So, err, a little more than a week after my last post of 2020, I have finally found time and energy(ish) to do my first update of 2021!
We're in lockdown for the 3rd time, although we're being told that this should be for the last time, as our marvellous NHS is, right now, giving vaccines to the entire population. Or, as much of the population as are willing to listen to science, and not crazy people on the internet, and therefore will accept that a vaccine is designed to prevent the spread of a deadly contagion, and are not convinced that actually it's a secret conspiracy to inject us all with tracking devices, so that Bill Gates can see what we're doing all the time. I mean, these same people are all carrying around the latest iPhone, with GPS activated, taking selfies everywhere they go, and tagging everyone they know...
Anyway, before we get into the regulars, it's traditional for my first post of the year to include a check up on my goals from last year, and how I did. Then, I'll set out my plans for this year, or for what's left of this year.
Goals for 2020:
Create my own craft room.
Success!
Reorganise Stash, and update Ravelry.
The stash is all in one place now, but it's not properly organised, and I haven't updated my Ravelry records to reflect where everything is now stored. Mostly this has been due to Covid, as I had promised several of my friends that they could come over and help (translation - squish all the yarn), but obviously they haven't been able to come over, as we've either been in full lockdown, or under social restrictions, for an entire year in a little over a week's time. Also, the issues with Ravelry last summer (Details in my post from October 2020) meant that for a good proportion of last summer, I didn't think I'd be using Ravelry at all for quite some time.
Reduce number of long-term WIPs.
Some success. I believe that I started last year with 15 WIPs, and I ended it with 12. During that time I finished one very long term WIP, and made significant progress on another 2.
Buy less yarn on impulse.
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
AAAAhhhhhahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111111eleven
Uh, so when I stop laughing, I can confirm that no, I did not succeed in buying less yarn on impulse. In fact, I think I was worse than at any time before, excepting the few months right after dad died. I think it's safe to say that the stresses of lockdown had an impact on my shopping habits, as I have acknowledged before that I am exceptionally prone to comfort shopping.
Work on my Mitred Squares Blanket all year, instead of just December and January.
I was doing ok with this one, then it got really hot over the summer, and although we were still limited in how much socialising we could do, we could at least leave the house and travel a bit. So we took advantage of being able to take Finn on walks to English Heritage places and the like. The blanket is large enough now that it's neither comfortable to work on when it's hot, nor especially portable. So it was put away again until December. That's still more than half of the year though!
Goals for 2021:
No distressing social media after 9pm.
Since I know that stress makes me more likely to spend money that I don't have, and I'm most likely to buy things when struggling to sleep at night, I figure if I reduce my exposure to both upsetting news stories, and pictures of pretty yarn that's available for sale, then I'm more likely to be successful at reducing my number of yarn purchases.
Cold(ish) Sheep.
When you attempt to give up an addictive substance, they call it "Going cold turkey". When the thing you're "addicted" to is yarn and/or fibre, they call it "Cold Sheep" instead.
I'm not committing to buying nothing new at all, but I am committing to significantly reducing how much yarn I buy. I'm keeping up my monthly Little Penguin subscription, as I really look forward to that little box of happiness, and it's no more expensive than a pot of tea and slice of cake at a cafe. I'm allowing purchases of specific yarn required for specific projects, where I don't already own suitable yarn, however, I am also attempting to avoid projects that are likely to require the purchase of more yarn. Finally, I'm going to allow myself to buy yarn at Bakewell Wool Gathering, and/or Nottingham Yarn Expo, should either of these events actually take place this year, because we've really missed our local fibre festivals.
Continue with WIP-down.
It's my eternal goal to maintain my number of WIPs in single figures. For one brief moment last week I did get down to 9, then I immediately cast on another project! I still think I've actually got a chance to end this year in single figures!
Sort Stash
I'm hoping that later this year things will finally get back to the point where I can have a few yarny friends over to my house, and go through my stash in detail, get it properly organised, and get the proper storage locations recorded on Ravelry at last!
Advent Sweater Design.
I'm hoping to release my most ambitious pattern ever at the end of the year. It's a sweater designed to make use of the 24 or 25 mini-skeins that you get from a yarn advent calendar. This will be the first sweater I've designed with the intent of releasing the pattern, so it's a whole new learning curve of grading, tech-editing, and test knitting, with the added complication that I will be limited in the amount of yarn available (most advent calendars have 10g or 20g mini-skeins) which will make designing for larger sizes challenging, but I absolutely refuse to release a pattern that isn't as size inclusive as possible.
