want to do this from scratch just like I did George's skull and crossbones.  I'll be using the smaller size of the pattern I'm working on as a base, though with some mods since George's version as the thumbs on his were rather too long.

I am wondering though, should I cast on a shawl as well?    Or maybe a cowl?   I'll have 4 WIP's once the above are on the needles which is more than I usually want, but sometimes I want to do something else

Fabric stashing

I might be on a yarn diet, but today I did pick up some quilting fabric and a couple of other things while I was out with Mum today.
We went to The Joy of Sewing's sale first in Riccarton and I came out with 4 pieces of fabric.

from left to right we have a a nice blender in a dusty teal, a lovely Asian inspired print with gold on it,  another blender in a dark grey and a full A-Z flower fairies.   The Asian print and the flower fairies have company with other items in my quilting stash and of course the blenders are going to be useful with almost anything.

From there we went to a craft show which proved to be highly biased towards quilting.   There was however some other stalls to look at including the lacemakers guild and the embroiderers guild.  I ran into an old friend there, I used to work with her in Telecom (both of us have a dislike of phones from that), and she was in the Weavers and Spinners guild too until she got too busy.  Was lovely to catch up with her though.
Entered a couple of competitions (fingers crossed for the sewing machine and the Go Baby!   Would love either or even better, both, lol.
I picked up a Stitch Magazine from one stall, really like those mags, but dont' like the postage price that Interweave charge to send them to NZ.  I also got some wool felt from Stitch.  I don't like the acrylic version and although the wool one isn't traditional felt it'll do quite nicely to craft with the boys.  I also got some batik style quilting fabric too; one fat quarter and 2 charm packs for a small quilt most likely.

4 colours of felt here, lime green, burnt orange, deep red and black.   The Stitch mag (should I get a sub for this?) and the fabric.   Distressed Threads dye the fabric themselves and it's gorgeous!   Now I really do need to clear up the sewing room so I can get started with all of this.

Had a great day though, didn't overspend and I think Mum enjoyed herself too; we'll have to do it again.  We used to head into town from time to time, but that's not an option at the moment unfortunately.   We could take the boys to the Museum this holidays though, that's open again now.

Right, time to get Ian ready for bed.  George and Thomas are at Judo camp this weekend so it's just the two of us.  Hoping to get some gardening done, a little cleaning and tidying and possibly some work, my boss would like the last one.   Ian was asking to learn to knit earlier too, so I'll see if he's still keen; though I've promised him some computer time too if he helps me with the gardening.

WIP no longer!

This seems to be a good week for finishing things.   Not only have I finished Jetty, but today I also finished my Bug Out Mittens!   This is a basic finger up mitten that I've designed especially for use with colourwork.  I can't lay claim to the colourwork pattern itself as that belongs to Morag of Vintage Purls, it came from last years winter sock club. 
When I write up the mitten pattern I will be putting it up on Ravelry for free, once I work out a range of sizes it will then change to a pay for pattern, but I'll probably still leave the base pattern as a freebie.  The bugs are available on Ravelry to purchase as a sock pattern if you want them; and I reckon you do!
I'm really pleased with the way the second one went; the first one was a slight fail on the thumb attaching to the mitten; the second was perfect.

the second one is the one on the right.   On the first one you can see a definite jog where the thumb was joined on; on the second only a slight colour change in the foreground colour which happens with hand-dyed yarn anyway so no biggie.   They're currently blocking on my new mitten blockers and looking lovely!

Finished project!

Jetty is finished, lightly steam blocked and being worn right now!  I love it, not so keen on my extra tummy in front, but hopefully exercise and healing my innards will help with that.
Really enjoyed knitting with the Cascade 220 and want to make the pattern again.  I'm thinking another couple of balls would turn it into a nice winter dress.
With no further ado, here is Jetty for Camp!

A New Path

Today I went to visit a herbalist I last saw when pregnant with George, he did what he could but had to stop at a certain point so as not to risk the baby.    Today I resumed my journey towards health with him
I suffer from what the doctors diagnosed as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome); it's one of those umbrella terms that is used when they don't really know what's wrong but they've tested for all they care to.
I've suffered with it for about 20 years now, mostly getting the runs, but of late there's been constipation as well.  It was time to go back to the one practitioner who'd made any difference; Richard Whelan.
I came out today with some hope that we'll get things sorted.   I also came out with an appointment in 2 weeks, a jar of psyllium husks and a bottle of a nasty herbal concoction.  I've already started taking them, and have to ensure I keep my water intake up too as well as increasing exercise.
Tomorrow I'm going to the doctors to try and get on the waiting list for a colonoscopy to check and make sure there's nothing more sinister going on, I don't think there is, but some of my symptoms could indicate that; so better safe than sorry.
One good thing, Richard doesnt' think I have IBS as I'm not tense enough and in his experience most people with IBS are very tense; I decided some time back that worrying and stress weren't worth the effort, being laid back is much easier and better for you.   It might take a while, but I now have hope to develop and maintain normal bowel function.  For those of you that have that already, take care of it, you have no idea how much it's worth!

