Roobeedoo

Midweek catch-a-goo-goo

2012-02-01T01:01:00.000-08:00

Beige - the colour of cardboard boxes.

I am insanely busy at work this week.

Getting home just that half hour later (after finishing Report Number 9 of 10) is enough to throw me out of kilter.

Too busy to knit. Too busy to sew.

On Monday I got home, cooked dinner and baked a cake... and then had to go out looking for FL and the dog. Instead of "walking" the dog, these days FL drives the car across the fields with the dog in hot pursuit. He parks for a little while with the radio on, to let the dog catch his breath and explore the woods, and then drives back home. Except... sometimes he falls asleep! That's what happened last night. Luckily he had kept the car lights on so I was able to find him in the dark. It's not so easy if he switches the engine off.

P.S. FL is doing really well, jaw-wise, with no pain or trouble now he is on antibiotics.
So after that little adventure there was just time for a herbal tea and some quiet reading before bed. I finished Jane Shilling's book, The Stranger in the Mirror. It was really worthwhile. So much to think about.

In the Land of Knit, I am working on my second Finnish sock. I thought about reversing the colourwork and having navy ~~space invaders~~ girls on a multicoloured background, but decided against it. Too crazy!

In sewing news, at the weekend I made a start on a "muslin" of the Sweet Scalloped Shorts. The designer sorted out my pdf problem straightaway and even offered me a free pattern for the inconvenience - how kind! :) I was planning to just throw them together quickly to check the size and then get going on the "real" velvet pair.

But then I remembered my resolution about slowing down, and decided to take the opportunity to practice sewing them properly and well. So even though I know I don't want a pair of beige twill cotton shorts (soooo not glamourous!) I am doing the whole topstitching / nicely-finished thing with them.

An odd decision, which is not in the least bit photogenic.

Oh - and my Renfrew top pattern arrived - woo hoo!

What a shame I don't have any knit fabrics in the stash, or I would be rushing to get on to this project. I am pretty sure this is the "staple t shirt" pattern I have been looking for, after seeing Ali's and Karen's and Jane's versions.

I have 26 garments'-worth of fabric and nothing suitable for this pattern - there is something wrong somewhere!

Possessions, Pathology and a Reading List

2012-01-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

Curtains at last!

Yesterday, after vacuuming and scrubbing the floor, I pulled out and catalogued my fabric stash, from the suitcase, the bin bag, the potato sack and the holdall. Everything. I now know that I have the materials to make 26 garments. I am not proud. I suspect I do not even like some of those materials, but at least they are listed and quantified.

Over the past week, I have been reading Howard's End is on the Landing by Susan Hill. The premise of the book is the rediscovery of a lifetime's reading collection around the author's home, the chance groupings of like and unlike texts and the memories associated with each. The outcome of her year-long survey was a list of 40 books she could not live without, an idiosyncratic list, but all the more interesting for it. It made me regret the purging of my library before I came North. I whittled it down to three boxes, donating many many more to a London University library and a Walthamstow charity shop. Where are those books now, I wonder?

At the same time I have been dipping in and out of The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson. It is subtitled: "How to reclaim life's simple pleasures" and sets out to cover similar ground to Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach, a book I keep by my bedside at all times. But I am afraid the Wonderful Weekend irritated me in that special way reserved for (whisper it) J.B. the author of a famous domesticity blog / books. In one word: privilege. I can't cope with it. Shoulder chip? Moi? Absolutely.

Moving on, and I am currently immersed in The Stranger in the Mirror by Jane Shilling. Subtitled "A Memoir of Middle Age", it is speaking to me. So much of this is familiar. And frequent references to Virginia Woolf only serve to endorse what she writes and make it... true. But I was bristling at a quote from Simone de Beauvoir of the "Pathological Creativity" of middle-aged women. Pathological?! Because we can no longer make babies we manufacture endless and pointless knitted and crocheted artefacts. Ouch! I need to go back to The Second Sex. I remember being totally taken with it in my teens.

Jane Shilling writes about observing her mother and her grandmother, and their relative acceptances of age and aging. And about having to choose "which parent to save", deciding to leave her father in a nursing home for a week in order to take her mother on holiday, returning to find him withdrawn and terribly alone. It is not an easy read but it feels like an important one.

Last night, as I was curled up on the sofa with The Stranger..., FL got up from sleeping in his chair and shuffled through to the toilet. Shortly afterwards there was an almighty crash. I ran through to find he had tried to reach above his head to switch on the bathroom heater, overbalanced and fallen backwards, hitting himself on the bath and pulling the towel rail off the wall on his way down. He claimed to be "fine" but he stayed in bed longer than usual this morning and has not gone out to meet his friends at the golf club. He has a new vulnerability. This is what aging really means: the subtle changes that lead to a loss of independence, the worry of leaving a partner on their own in case of an accident.

Today I indulged in Angry Cleaning. This is how I let off steam when I am scared or worried: I scrub and scour and tidy and restore order. The kitchen reeks of bleach. The dog is hiding in his basket. I will finish writing this and then pick up my pathological knitting or perhaps another book.

Also on the windowsill:
The Age of Shiva
The Proof of Love
Spin Cycle
Alone Together
and (not pictured)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

After the Ceilidh

2012-01-28T02:51:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is just a week since the Crafters' Ceilidh: it feels like a long long time ago! But it certainly explains why I haven't done much sewing since.

Because I had to leave early, I wasn't able to go to the Sewing Cafe with everyone else, but there was no way I was going to miss out on the pattern / fabric swap! I left four patterns in Kestrel's care and I am really looking forward to seeing them appear around the blogosphere! Scruffybadger has already confessed to taking the Star Wars costume pattern (!) and just the other day House of Pinheiro showed the Amy Butler mini-dress pattern. Somewhere out there is a stunning 50's dress pattern that I could not understand, and a 60's back-zipped top that was simply far too big for me. I really hope their new owners can make them work!

And what did I get in return? Kestrel made some really great choices for me! Three
Simplicity patterns, all from the 70's - so many possibilities! And she also picked out a piece of coral red stretch cotton which is a pretty good colour match for the hat I was wearing last Saturday. I might try out the Jasmine pattern with this, if there is enough.

But this weekend I am making a start on my velvet shorts. I ran into a problem with the pdf pattern. Can you see that this piece doesn't quite line up with all the others? It is really odd. To make the pattern shapes continuous, I have to leave a gap between the "tiles" of A4 and the 1-inch grid lines no longer marry up. I have emailed the designer for advice. I scoured the internet and no-one who has made these shorts has mentioned a problem. Curiouser and curiouser.

But right now I am off to the library. Remember I loaded up my reading wishlist at New Year? My requests have been fulfilled - all eight books at once! More about that another day.

FL Update: In spite of our trepidations, he is not in any pain from his extraction and is feeling quite chipper today - woo hoo! Thank you all for your good wishes :)

Osteonecrosis Update

2012-01-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

This post is for people who need to know about bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw.
If you are a casual sewist / knitter / general crafty person looking for a good time, I strongly recommend that you come back tomorrow when I should have something more appealing to talk about / show you. OK? You have been warned...

So, today was FL's review appointment at the Maxillofacial Unit of the hospital. He was last there on 23 December.