Etsy Shop.
This might be a bit too ambitious, but I really would also like to re-open my Etsy shop, and use it to sell patterns as well as stitch markers and the like. Many people who couldn't use Ravelry after the initial update can now use it since the more recent adaptations, however, there remains a significant number of people who still can't use it. Therefore I'd like to be able to offer my patterns for sale from somewhere other than Ravelry.
Finish sorting the house.
I might have successfully created us a new bedroom, myself a new craft room, Stephen a new office/library, and moved house, all during a global pandemic, but I've made a right mess of the spare bedroom while doing it! It's actually a good thing that Stephen's parents haven't been able to visit, as the bed they would be sleeping in is currenty covered in piles of my stuff that I brought from my old home, that I haven't gone through yet. There's also a large pile of my bits and pieces in Stephen's office.
We're really hoping that Stephen's parents will be able to come down to visit for a few weeks in September, so I really need to get it all sorted before then!
The Regulars
FO's
One thing that I can say, is that I have been quite productive over the last 3 months!
I mostly didn't do presents for Christmas last year, I figured that most people I know already have everything that they need already, and anything that they want, but don't have, is likely way beyond my budget. However, there are millions of people out there who don't have everything that they need. So instead of giving presents to friends and family, I gave money to charity.
However, for a few very special friends, I have made a little something. Gemma and Demi always appreciate a nice pair of knitted socks, and I love knitting socks!
These are made to my usual sock pattern, that I still haven't written down, and the yarn is King Cole ZigZag, in the colourway 749.
I can't send them just one pair of socks! Although they do share them!
These ones are made in Opal Rainforest 4-ply, in the colourway 9902.
This is my prototype Advent Sweater, and it's full of pattern writing errors.
I mis-judged my gauge, even though I did knit a swatch, so it's about 2 sizes too big, and although the neckline is supposed to be loose, on this version it's a struggle to keep it on my shoulders at all. I can possibly blame that on the fact that I knit the swatch using the contrast yarn, but the sweater itself is actually made using 5 different yarn bases, and it's likely that each one knits to a slightly different tension.
I tried to write this so that the sleeves would fit my disproportionate lipoedema arms, which meant that they turned out enormous!
I completely misplaced the waist decreases and increases, which is why there's that weird rumpled effect around my tummy.
Then I ran out of contrast yarn, so I couldn't knit the hem long enough, which is why it rolls up. This isn't a pattern error really, it's a maths error on my behalf.
So over the next few months I need to fix these errors, test the new pattern for my size, grade the pattern for other sizes, tech edit the pattern, have it test knitted, and then hopefully have it ready to release in time for December this year...
Ambitious? Me?
The yarn for this sweater is mostly from my Made by Penguins 2020 Advent Calendar. The contrast yarn is Uru Yarn Sugared Sock, from the March 2020 Knitcrate Sock Crate, in the colourway "Stony Outcrop".
Aww, look at the face of the man I love :) He's wearing a hat that I made for him at quite short notice, as he had been wearing a scandi style bobble hat that I made for him a few years back when out with Finn, but he found that the bobble was getting in the way of him putting his hood up. So he asked me to make him a simple, close fitting hat.
The pattern is Basic Ribbed Beanie, by Kessa Tay Anlin, and the yarn is Black Elephant Merino DK, in the colourway "Monsoon".
Once I'd finished Stephen's hat, I immediately had hat envy, as it was so squishy and comfortable. So I made one for myself too. The pattern and yarn are both the same as Stephen's, but the colourway for my hat is "Arabela".
Although I've knit a few pairs of socks for Stephen to wear with his walking boots now, they do seem to mysteriously go missing, or, more accurately, one of each pair goes missing. I don't know how this could possibly happen. I'm sure it has nothing at all to do with the fact that we have a kleptomaniac cocker spaniel, with a penchant for socks...
Whatever the cause, I've had to make more socks for Stephen.
My usual sock pattern, and the yarn is Regia 4-ply, in the colourway "01933".