In the meantime I'm getting back to my knitting, not far to go now to finish my Jetty.   I'm also going to go for a bike ride tomorrow, yes, even if it's raining.  Exercise is going to help with the rest too and I'm sure if I'm healthy I'll get more knitting done!   Thomas has an order in for a pair or two of socks since he loves the ones he has so much.   I have the yarn (Vintage Purls Max in grey) and have chosen a pattern too.   I will have to finish my socks first though; won't take long once Jetty's done, I'm decreasing the gusset stitches at the moment.

Springtime!

I think we can safely say it's spring now, some gorgeous things happening to our plants:

This is our plum tree; it's a triple graft and I think this one is Black Doris; it's also Billington and Elephant Heart.  Unfortunately the weakest graft is the Elephant Heart which is my favourite.   Spraying this each weekend at the moment with the seaweed spray to help it against the leaf curl.

This is the almond I planted down the driveway winter before last; the idea is that the fruit will be available to our neighbour as well.  I'm also spraying this each week.

The scented bulbs are out, narcissi down the driveway, the freesias are out by the front door; and they smell divine!

The kittens are feeling it too, much playing outside.   Here's Ray up in the silk tree, right at the limit of the branches

and Star looking for fun in the grass

I've cleared the main vege patch and will start on the secondary one this weekend; here's the main one

and the pile that will be dug into it this weekend

This is a mix of composts that will help boost the soil which is a little depleted going by last years performance; though some of that will be due to not being able to water the garden after the earthquakes.   We'll have that problem this summer too; already on notice that there will be water restrictions due to the damage to the water supplies in Christchurch.
I also picked up some Heuchera's to replace our Hosta's with.  Thomas isn't keen on the Hosta's as they're really messy over autumn and winter.  These guys are pretty and should fill in the space nicely, very little sun too so they'll be happy.

3 bronze and 2 purple ones.  I'll get more if I need them.

Onto the knitting, I've been working on my Jetty with no diversions to any other knitting.  I've got to the 4th ball of yarn which will get me to my 800 yards.  Today I finished the sleeves and I've tried it on and really like it.  Made some changes to the increases for the hip since I'm a size up in the hips than what I am in the bust.   I've changed to increasing every 5 rows instead of every 8 rows and will stop increasing at 220 stitches and then just continue knitting till I hit the end of the ball.  I have 6 days left to finish this, which is just as well as I also have some work to finish and it's taking me longer than I expected.

Ignore the lines on the sleeves, that was the stitch holder which I left in for just in case I didn't like the way I'd done the sleeves; those'll be coming out as I'm quite happy with it.

Time to start saving

I am now officially on a yarn diet; ordered some more 5mm nickel tips for my knitpicks set yesterday, but that's the last thing for a while.  Drooling is allowed, just no purchasing.   The reason for this diet?   I need to save for several things.

1.  New computer (please don't take offence current computer).   This runs XP and is getting a little tired I think.

2.  Proper camera.   I have a decent point and shoot, but it's not much good for the sort of photography I want to do like close up shots and yarn/project shots.   I need a DSLR, but I can't afford one.

3.  New cellphone (smartphone).  At the moment I have a CDMA phone with a really awful camera and no diary function; I'm also using a Sharp Diary Organiser thing that's probably over 12 years old.   I want something that can do both; currently considering the LG Optimus One P500.   It's got a decent looking camera, runs on Android and is significantly cheaper than the Iphone.

4.  New oven, this might not be necessary, EQC are going to get Fletchers to come out and look at it.   It'll either get fixed (though F&P said it's not worth fixing over the phone) or replaced.   Although it's old it was a good oven before the earthquakes; perfect pavlova oven.

5.  Steam cleaner for the floor.  This might also not be necessary, I have one, but the handle doesn't stay clicked in and it was like that when it arrived.   It's going back and they say they'll fix it.  If they can't then I'll get a refund and buy a more expensive one.

There is another reason for the yarn diet, my stash is running out of space; especially when you add the fibre in there.   I need to spin and knit up a whole lot of it before buying more.  I have enough for tonnes of socks, quite a few jerseys and other bits and bobs too.  I have over 45km's of yarn in my stash, I know it's over as there are some skeins in there that I don't know the meterage; that's including all that's left after projects I've finished.  That's a lot of yarn; stored in a lot of places and I suspect there may be the odd thing that's not in there.