First off, they had lost his file. The Consultant was immensely apologetic, but he was still able to access FL's x-ray images online, so it led to him giving FL a totally fresh appraisal, which I think was of benefit. He remembered FL's case: well, he would as it is still quite a rare condition. He asked us to remind him of the background: 3 extractions conducted by the local dentist following intravenous bisphosphonates, which we later realised was contrary to the guidance put out by the Scottish Dental Council and the drug company. Subsequent lack of healing to the extraction sites, and the beginnings of trouble with his upper left canine. Since then, his tooth has become looser and he has been experiencing bad breath / smell and pain in his mouth.

The Consultant examined FL. He immediately said that the tooth was very loose and badly infected. Pus was leaking from the root of the tooth, but also from the sites of the previous extractions. He checked the x-ray again and pointed out an area of blackness along the upper jaw: this could either be FL's sinus or a cyst within the bone. The only way to find out which it is, is to carry out a CT scan. An appointment will be made in the next two weeks.

The Consultant was wonderful. Seriously. He explained that there was no point in FL suffering the pain and unpleasantness that this tooth was causing, and he recommended removing it there and then. This again puts FL's jaw in jeopardy from the spread of osteonecrosis (bone death), but as this tooth sat alone between two previous extraction sites there was literally nothing to lose: the jaw is already infected in this area.

So, the Consultant instructed the Staff Grade dentist to remove FL's tooth. I had to sit through the extraction to act as interpreter as FL had trouble following what was being said. I tried not to look! The dentist injected him with local anaesthetic: a larger dose than usual because of the level of infection. She removed the tooth efficiently and calmly and injected the site with a saline solution. Because of the holes along FL's jaw bone and gums, it poured out of several other places, which was rather distressing for him and a nasty surprise for the nurse, who had never seen this condition before.

He is now on a two-week course of antibiotics and has to use a chlorohexidine mouthwash as often as he can stand it. Paracetamol for the pain.

I haven't checked the "staging" criteria, but I think this indicates that he has a more advanced case of osteonecrosis than was first suspected.

He goes back in four weeks for a review. But in the meantime we have to be vigilant. Any facial swelling or excessive bleeding requires rapid action.

Soft food for the next few days: porridge / soup / rice pudding.

FL was rather shaky on the way out. He had brought his car, so mustered the will to drive himself home, but I followed along behind him. He is quite calm now and is reading the newspaper. But we both know this is another nail in the coffin.

Half-Finnish-ed Pair

2012-01-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

One sock down, one to go

So... half a pair

I am using the Portti Sukat charts: 3 rows of pigtailed girls, a garden of airy flowers, another 2 rows of girls. Alternating colours underfoot with picket fences crossing the foot and leg for good measure. Plain heels and toes.

The yarn is plain navy Online Supersocke 100 with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Hula Kolili" for the colourwork. 2.5mm dpns.

For me. My mother asked me how old I was. I guessed about 12.

Sew... What's Next?

2012-01-25T01:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all your supportive words re FL. There is nothing to be done until Friday's appointment except try to jolly him along. Dexy day today : (
Onwards, onwards...

One of the most Frequently Asked Questions at the Crafters' Ceilidh was "What are you sewing now? Or what's next?"
I wasn't very good at answering on the day. I am "between jobs"!
But having purchased two entirely unplanned lengths of fabric, I am now overflowing with inspiration!

70cm of purple cotton velvet MUST be enough for a pair of shorts!

I plan to use the downloadable Scalloped Shorts pattern from Pattern Runway at Etsy.

I haven't seen too many (any?) of these around the UK blogs, perhaps because the designer is Australia-based? But in these days of internetty connections, there is no reason why we shouldn't sew designs from the other side of the world!

I like their simple sharp shape. I might omit the back pockets to avoid velvet traumas with those bindings...

And my other surprise purchase, the red and green crinkled plaid? Ah well, it is destined for a Vivienne-Westwood-esque asymmetric skirt (spelled it correctly this time!) by Martha Mcquade. I know I had the Stitch magazine that this came from but I can't find it. Perhaps I purged it in a fit of spring-cleaning? But not to worry - there is an online sew-along and the pattern can be downloaded free from the Sew Daily - woo hoo!
I was inspired by The Material Girl's version here.
I don't have the instructions (having lost the magazine) but I reckon I can work out what to do.
NOT printing the pattern out double-sided would be a good start!

Hospital Update

2012-01-24T03:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update for FL's fan club ; )

He was back at the hospital for his monthly Haematology appointment today.
Nothing to report re myeloma. Everything is "normal" in the standard blood test: white cells, haemoglobin, calcium, potassium - you name it, it is "fine". However, they haven't done a Freelite test since November, so blood was taken for that today and sent off to Birmingham - results in a month's time.

However...

He admitted to me this morning that his mouth is giving him trouble and has been for about two weeks. I knew this, because he has been avoiding kissing me! I ask him every day how he is... and he prevaricates. But knowing he was going to the hospital today, he gave in and told me the truth - sigh!

In his words: his dodgy canine tooth is very loose and painful but this is not as bad as the terrible taste and smell he has in his mouth and in his head. He says it feels like his face and jaw are rotting away.

In my observation: yes, there is a terrible smell. Something like stale coffee grounds mixed with mothballs mixed with blocked toilets. The dog and the bin have both been blamed in the last week. Sorry if you have just eaten.

I asked him why he hadn't admitted this earlier, because he could have rung the dental unit at the hospital for an urgent appointment if he needed to? He just looked shifty and said he thought it could wait til his appointment, which is scheduled for this Friday (27 January).

So today he told his Haematology Doctor about the taste / smell / pain. She looked confused and rummaged through his file. It would appear that the Maxillofacial Unit has STILL not written to Haematology to tell them their diagnosis. The Doctor asked what had been said at the dental appointment. I explained that they thought he had a mild case of osteonecrosis of the jaw. The Doctor said: "But osteonecrosis is horrendous!"

Oh. Um. Awkward moment!

She regathered herself and said she was sure the Maxillofacial Specialist would sort him out on Friday. But you know when someone's mouth is saying one thing while their eyes are saying something else? Yeah. That look.

So roll on Friday, I suppose.

The Crafters' Ceilidh: 100% Various!

2012-01-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today I was up at 6am to travel to Edinburgh for a very special gathering: the Crafters' Ceilidh!

Please note that I used my travel time wisely to cast on my Bettie's Pullover.

The event was organised by this trio of creative ladies: Debi, Kerry and Kristen.

We met at Frederick Street Coffee House: bloggers and stitch-ists from as far afield as Bath and London, with a fair smattering of locals too.

Our wonderful hostesses had planned a whistle-stop tour of the best Edinburgh could offer lovers of vintage, knitting and sewing supplies.
We visited Armstrongs, Edinburgh fabrics, Mandors and The Cloth Shop.

Lets's all shake hands!

I met old friends and new. I was absolutely delighted to finally meet Karen, Melizza and Scruffybadger.

I was really sorry that Miss Dibs couldn't make it.
Be well, missus! We missed you!

You know how you feel like you "know" people through their blogs?
And how easy it is to chat away when everyone shares the same language of "Meringues" and "Beignets" and "Taffy"!
Isn't it clever of Colette to name their patterns like this? "Simplicity 1234" just isn't as memorable or evocative of a sewing treat!

We had a group photo session in Princes Street gardens.

There was lots of grinning!

