Some progress made

Nominally a Bank Holiday today, and should also be the first day of our May holiday in France. With Lockdown, this isn't happening. This is the Oddball Sweater, or as I prefer to call it, Bea's jumper, because it was Bea who first told me about it. I made Walnut'n'Wensleydale a few years ago (All the dyes from walnut leaves or husks). Cast on 80 sts or thereabouts, knit circularly, double increases every quarter, split after yoke. I am trying to use up all the remaining handspun, home dyed yarn in the attic, starting with reds at the top and progressing through the rainbow. Although no blues and purples left as they all sold. Some of the labels go back 17 years! Should be tried on around before the split to make sure is is deep enough. I put it onto threads about four inches after the split, and found it was long enough in front and back to start squaring off. With the poor indoor light, this looks awfully like the pink poncho of the previous post!

Pack a Poncho

Poncho finished after almost two years. After the neck shaping it was quite boring knitting! But it has removed another unfinished object from my pile. What shall I pick up next? The natural dyed top-down jumper, the crochet curtain, the smock? Oh, and there is still a log cabin mitt. I don't count the fourth diamonds blanket, or the CSM handwarmrs. And I did just spot this morning a bagful of an intended wool/silk hand spun jumper, of which there are various lumps in different stages of unspun,spun, undyed, dyed....

Don't mock my smocking!

About five years ago I bought some fine silver greylinen in Brixton of all places, intending to make a full smock. Three years ago I actually cut it out. All instructions say to do the embroidery of the side panels first. I don't enjoy embroidery, especially when I have to draw the pattern first. It's got circles to represent my spinning wheel and circular sock machine. I chose linen thread which is a pest to work with, not a bit flexible. The smock is back/front reversible, but I gave up after only doing part of the front - the back can stay plain, unless I do some machine embroidery on it, which is probably sacrilege, although I full intend to sew the seams by machine anyway I got the smoking dots - worked okay on the back piece BUT didn't like a second pressing on the front on an old dippy ironing board and half the dots aren't there. Also, I seem to have done them on the front side of the work. Put it aside with yet another sigh. Today got a board, covered it with cloth, used a brand new piece of dot paper and pressed onto the wrong side. Sewing lines in one dot, out the next and only every other line as they all seem so close together. Have done five lines. Only another 31 to go... Also to day my have bought a 60 slot 3D printed circular sock machine from Scotland. Delivery in three months. Watch this space.

Lockdown hat

This hat did not work out as varied in the sections as I was hoping, as you can;t see them all at once - neither could it be called Peruvian in shape! Back to the drawing board. As we are now in the fourth week of virus Lockdown, I thought I would record for posterity a short diary of a typical day, same as yesterday, and no doubt the same as tomorrow, although if it rains won't be going in the garden. Try to stay in bed until 8amUp, wash,breakfast, bit of housework, check emails, Facebook, Ravely and News 10am to Knitting Room work on either or both machines 11am out in garden 12noon check Keith is up, prepare lunch plus a glass of wine 1pm nod off for a bit 2pm come round, try out a hand knit pattern, watching Father Brown on tv 4pm tea and a biscuit4:30 water plants in pots and garden where seeds planted 5pm, read, Suduko, more knitting 6pm prepare dinner 7pm Check computer again, more reading, tv, knitting10pm bed

Lockdown socks

Nicely time-consuming! Vertically striped legs which have to be grafted. Then stitches picked up for the top rib, and same number of stitches picked up for the foot area to be worked on circular machine. No heel shaping, and a handknit spiral toe.

Two-yarn gloves

Just two yarns used in these as had larger quantities of both, Drops Fabel Blue Sea and Yellow/pink. One glove uses the yarn as A,B,A,B, the other as B,A,B,A. I think they go together quite well! For more blue, just look at this clematis that has taken over my eucalyptus tree! As the weather has turned very warm, I will probably be spending more time outside now, and less knitting.

How time flies

Eighteen years ago my first grandson was born. Due to the virus lockdown, he won't be having a fun day of celebrating today. Why is it that the years go so fast, but the days so slowly? I am completing handwarmers/gloves/socks for the museum shop at the rate of one pair a day, such a huge stockpile there will be in three months time! Plus of course, using the leftovers - these have four yarns in them- can you tell?