After the heatwave, after the flood

Too hot to knit, then as soon as the weather cooled down, a burst inlet pipe in the kitchen brought all knitting to a halt for a couple of days.

I have been "playing" with a Reader, Hand & Co machine for a few weeks, on and off (mostly off).  This machine has an extra pattern dsik attached to the side, and twin feed for yarn, extra cam for the needle path. There only seems to be the one setting though It came to me in a very parlous state, totally seized, with the knitting attached.  It took the combined efforts of the gang (bribed by cake) to get it apart and the needles out, then yourse truly attacked it with more than one can of WD40.  Today was re-assembly day.  The gang was again bribed by cake as the full machine is too heavy for me to lift.

Show your knots

 

 Look, Yarn Spinners, it's all very well bringing out a pretty rainbow yarn to celebrate Pride month, but it just isn't funny when you not only have a break in the yarn but also go on to pick up a new length from a different dyebatch AND reverse the sequence of the rainbow.

And don't give me the pathetic excuse that trade standards allow you so many knots in a ball of yarn. Similar stuff happened with another of your sock yarn range.  You may be one of the cheaper yarns,but I do expect it to be usable!  Will I ever buy your yarn again?  What do you think?7

Addendum : Stylecraft did apoloogise and replace the ball of yarn.

New Kit

An idea held over from some time ago.  Now I have a 64 cylinder on the pretty Cymbal,  making afterthought or Shaker Socks from knitted tubes looks more "do-able".

Two parts to this - making kits for sale, and holding a workshop.  Who would have thought the instructions would take so long to type out, test, and edit?  Even the label for the bag (opaque, so has to be descriptive- but brief!).

Royal Purple pots

 It was a coincidence that I was making cosy coasters pots whole watching Trooping the Colour on the Platinum Jubilee, but here you

have them!

Red and the Hood

 "Little" is the operative word here for Red's hood.  When mixing machines, tension is not the same ... write this out 100 times, Ms Mary.  And don't be such a wuss about using a circular machine for flatweb now you have conquered heels.

Anybody know what she was riding?  I thought she always walked to Grandma's through the woods.

Pattern was translated for a CSM by the same person who sorted the sunflower.    It' been on my "to do" list for many years.  I have since spotted an Elsa and Anna doll which could be converted similarly, but I think E has perhaps now grown too old.

Rinse and repeat

 

  

These little animals are so lovely to do.  64 cylinder, so they come out smaller overall than the original patterns.  Eventually I must pack them up and send them on to the childen's charity.  I still find it difficult to do the bear's mouth without it looking as if he is leering though'

A clash of Cymbals

 

had the opportunity to play with another Cymbal for a week.  Coloured logo, nearly all gone.  Serial no.3412, so very easy.  Single square bolt-on tray.  Bevel marks on cylinder at 35/37.  This is for balancing rib patterns.  No mention of it in  any manual!  In fact, even for ribbed socks of 5x1 they say to raise back half of needles in all three editions of the manuals seen this week.

Double level row counter.  Bottom disc revolves with crank.  Pointer revolves anticlockwise.  Numbers written on  stationary top disc anticlockwise.

Very smooth.

Sold on.