I am looking forward to seeing the "official" group photo by the fountain on Debi's blog: her husband kindly offered to pander to the vanity of 22 (or so) sewing-obsessives and take over point-and-shoot duties.

And we all got a chance to view THAT coat up close - oooh!

Can I just say: it is even more impressive in real life.

My home-made coat sighed a little sigh and flashed its red buttons in humble recognition of something rather more sophisticated!

As well as the social whirligig, I did a little shopping :)

On my list was: skirt lining, coat lining, tailor's chalk and woven interfacing. I got them all!

I also may have succumbed to a remnant of purple cotton velvet to make a pair of winter shorts - hee hee hee! And 2 metres of a red and green warm plaid seersucker-ish fabric. This is destined to be some sort of bias-cut assymetric Westwood-influenced skirt. Listen - they made me do it!
Believe that and you'll believe anything...

It was SUCH a great day! Yay - I kept my Resolution to Get Out There!

Next time I will plan to stay for dinner. I felt like a manic Cinderella as I power-walked up Leith Walk trying to get to the station in time to catch my 5.40pm train. The perceptive among you will notice that my train ticket was for Haymarket station... which is nowhere near our final shopping destination! I tried to catch a bus back to Princes Street, but missed the only one I saw - nooooo! So I ended up half-jogging to Waverley station and begging the guard to let me board the train a stop too early. They were just about to close the doors - talk about a close thing! I nearly had to spend the night in Edinburgh after all!

P.S. "100% Various" was the fibre contents description I saw on a bolt of fabric in The Cloth Shop - I wish I had taken a photo! It made me laugh!

The only photo of me on my camera and my eyes are shut - typical! But more to the point - look at poor Tom and Debi in the background trying to get everyone to pose together for the group picture, while the three of us were messing about swapping cameras!

Stripes with Everything

2012-01-19T01:04:00.000-08:00

So... you know how I am supposed to be "knitting from stash" this year? I said exactly the same thing in January 2008... and then on 23 January 2008 (I know, because I checked the blog!) I ordered 8 balls of self-striping sock yarn from Germany.

That was four years ago!

And this is what I did with the yarn:

Pippi Longstocking!

Colonial Rib

Crosswalkers

Undulating rib

self-striping baby

Metropole in a Sidewind

Oh - hello! Still in the stash, eh?

I am really pleased to see that I made good use of the yarn. All of those socks are still going strong, despite male feet and studenty washing-machine abuse! I can therefore highly recommend the purchase of Online Supersocke yarn!

With just one ball left lurking in the stash, I was thinking it might be time to renew my supply, when I noticed that my ~~drug dealer~~ supplier has some new ranges in stock - ooh!

I don't really like the sort of self-patterning yarn that tries to be fair-isle. I prefer plain stripes. In fact, most of all I prefer "colours with black" stripes. That was why I signed up for rather-pricey Goth Socks Club in 2009. Ah - that Goth Socks yarn is so pretty! But sadly it has not survived the washing and wearing experience. I have reserved my last skein for a special treat, to be hand-washed in lavender water ; )

So... when I saw that the gurus of hard-wearing-yet-soft-enough sock yarn had come up with a "black and..." stripe, with added aloe vera and jojoba (like FL's favourite Austermann socks), I was sold. IT was sold!

Online Paradise Sock yarn

So much for resolutions, eh?

Knit Now Inspirations

2012-01-17T01:05:00.000-08:00

Back in November, I mentioned buying Issue One of Knit Now magazine and my love of the Autumn Forest Gloves pattern. Since then I have sought out each edition... with some difficulty, as none of the "expected" shops have consistently had it on their shelves. So I found it once at Asda, once at Tesco, once at RS Mccolls and now (Issue 4) at Morrisons (a single copy hidden at the back of the bottom shelf!). I give up - I am going to subscribe!

I don't often take out a subscription. I tried The Knitter for a year, but although I enjoyed the articles, the only items I ever knitted were the Baird neckwarmer and the Nexus socks. Now what does this tell you? Oh yes - I knit accessories!

And that is where Knit Now comes in, because it is devoted exclusively to smaller knits: gloves, hats, socks, scarves, the occasional shawl, bags and baby items.

Licorice gloves by Sam Parfitt

Issue 3 was the one which really got me hooked. Within 24 hours I had ordered the yarn to make two / three of the designs! I NEVER do that!

All three handwear designs are knitted from a "palette pack" of sportweight yarn by Brown Sheep.

The Licorice Gloves are my absolute favourite, but I can definitely imagine wearing the Lotus Eater Mitts and gifting the Zena Mittens. Another knitter on Ravelry has discovered that one Palette Pack is enough to knit both the Licorice and Lotus Eater patterns, but I ordered an extra ball of the deep violet to allow me to make the Zena Mittens. Probably not enough yarn for all three pairs, though, so at some point I will have to make a decision.

Zena Mittens

Lotus Eater Mitts

The other pattern in Issue 3 to catch my eye is a knitted Peter Pan collar - ooh! This is high up the wish list too!

Ayli hat

As for Issue 4... I found it on Saturday and already I am itching to knit the Ayli hat: a hat with windflaps and pigtails and buttons - yay!

Skinny Scarf

Surprisingly, I also really like the super-simple Skinny Scarf, which is hard to see in the magazine itself, but is photographed more clearly on Ravelry here.
And there's a great hat from Woolly Wormhead's Bambeanies Book, the Moochie.

And some rather gorgeous Thistle Mittens and a beret which uses self-striping yarn in a stranded design, to great effect, the Eliza Day Tam.
As well as the patterns, I am impressed by the news and reviews pages. Despite spending more hours a day on Ravelry than is strictly necessary, I come across lots of new-to-me items in every issue.

Although all magazines rely on advertising to survive, the editor seems to have retained the right to showcase "big name spinner" patterns that she actually likes. So there is a really cute Sublime baby sweater pattern, the Matelot (not linked to the magazine yet on Ravelry) and a versatile Sirdar beret "recipe".

All in all, I really like this publication. I fear for its survival, though, because it has been so hard to find a copy each month. It gets buried behind the bigger brasher knitting magazines and shops do not seem to have it on their regular list. So I will subscribe... and hopefully the word will spread and it will still be around in another year :)

FO: A Bit of a Meringue Skirt

2012-01-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Oh - hello! Do you have any idea how cold it is out here? It's minus something or other, and I just spotted a neighbour in full Russian-army-surplus garb lurking over the wall, wondering what I am doing out here in a silly little skirt and no coat!

I can't actually feel my fingers any more. I can't operate the self-timer. OK that's it - he's still staring! I am going indoors!

So what have we here then, Roo?

Stats:

Pattern: The Meringue Skirt from the Colette Sewing Handbook

Fabric: Less than 1 metre of black stretch cotton sateen, leftover from my Audrey-inspired trousers, with a tiny bit of navy and white polka-dot cotton to face the scalloped hem

And how is the fit?
Well... the book suggests that a size zero has a 38 inch hip and a 26 1/2 inch waist. That's way too big on the bum and too tight at the waist for me. At that rate I was going to have to cut a size 4 or 6 at the waist and less than a zero at the hip... so I tried measuring the pattern pieces and doing some sums and came up with the cunning plan of sewing a size 2.