When my youngest niece was still a baby, I started knitting her a blanket. I still have not finished that blanket. Last year I admitted defeat, and gave up on the original blanket design. I then cast on this blanket, and finished it in just a few weeks. Except that whenever I make blankets for my sister's children, I always sew a cotton backing sheet to them to make them more comfortable. I am certain that I had already bought the fabric to back this blanket, but I have failed to locate it among the boxes of stuff that I still haven't sorted through yet. So I decided to buy some new blue cotton and finally get this finished. My youngest niece is now 5 years old.
This pattern is adapted from Chevron Baby Blanket by Espace Tricot. The yarn is Rico Baby So Soft DK, in the colourways 001, 007, and 015.
Almost exactly 2 years after I first cast these on, I have finally finished them. I really wanted to knit this pattern, but once I'd started knitting it, it became clear that I couldn't make them to fit me. So I put them to one side until I could decide what to do with them. Eventually, I decided to finish knitting them for my friend Becky, who has the sort of shapely ankle that will be able to wear them.
The pattern is Winter Light, by Laura Fahlin, and the yarn is Vidalana Ambient Sock, in the colourway "Robin's Promise", from the January 2019 Knitcrate Sock Crate.
I wasn't sure if I should include these in this update, as 2 of them are gifts that are yet to be given, but I decided that I wanted to show them off now anyway. They're hand woven tea towels. Not exciting, but useful. My weaving skills are limited, but there are no complicated thread patterns in these, it's all just plain weave. The skill is in keeping the fabric even, and the edges (relatively) neat, when working with fine cotton yarn, which has no stretch, and will tangle at the slightest provocation! I'm actually remarkably proud of these.
There is no pattern to these, but the warp is 20 EPI, which I achieved by warping 2 threads per slot in a 10 EPI reed. The yarn is unmercerised 8/2 cotton, in charcoal grey, turquoise, and purple.
WIPs
These are my primary project right now, that I'm working on the most. A pair of socks for my friend Francesca. I've never actually met Francesca in real life. We have got to know each other through Facebook, where we met through mutual friends. However, we have so much in common that I have to think we were bound to become friends eventually. Fran does knit herself, but she claims not to knit anything as complicated as socks!
My usual sock pattern, and the yarn is Shoppel-wolle Crazy Zauberball, in the colourway "Charisma".
I've mentioned before that I'm using left over DK, and odd balls of DK picked up while on holiday, to make a crocheted blanket made up of basic granny squares. For a while in January I was really struggling with pain in my fingers and wrists, so I had to take a break from knitting for a few days. Instead I did a bit of crochet. I also did a couple of squares using the yarn left over from making mine and Stephen's hats. I think I've made about half of the squares that I'm going to need in total now, although obviously only the few that I've made this year are in this photo.
There seems to be a significant overlap between the fibre craft community, and the gamer/geek community. For this reason, I've seen quite a few of these "Dragon Egg" dice bags, made with little aluminium scales. I wanted to start making one of these over a year ago, but I had some difficulty in sourcing the scales. I thought that they would be easy to find, with the increase in interest in activities like Live Action Role Play since Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have been such big hits. Turns out I was wrong. I found one site in the UK that could supply them, except they didn't have any red scales in stock. I asked if they were expecting a restock, and they said yes, in a couple of weeks, then Covid arrived, and apparently the restock never did. Now that site is closing down. In the end, I had to order from a site in the Netherlands (The Queen Ring), which is annoying, as if I was going to order from the EU, I'd much rather have done it while we were still a member, thus avoiding complications with trading tariffs and taxes for both myself and the vendor.
Anyway, a year after I first looked into it, I've finally started making a dragon scale dice bag for Stephen. Then I very quickly discovered that I had under estimated how many scales I would need! There's over 100 scales used in those first 4 rows of scales, and I reckon that I need at least another 4 rows to make the bag the size I want it to be.
I'm not using a pattern for this, as simple pouches aren't that complicated, and all I'm doing different to that is adding the scales. If anyone does want me to write up the pattern and make it available, then I will do that. The yarn I'm using is called Gedifra Semira, in the colourway "04324". I chose the yarn because it has a lovely metallic looking sheen, and this particular colourway looks like copper when it catches the light. I should warn anyone wanting to use a similar yarn though, that I bought this many years ago just because it's so beautiful, and it's sat in the back of my stash just waiting for a project. I genuinely don't know if you'll be able to find anything similar today.