It is too big at the waist. Probably by about 2 inches. This is rather frustrating. I was sewing a new skirt to wear to work because I am tired of safety-pinning my drooping waistbands to the top of my tights. But at least I know now - I am a zero in Meringues! (Go on say it - you need to EAT more damned meringues, Roo!)

And the Sewing?
It all went swimmingly at first. The scallops are very well-drafted and as long as you match your pivot points properly, the hem facing lies flat. I followed the advice of other bloggers to trim the scallop edges as far down as possible after stitching, rather than cutting notches into the curves before turning right-sides out. Notches run the risk of fraying fabric, in my opinion. They came out pretty well, if I say so myself!

However, I had a trauma with the waist-facing. The instructions confused me. It was the Ginger experience all over again! As I did not have an invisible zip, I should have ignored the advice on "how to achieve a neat finish", as I ended up with a great fat wodge of mess at the top of the lapped zip, which only got messier when I tried trimming away the excess layers of interfacing / zip-top / facing fabric. Let's just say I will not be wearing this skirt with tucked-in tops!

Verdict?

It is a wearable muslin.

That's fine, because it didn't cost me anything: all the materials were leftover from other projects except the zip which I think I "won" in a giveaway a long time ago.

And it is perfectly wearable. It is really quite cute in terms of its scallop-iness and its length. And it is black so should go with lots of things... though for the life of me I didn't know what shoes to wear! The Girl says the ankle-boots are a mistake, especially with the cobalt-blue tights (by Mary Portas, in case you were wondering!) Maybe my flat black pumps would be best... if I could find them!

Next time?
Make the smaller size, in a fabric without any stretch, and add a proper waistband rather than a facing. And yes, there WILL be a next time : )

The weekend, in full technical detail

2012-01-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

At last it is the weekend! It has been a hard hard week, trying to readjust to early rising and commuting.
My car's electrics have been acting up with blown fuses and headlights that won't go off unless you pull the key out of the ignition.
FL and I have both learned more than we wanted to know about the fuse box, but neither of us has solved the problem and tempers have been frayed as FL's triumphant "I've fixed it!" is splattered by my "OH no you haven't!" the next time I start the engine.
It doesn't help that he cancelled my garage appointment. Sigh. And to think it all began when FL tried to use the car cigarette lighter socket to charge my mobile phone... which blew the radio fuse... which blew the headlights fuse... which... ugh!

Enough of that.

And guess what? This morning, mysteriously, the headlights are fine.

FL isn't fine - his cold has come back full-force, just like New Year, and his teeth hurt and he is exhausted. I am administering tea and sympathy but he prefers whisky with honey and lemon!

Sewing?

I need to get back in the groove. The obvious thing to do is use fabric from the stash to sew a tried and tested pattern. But I wanted something "new". So I got up early this morning and traced the Meringue Skirt pattern from my Colette Handbook. The sizing is strange. On the face of it, I need to make the waist wider than the hip to make it fit. This cannot be right! So I have cut a size 2 and am going to stitch it and see what happens... I have a suitable stash remnant so there's nothing to lose except patience.

Knitting?

I am enjoying very happy sock-knitting with my Finnish experiment.

Don't read too much into this: I am only using the charts!

The Finnish words surrounding them are only comprehensible with the help of google translate which tells me this is a "sock recipe" for users to adapt to suit themselves.

That's what I am doing, thank you!

However, I do now know the Finnish words for "needles", "pattern", "socks" and "yarn" :D

Designing? (Warning - heavy on the technical detail!)

Hmmm. My design idea for a knitted cowl has reached the point where I have to admit defeat. I know what is wrong with it: I tried to throw too many ideas at one project. It had three separate stitch patterns, each of which knitted up at a different gauge, so the resultant fabric was puckered and mis-shapen. I considered adding short-row shaping to the mix, but realised I was over-complicating the design to a ridiculous degree.

For those interested in the technical detail: it was to be a strip of knit, joined at either end to form the cowl shape, possibly twisted over, moebius style. So basically a simple rectangle of knitting, using stitch patterns which look the same on both sides of the fabric, rendering the item reversible (ooh!).

To one side, there was to be a deep border of lace, which would gradually get narrower, next to a big chunky cable which would cross the piece on the diagonal, next to a border of seed stitch which would gradually get wider as the cable moved across.

But as any fool knows, seed stitch is dense and tight while bird's eye lace is loose and drapey. Every time the cable crosses, it warps the overall fabric shape. Movement on the diagonal required the introduction of garter stitch stripes across the lace section, to preserve the holey pattern as stitches were lost. It is possible that short-row shaping of these garter stripes might have helped regain some of the lost rectangularity, but this is the point at which I decided it was all getting out of hand.

I tried gathering the lacey section down each garter stripe and it looked pretty good, but that didn't help the too-tight seed stitch section, which moves in and out like the tide, according to the pull of the cable. Yes, stern use of a steam iron might have knocked it into shape, but this would just be an attempt to cover up the inherent design flaw. I don't want a flawed design!

Now... someone reading this might very well know how to make this idea work and will make their fortune on Ravelry selling pdf patterns of the resultant design (LOL).

To this mythical person I say: "Congratulations! You earned your money, honey! Because I am out of here with this damn-fool idea!" ; )

Norby by Gudrun Johnson

It was to be called "Skene's Moss", a terrible pun about the family who farmed here in the 19th century (the Skenes), the geese that fly overhead (in skeins), and the SkeinQueen yarn I used for the prototype. Convoluted, rather like the design itself!

I think this yarn will make a lovely Norby hat! So that's where it is headed.

Better luck next time, Roo!

Dress-Age

2012-01-12T01:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the positive words regarding my "manifesto". I hesitated about posting it, thinking I sounded a bit too full of myself, and knowing I was setting myself up to be shot down (or to just fall off my pedestal headfirst into the mud!) Some people mentioned thrifting / charity shop-buying. I haven't had much luck with that up here. I don't know what younger women do with their cast-offs in Aberdeen, but I don't see them appearing in the charity shops. 1990's Eastex suits for Sunday church-going? Absolutely! A Karen Millen mini dress? Not on your nelly!
So where was I...? Following my pontifications of Tuesday, I realised that I need to get a dress out of my head and into fabric.
You know the one.
It is very much like Anna Allen's Henriette plaid smock (left), or this Liberty wool number from Nadinoo or Velvet Bird's checked version of Lola Sings The Blues.

Anna Allen Dress

Nadinoo dress

Velvet Bird's dress

Defining features:
High yoke with gathers or pin-tucks
Peter Pan collar
Long / 3/4 length sleeve gathered onto a narrow cuff
Back-fastening, probably buttoned
Above the knee
Loose-fitting, without looking like I am nine months gone
Brushed cotton fabric

I was certain that one of my Japanese books would have something similar, but none of the dress patterns were quite right. I don't yet feel ready to attempt to draft my own design.

So it was over to Etsy...

maternity!

NOT maternity - phew!

Of the three, the one that looks most like the dress-of-dreams is McCall's 3463, a maternity smock - sigh!

But I am sure it will be easy enough to pare away a few inches of width from the gathered section. The envelope notes that it has "the new narrower shoulder" which sounds promising! It is interesting that all three patterns come from around the same era: 1971-2.