Stash Acquisition
Yes, I have acquired some, just not as much as in previous updates.
This was my Christmas Day yarn from my Made by Penguins 2020 Advent calendar, plus a little bag to store all the advent yarn in.
This was the yarn inside my yarn and dice bauble by Third Vault Yarns, along with the dice that came with it. The colours of the dice inspired the colours of the yarn.
My January 2021 Made by Penguins Little Penguin subscription.
Yep, there's been a lot of pink here so far! It's not traditionally my favourite colour, but I actually love these colours! They will also work really well in the mitred squares blanket, as a counterpoint to all the dark colours that I choose.
In case you can't see properly what the stitch marker is, it's a little sparkly acrylic sea coral!
On a slightly separate note, what is going on with Love Hearts sweeties? They used to have sweet little messages on, so you gave certain ones to your lovers in a sweet little declaration of your emotions. Now they have emojis! And not even always nice happy ones! I don't approve of this change!
My February Made by Penguins Little Penguin Subscription Box.
When this arrived through my letterbox, it was snowing, and had been for several days. Temperatures had been below zero for weeks. This was the most wonderful little promise of Spring to come! I'm utterly in love with these new stickers that Lisa has started doing too. Mine is now decorating my laptop, along with a penguin drinking a cuppa.
Knitting Adjacent
These were stocking filler Christmas presents for me from Stephen. By Joy to the Wool, they're both very appropriate I feel.
More tea and knitting! And pin badges! Over the course of lockdown, most of my tote bags have become shopping bags, but I have to have at least one for carrying around my current knitting project, and any other bits and pieces I might need during the day, for when we're allowed outside again.
This is a close up of the pin badges. It's always time to either drink a cup of tea, or make a cup of tea, so that is self explanatory. Lockdown Sockdown is the name of several different Knit-a-longs that are happening around the world right now, including one organised by Hannah, of The Corner of Craft. So far during this current lockdown, I have knitted almost 5 pairs of socks, so I think I qualify! I will have to remember to tag my socks on Instagram in order to enter though.
Finn
There are far too few photos of disgustingly cute dogs in the world, so here are some of my pupper:
Finn got a Donut bed for Christmas. I wasn't sure if he would like it, because obviously it smelled all new, and not at all of home. This was Christmas day, after he'd eaten far too much, and for the first time ever was feeling a bit sorry for himself because he was too full! (This lasted about 3 hours before he started looking for more food). Safe to say, he loves his new bed, and although he does fall asleep in our bed with us, he will now get out of our bed after a couple of hours, and sleep in his own bed until he hears Stephen's alarm go off. However, he has dragged his bed right up next to my bedside cabinet, so I can reach down and fuss him in the night!
The best thing about the icy weather this winter was that it froze the fields solid, so we could take Finn for a decent walk for the first time since November. Autumn rain turned every field within walking distance of our house into an impassable quagmire, meaning that the majority of winter dog walks have had to be on the lead, around the village streets, with a little bit of throwing a ball on the village green. So Finn was very pleased to be taken across the snowy fields for a proper run around.
The first daffodils of spring opening in our village. Usually Finn likes to, uhm, "water" the daffodils, but I did manage to get this one nice photo of him sniffing around among them.
Taking photos of new acquisitions, or large projects, is remarkably difficult when you have a cocker spaniel. This was one of many, many attempts to get a photo of my new tote bag and pin badges...
Penguins!
Almost all of my favourite things in one tiny little parcel from The Corner of Craft.
A pin badge about rolling dice and knitting, a hand beaded stitch marker in the shape of a baby penguin, and a complimentary teabag.
These were actually bought long before the tote bag and badges shown above.
More stocking fillers from Stephen - Christmas themed stitch markers from Yarnistry. I bet you can guess which of these is the most frequently used...
Christmas presents from 2 of my godchildren. I'm told that they love searching for penguin related items to give me each year. I especially like the crystalline penguin ornament, because it lights up in different colours that change sequentially, so just sometimes the penguin lights up red, and turns into an evil penguin!
My current reading material, on my Kindle, clearly. It's really sweet so far, about an elderly lady, who is worried that she will die and her life won't have had any real meaning, then through watching a wildlife programme on tv she develops an interest in the survival of a colony of Adelie penguins...
Right, that is it my dears! I am finally up to date!
Take care, stay safe, and I'll speak to you all again soon.
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