I also found a pattern from the 60's which has a far narrower silhouette, Simplicity 6299. But it also seems to have a higher neckline, which would be harder (for me) to adjust than the skirt section of the maternity smocks. And its case was not helped by a note from the seller of this copy that the collar and sleeve pieces are missing! (Collar - Ok to re-draft, but the sleeve?) And I didn't want to have to buy the "wrong" size and have to re-size the whole thing. Ah the perils of vintage patterns!

So I ordered McCall's 3463.

And fabric? Well... I was considering the purchase of some tartan-esque cotton. "Sewing from stash"? Who said that?!

Both pictured fabrics are from CalicoLaine. The red was made in Portugal (£6.99) , the lilac in the UK (£3.99). But I wasn't sure about either. I prefer the lilac but the seller is clear that it isn't as high-quality as the red. I really do not want to deal with another troublesome tartan terror fabric right now!

I searched online for "ethical" fabric and located organic fairtrade handloomed checked cotton here and here. But neither sold the warm brushed flannel-type fabric I was looking for. I want a winter-weight garment. I thought about using velvet instead (ethical cotton velvet! Wow!) but really wanted to stick to my original "vision". And velvet might be too bulky for this design.

And then... then I found the most amazing-sounding fabric!

"Looks like wool, feels like wool, yet sews and washes like cotton with no scratchy wool itch. Woolies flannel is cozy perfection with classic designs like herringbones, plaids, tweeds and dots in a rich array of home-friendly colours. Guy friendly too! They handle beautifully and need little pinning as the nap keeps the fabric together when sewing! We are sure you will love them too!"

I AM SMITTEN! (at £12 a metre it had better be as good as they claim!)

Now... dots or checks?

And the resultant ethics?

Vintage pattern imported from the US, so recycling with a bad carbon footprint! Does one cancel out the other?

Fabric is allegedly pure cotton, so "natural", but it is not fairtrade or organic and it is imported from the US. At least it is from a UK shop: Quilter's Haven

Cost?

Pattern: £4.64 plus £4.64 shipping (tsk!)

Fabric: 3 metres would come to £36. I haven't bought it yet. I looked at buying it direct from the US but the shipping plus risk of import tax cancels out any savings.

Total: Around £45 - £50 for materials... I still have to make it!

For comparison:

Anna Allen dress: around £115

Velvet Bird Dress: around £60

Nadinoo dress: £155

"You pays yer money and you takes yer choice"...

Why Do I Sew? The Roobeedoo Manifesto

2012-01-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

This is currently a no-sew area and I am frustrated! But what better time for an appraisal of where I am at?

I have fallen out with the plaid fabric for my Betsey Johnson pintuck tunic. If it looks this bad now, what will it look like after a day's wear? It is definitely not the pure cotton it pretended to be. I suspect viscose. Whatever it is, I can't make it work. It crumples, and stays crumpled. It attracts dog hair like a magnet. It refuses to stay aligned with my pattern, shifting and biasing like crazy, however many pins I deploy. It was cheap. It is nasty. It is OK to give up on it. I just need to put it away and move on.

I bought myself the Colette Sewing Book for Christmas ('cos lets face it, nobody in my household understood my need for that book!). And while I am having real trouble slowing down enough to read it properly, there is a definite up-front message about stopping to consider WHY I sew, before diving into the projects one after the other in a flurry of feathers (headless chicken analogy, in case you are confused!)

What is my relationship to shop-bought clothing right now?
Well, I am doing an amazing job of avoiding the online January sales. Probably because none of the things I liked full-price are reduced - or if they are, they were sold out before I saw them. But, hand on heart, there is absolutely nothing that I really really wanted. I simply don't like most of the clothes I see in shops. And my choice of shops is dwindling as my ethical stance gets stronger (see below).

With orange t shirt

So what DO I like?

I LOVE my Velvet Bird dress! I wore it on Christmas day and I wore it for my hot date at Wetherspoons with FL. And my hand hesitated as I pulled out clothes to wear for my first day back at work after the holidays - could I possibly wear it to the office?

I decided not to risk it on Day One, in case I was sent home sick with an obvious fever.

What is it about this dress?

The Shape

It is simple, easy to wear and comfortable. I think the length (or lack of it) takes about 20 years off me... and that alone was a reason not to wear it to work. Too youthful. Unprofessional. Fun. Sigh.

with aubergine t shirt

The Fabric
This is a very big factor. It is a fairly heavy cotton plaid, slightly brushed for softness and warmth. The colours glow and go so well with my three long-sleeved t-shirts (deep orange, aubergine and forest green)
The Versatility
As well as working with my existing under-layers, it looks great with a long cardigan on top. Hilariously enough, the cardigan is longer than the dress! I would love to find a vintage man's aran cardigan to wear with it. (Vintage cardigan not vintage man!)

The Detail
The oversized bow. It is totally nuts. But it takes this dress from Backwoods Farmgirl to Hoxton Hipster in one easy move. (Be gentle with me, dear readers!)

The Provenance
I can point to the person who made this. Here she is! Not only do I know that Vanessa made this dress for me, but I know that she priced it in a way which acknowledged her own work and she chose to make a donation out of her profit to Love146.org (to fight and prevent human trafficking in the U.S.).
What can I learn from this?

Well, apart from the fact that I am in the wrong job...!

It's not just about the look of my clothing, it is increasingly about the ethics of my purchasing choices. It matters to me what materials my clothes are made of and the conditions in which they were stitched. This is my main objection to the High Street right now. I feel uncomfortable that I may be supporting a sweatshop of exploited children. (Those 3 long-sleeved t-shirts? Poor ethical choice, Roo!) I don't like wearing artificial fibres. I would prefer my cotton to be organically grown, dyed in a way that did not poison rivers, and my wool not to have come from mutilated sheep.

And that all adds up to a scary set of selection criteria for Roo-approved clothing!

I am still struggling to find a good source of ethical fabrics. The look does still matter, as long as I have a 9 to 5 job (that'll be for the next 20 years then...) so for now I am opting for "natural" as my baseline. I will not be weaving my homegrown nettles just yet .

Which takes me back to the style question...

I like:
Wide-legged trousers
Short skirts

Simple tunics

Vintage blouses (especially back-buttoned)

Striking details (collars, pin-tucks, buttons, lace, bows - just not all at once!)

High waist-lines

Colour-coordination

Neat-fitting knitwear

A touch of fun

That all sounds do-able!

And... you know what? I am giving up the High Street. Right now.

The Roobeedoo Manifesto:

I hereby undertake to make all my own clothing

or purchase it from ethically-minded independent designers.

For now. For always.

Slo-Mo

2012-01-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I caught myself up to my old tricks again. The Girl was going out to meet friends in town, FL was off to the golf club to write his book while his pals finished their round...

... and I thought: "Ooh! I have the house to myself! I could make a dress... and paint the windowsills and do my fitness dvd and start a new pair of socks and browse for yarn for that new hat pattern I saw and read the Saturday papers and clean the bathroom and get the dinner into the slow cooker and finish The Years and finish The Dirty Life and organise my fabric stash and put up a curtain pole and order more paint and change the blown fuse for my car radio and hang up the washing and boil a bag of chickpeas and hoover the floor and look for my car registration documents again and and and and..."

Roo? Hello? What are you doing? Will you please just sit down and breathe?

As Jessica put it so well: "Just because I can, it doesn't mean I should."

If ever there was a mantra for me, that is it.

So I tidied away my sewing stuff ('cos it was making me unhappy) and sat down with The Dirty Life.
I cut a slice of cake (Raspberry, Blueberry and Lime Drizzle Cake from Cake Angels - yum!) and brewed some proper coffee.
And I read my book.

The Biggest Resolution of Them All?

KNOW WHEN TO STOP!

And after everyone came home and dinner was over, FL went to bed early and The Girl went to her room to do Girlish things.. and I just kept on reading until I finished.

It is a very good book. I like how the author is honest about her relationship with her man and with the land. It could so easily have been one of those cheesey "how downshifting saved my life" stories. Instead, the writer (Kristin Kimball) revels in the detail of cooking and eating good homegrown organic food (and made me re-examine my current choice of cheapness over quality,) while tempering the evangelical joy of self-sufficiency with the mucky muddy painful realities of life on a working farm.

And I realised that I had a lucky escape when I came here. If FL had still been deep in the throes of his practical 24/7 farming life, I would have been a nervous and physical wreck by now. Instead, I have just had the opportunity to take two weeks off my city-based job and simply enjoy living in the middle of nowhere, walking without fear of meeting anyone else, reading a book for hours on end, and picking up my knitting when I feel like it. I am really pretty lucky.

And today? Today was the last day of my holidays and I decided I would knit. So I did.
That's a new sock on the needles, part of my plan to learn enough of the language to understand all those amazing Finnish knitting blogs in my Favourites folder.
It is the Portti 2011 Sukat pattern and I admit that I am really just copying the chart. But it's a start!

FO: Everyone Outta The Holly Socks

2012-01-07T02:45:00.000-08:00

What better way to finish my Christmas holiday than with a pair of socks in the colourway: "Boughs of Holly"?
Pattern: Everyone Outta the Pool with tweaks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Boughs of Holly" (from Ambermoggie's destash in aid of Macmillan)

After my last pair of Lorna's Laces socks turned out as mismatched spiral-stripers, I deliberately chose a pattern designed to disrupt the regularity of a hand-dyed yarn. There are some very fine examples of this pattern in action on Ravelry, so I thought this was a smug choice. In the skein, the colours were suitably Christmassy and quite masculine.
Knitted up? I am reminded of a rather dusty "ancient" tartan. I can't name it, though!

I didn't follow the pattern as written. My laptop has stopped talking to the printer, so I wrote down the bare essentials of the toe-up stitch pattern, and then used "Socks From the Toe Up" to work the heel from the Trilobite Socks pattern. My first attempt gave me an absurdly-long foot, as I misjudged the length of the gusset section. So I worked the second foot to the correct length before ripping back sock one to match. I used a simple K1P1 rib for the cuff.

Verdict?
Well, they are warm man-socks. FL isn't especially interested in their looks. He is just pleased to be let off the hook as far as darning duty is concerned!

What If Knitting Ended and you missed their Last Tour?

2012-01-05T05:37:00.000-08:00

The Girl is back home from her London-family trip. The Boy is back in Dundee.

The Christmas Branch is on the compost heap. That's better - it feels like we are getting back to normal now!

I have almost finished FL's socks. They are pretty ugly but they will keep his feet warm. I really really need to finish these today or I never will.

Yesterday I sewed a pair of curtains for the bedroom, which feels pretty good: 4 metres of fabric out of the stash and on daily display... once I buy curtain poles to hang them on!

And I have been knitting up my design-idea. Oh yeah! It is going well :D

And most unbelievable of all: I did a 45-minute exercise dvd session without falling over. Do it again! Again! Again!

I picked up a recipe magazine at the airport while waiting for The Girl and am feeling quite inspired on the food front too.

Dare I say - I am still sticking to my Resolutions 5 days in to the New Year?! I hope you are impressed. I know I am!

But sewing really sucks today.

I spent two hours cutting just the front of my Betsey Johnson pintuck tunic.

I vacuumed the floor and ironed the fabric before I started, but still it is a hairy crumpled mess. The plaid has no stability and was skidding around as I tried to pin the tissue, making check- matching almost impossible.

I was about to cut the back when I realised I only had enough fabric left for one sleeve. How many arms do you have, Roo? Count them?
It is retrievable if I cut the back out of the section I had left for the sleeve and the sleeves (plural) out of the piece meant for the back.
But not today.
Step away from the sewing with those scissors, girl!
Let's just finish that sock...

Gathering My Resources for 2012

2012-01-02T03:59:00.000-08:00

Slowly, slowly I am waking up again. This is what happens when you run headlong into bright sunlight: at some point you have to open your eyes, and that's when you fall over.

Yesterday I had a little more energy than the day before and I finished knitting a sock. I tidied the linen cupboard (threw out scratchy threadbare towels and ancient grey pillowcases). I finished reading "The Marriage Plot" (Yes, definitely worth it.)

Today I will paint the two small bedroom window-walls (there must be a proper word for the part I mean - the box of wood between the outer frame and the interior wall?) and order paint for the larger two.
I will measure up for curtain poles (the window fitters managed to destroy the old ones, so we are still watching the stars from bed at night).
I will order curtain header tape so that I can finally replace the charity-shop curtains I bought 7 years ago when I first moved here.

Remember this fabric? Purchased to make a dress, I now admit that my family was right and it will be far better as curtains.

FL and I managed a short dog-walk yesterday.
He is immersed in his Key To All Mythologies.
Soon it will be my job to transcribe the hundreds of handwritten sheets into Word. Gulp.

But for now I am enjoying the freedom of gentle pottering, organising, thinking. I have the whole of this week "on holiday" at home to make my plans. To swatch for future knitting. To load up my online reservations list for the local library. What a treat!

Right now, I am reading "The Years" by Virginia Woolf. It has been on my shelf for 30 years and this is the first time I have read it, inspired by Alexandra Harris.

There is even a knitting design on the back-burner, simmering away in my head.

If only my life could always be conducted at this pace, think how much happier I would be!

New Year's Eve 2011

2011-12-31T15:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Today was such a washout.

FL has a raging sore throat and his bad tooth is hurting.

I have caught the cold he started brewing on Boxing Day, which I thought was going to take him to the emergency doctor for antibiotics... but he 's still not ready to admit it.

My version of this shared illness wiped me out today. I have been bumbling around the house like a sad old lady and have been curled up on the sofa with my knitting, my book, and a box of tissues. It totally put paid to my plans for a knitterly excursion to help a friend buy yarn - unforgivable!

Luckily for me, I had some wool delivered to the door, though. This is the final instalment of my Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop club. I had forgotten the club had four installments - I thought it was just three - so this was a lovely surprise on a miserable day. It's a perfect stonewashed denim-y blue.

And the final instalment of my SkeinQueen club also arrived. This colour is going to take a lot of getting used to. Charcoal overdyed with moss green? Hmmm... something for the man I think.

So, a woolly end to 2011.

Tonight FL gets a glass of whisky and I get a Lemsip and we will be asleep before the Bells of 2012 stop ringing. See you next year!

These are NOT Resolutions

2011-12-30T01:06:00.000-08:00

Oh go on then – let’s make a list for the New Year! A plan? Resolutions? Hmmm… a list of intentions may be a better way of putting it.

I have some very clear ideas about what I want to achieve in 2012... and a lot of mental fog.

Sewing:

1. To make up my remaining vintage Betsey Johnson patterns. Me and Betsey have something special going on.
So: the coat, the dresses, the skirts? Yup – all of them.

2. To heed the advice of the Colette Sewing Handbook and slow down a bit: to think a bit harder and make clothes that fit a bit better. I am too lazy and expect patterns to fit me, straight from the packet.

3. Not to avoid things I have to learn to do: bound buttonholes and piping, I am looking at you! As above, laziness and the desire for a quick fix often lead me to rush my sewing projects.

That’s the hardest bit of my plan for 2012. Everything else is just candyfloss in the wind.

4. To sew from stash. No, really. It’s essential.

Knitting:

Bettie's pullover, IK Winter 2011

1. To knit at least one garment from a vintage pattern.

2. To get myself in training for (1.), I want to knit Bettie's Pullover from the latest Interweave Knits. Perfect in Albayarn from the stash!

3. To knit from said stash. I am not saying I won’t buy yarn (because I know I will), but I am giving myself permission to use my best stored-away yarn instead of saving it for the apocalypse. This should mean some socks. No point in pretending I can knit 12 pairs in one year. 6 would be amazing.

4. To design something and knit it. Because it is crazy that I don’t.

Life, the Universe and Everything:

1. Try to plan further ahead than one month at a time. We lurch from hospital appointment to hospital appointment and it is dragging us down. We need to plan for some fun. Even if it is just me agreeing to eat a meal out at Wetherspoons. FL and I went there last night and it was OK. (Note to self: you don't live in London now Roo, so put your great restaurant expectations away. Food snob!)

2. Healthy eating. Whatever happened to vegetarian meals? Experiments with the extreme vegan cookbook destroyed my credibility and scared off the diners. But we are in a rut again. I need to get back to baking bread (and the occasional cake) and spend some time planning interesting meals with a higher percentage of vegetation.

3. Exercise. This is the big one. I have got to do it. I am seizing up. If I leave it much longer it will be too late. I lack stamina, flexibility and energy. Sigh.

4. Get out there. Anywhere. Particularly if The Girl moves to London in 2012, I will have to boot myself out of the house and make connections with Other People. And travel south occasionally. Gulp. I am making a start on this on 21 January with the Crafter's Ceilidh - woo hoo!

FO: Simplicity 2654: A Short Tribute to Jane

2011-12-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

You know Handmade Jane don't you?

Earlier this year, Jane and I both developed an obsession with Christi's Rockabilly-esque Simplicity 2654 trousers / pants. You can see them on Flickr here. Christi made the shorts too. Jane was a lot quicker off the mark than me, and sewed up a fab pair of navy sailor trousers which appear in her recent list of top 5 makes. Urban Rustic also set to work to make several pairs of trousers using this pattern, with great success. But oh - the mortification to see myself name-checked in her August post as a "ruminator"! ; )

So, yes, I admit I have been prevaricating. I first started muttering about making a pair of shorts back in April. I talked myself out of them on the grounds that my workplace is not ready for my knees. Um... hello? Roo? Did you know you are allowed to sew clothes to wear at home? Garments that are simply fun to have around the place, brightening up the farmhouse at weekends? Can I just remind you about the pink trousers..?!

When I was tidying upstairs in preparation for my son's Christmas homecoming, I came across the ready-cut shorts and I decided to get them sewn up before I changed my mind again. After all - what was there to lose?

Stats:

Pattern: Simplicity 2654, view C, size 10

Fabric: One yard of navy / black shadow-striped pure wool by "Givenchy Gentleman", bought on eeebaaay from British Fabrics as part of a pack of remnants, approx cost £4. Gorgeous fabric!

Buttons: Red! A surprise in the post from Jane herself, after I loaned her one of my vintage patterns. :D

Bias binding: Red bandana print, to face the hems after I lost vital inches off their length...

Label: "I am half agony - half hope" a quote from Jane Austen's Persuasion, found on Etsy from a UK seller.

The Making:

Ah, it should have been so quick and easy! But smarty-pants here thought she would give her shorts a scalloped hem, to kick them into the 21st century. This was my mistake, people. (No fault of the instructions, which I recommend to you.)

I have no photos of the scalloping. My shorts were rather longer at that point!

Because after cutting away the excess fabric, I discovered that my 2-inch-diameter scallops were too darned small to turn right-side out. The gentle curves turned into pointy triangles and I looked like a staff reject from Santa's Christmas Toy Factory. Believe me when I tell you this: "elfine" is not always a good look!

I had no choice but to slice away the offending facings, taking my shorts northwards by several inches. Gulp.

I faced the hems with red bandana print binding.
Verdict?:
I think they are really cute! I can't get a sensible response out of The Girl, which leads me to suspect she finds them a bit embarrassing. Maybe she thinks I am imitating her shorts-and-tights style? Perhaps if I promise not to wear them out in public with her...? Anyway, I definitely won't be wearing them with suspender-tights or a band t-shirt. Honest.

FL laughed. A lot. It doesn't bother me - he often laughs at my clothes.

They are warm, they are comfortable, they make me smile (red buttons!) and they have the curious effect of making me feel more energetic. I hesitate to say it: they make me feel younger than my years.
Would I make another pair?

Probably not. Despite being what other sewists regard as "wide-legged", I find the pattern a bit too narrow for trousers for me, and I can't imagine wanting many pairs of shorts in exactly this style.

All in all, they are a bit of home-wearable fun. They inspire me to run around and pretend I am young and fit and full of beans. They make me want to wear bright lipstick, a big baggy boyfriend cardigan and sky-high ankle boots and call myself Keiko. Now there's a thought!

Stylist's notes:
Red Percy shawl, blogged here.
Red vintage knitting needle bracelets from The Girl for my birthday (Etsy UK seller)
Boden cardigan
Camper ankle boots
Gap tights
Rockalily "Rockette Red" lipstick :D
Red book: "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Eugenides - my current reading matter.

A Knitted Christmas in Pictures

2011-12-26T03:35:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, I read my family the Queen's Speech - no, not the Buckingham Palace woman, the Yarn Harlot woman!

If you did not instruct your family on the "Proper Way to Receive a Knitted Gift" (Yarn Harlot, 24 December 2011), you missed a trick.

The Boy: "OH WOW!"

What he was really thinking: "What is it?"

The Boy: "It's VERY SOFT!"

What he was really thinking: "What IS it?"

The Boy: "Actually... it IS very soft!"

The Boy: "What are these holes for?"

The Boy: "THANK YOU!"

FL: "It's a HAT!"

Me: "Oh shucks, boys, you flatter my knitting skills too much! Next year I'll have to knit you some SOCKS!"

Me: "Do you like my new dress?"

Me: "No... I bought it."

Me: "No, really, I BOUGHT it!"

(The Velvet Bird)

The Boy: "I thought this would help you with your research...?"

FL: "Hahahaha... huh?!"

The Girl: "Don't take my picture! No, I mean it, don't take my picture!"

The Girl: "Ooh!"

The Girl: "Thanks mum!"

It was a pair of Veyla Mitts in Fyberspates Sparkle Sock, colourway: Blackberry. Ravelled here.

I finished the Retro Rib Socks. They are too big for me so I am putting them away for a future gifting opportunity - yay! I'm ready for NEXT Christmas!

Stats:
Pattern: Retro Rib Socks from "Favorite Socks"
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "S.W.A.K" colourway.
Done on 2.75mm dpns.

They look nothing like each other...

And this is what I knitted on Christmas Day.

Everybody Outta The Pool socks, toe-up, using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Boughs of Holly" colourway.

It had to be done.

OK, time to work off Christmas dinner... has anyone seen the dog?

Hospital update: My Crystal Ball Malfunctioned

2011-12-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

Aw bless - The Boy is wearing hand-knitted socks!

CAUTION: MEN AT WORK!

FL and The Boy are putting up the curtain rails.

This morning was FL's Haematology appointment. I was dreading it because I was convinced he was in trouble.

Which just goes to show... I know nothing!

We saw the Italian Lady Doctor, who is always very kind and friendly. She even offered to print out his "numbers" for me... but the printer was broken!

More Numbers than anyone could ever need:

Freelite results from Birmingham: Kappa 193, Lamda 8.7, ratio 22. This is basically "stable".

Full blood count: OK
Haemoglobin: 126
Platelets: 189
White cells: 3.1 (normal range is 4 to 10, hence the GP's phone call the other day, but the Doctor reckons 3.1 is fine for someone on FL's drug regime)
Neutrophils: 1.4 (more than 1 is fine)
Kidney function: NORMAL!
Creatinine: 100
Calcium: 2.1 (slightly low but this is a good thing in MM)

The Upshot:

29 rows in the Waiting Room

Revlimid: continue on 25mg daily, three weeks on, one week off
Dexamethasone: continue on 40mg once a week
Zometa? : no way Jose, discontinued until further notice, due to Osteonecrosis of the jaw.

There was NO letter from the Dental man, but the Doctor had already decided the risk was too great to resume bisphosphonate treatment.

And what does all this mean?
Despite having an incurable cancer of the blood plasma and a dying jaw, FL is "otherwise fit and healthy" as the dental assistant put it so well!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Never mind the stockings

2011-12-22T01:46:00.000-08:00

Oh, but seriously Santa - couldn't you POSSIBLY....?!
Poetic License "Heidi's Dream" - my latest shoe obsession.So insane! I love them!
Sigh... unrequited as ever!

Moving on... it's my last day at work today. I should be in tomorrow, but FL has an appointment at Haematology, so I have marked myself "out of office".

What will tomorrow bring? I have just left a comment on someone else's blog that worrying does nobody any good, so I ought to listen to myself and go with the flow. But... he took a call from his GP yesterday saying that his blood tests of Tuesday were showing abnormal white cell counts and should they ring the hospital? He had no idea, but pointed out that the blood tests were done in preparation for Friday's appointment, so he might as well wait til then. The GP didn't disagree.

My memory is that the Consultant said they were watching his white cells and would take him off Revlimid and Dex if there was any trouble. But I had to Google it just now to make any sense of what might be going on. Ah, Dr Google we love you so!

"Neutropenia (noo-tro-PEE-nee-yuh): a reduced number of white blood cells called neutrophils

This is a common type of cytopenia experienced by people who are taking REVLIMID®. With neutropenia, you may have a reduced ability to fight infections."

I think this might mean they will have to give him a couple of bags of blood tomorrow. New blood for Christmas - lucky man!

Looking into my crystal ball, I predict that they will definitely take him off Dexies, possibly take him off Revlimid and definitely keep him off Zometa (the jaw issue).

We are expecting the results of his Freelite test from Birmingham too. That should swing it one way or the other for Revlimid.

Revlimid... "the drug of last resort". Sigh. See you tomorrow for another thrilling update!

Crafter's Ceilidh - I'm In!

2011-12-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

What are YOU doing a month from now?

Debi, Kirsten and Kerry are organising a crafters' meet-up in Edinburgh on 21 January.

And I have booked my train ticket!

Here are the details, shamelessly swiped from Debi's blog:

SAVE the date! It's official, we are planning a Scotland meet-up of sewists, knitters and crafters in January. This is open to everyone--you don't have to be a blogger to attend.

Date: Saturday the 21st of January, 2012
Time: 11:00am start time until 5:30pm. And then why not stay on and join us for dinner and drinks if you can?
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Activities: We'll start by getting to know each other over a lunchtime nibble and then depending on how many people there are, we may split into groups according to interests (i.e. fabric shopping, yarn shops, vintage shops, etc.) We'll meet back up for a pattern/fabric/yarn swap and more merriment.

To join in, email Debi at: myhappysewingplace[at]googlemail[dot]com.

2011: A Year in Stitches

2011-12-20T01:07:00.000-08:00

Ginger 1 with Portfoilio blouse

Ginger 2

It’s that time of year, when sewing bloggers start trawling their archives to count up the Finished Objects. In 2010, I didn’t prepare an Annual Report , which surprises me. Instead, I told you what my plans were for 2011. And did I stick to them? Nope!

But 2011 was an incredibly prolific sewing year and, at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, it was the year in which I identified “my style”. Crikey!

In 2011 I sewed: 5 skirts (3 of them were Gingers); 5 pairs of trousers (4 wide-legged and 1 narrow), 10 tops (including 2 fails) and all 3 views of the Lisette Portfolio dress / tunic / blouse. Hidden in there is my first self-drafted pattern for a pleat-neck tee, and successful sewing of jersey fabrics – woo hoo!

From the sublime...

...to the ridiculous!

Ginger 3

Lisette portfolio tunic

Right now, it is hard to remember a time when my wardrobe was not dominated by wide-legged trousers, vintage blouses, Ginger skirts and Lisette Portfolio for home-wear!

Audrey-in-Unst

In the world of knitting, my resolution to knit a pair of socks every month fell by the wayside pretty early on. I managed 4.5 pairs. If I try, I might manage that tenth single sock by the end of the year! But my big knitting accomplishments were finishing Audrey-in-Unst and Betty Jean McNeil: two fingering-weight cardigans in one year! (OK, so most of Audrey happened in 2010 – give me a break will you!)

And latterly I became obsessed by Weekend Hats, knitting 5 patterns from the book in quick succession. There was also a Man-Shawl, a baby cardigan, a huge cowl… and a tea cosy! And I crocheted a very cute pair of baby shoes.

Betty Jean McNeil

All in all, I am amazed by how much I accomplished in 2011. Not just in terms of quantity, but also in learning new techniques. It was a good year!

With 11 days of the year left to play with, I am going to see if I can finish my Seraphine wrap and that elusive tenth sock. I am not going to cast on anything new. That’s the plan anyway…!

FO: Millwater, the knit before Christmas

2011-12-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

That's it - no more Christmas knitting this year!

This is for a nineteen-year old girl cousin. She lives in Scotland and enjoys outdoor activities like horse-riding, so I think this will go down well.

She usually gets a hand-knitted hat, but as I was already halfway through knitting this when I remembered, it was easier to finish this off and divert it to the Christmas Knits pile than to start something new.

Stats:

Pattern: Millwater by Beth Kling

Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft Aran, half of a £5 Lucky Bag from Kemps. I only had 5 x 50g, which allowed me to knit 15 cable crosses. The pattern specifies 17... and that extra 2 would be a good thing when it comes to wearing it doubled: it is borderline too snug, definitely snuggly!

Process:

I reckon a near-beginner could knit this if they had a more experienced friend to call on at the beginning and the end.

At the risk of giving away all the designer's secrets, it starts with a provisional cast-on. That's the only hard thing really: making it at the beginning and unzipping it at the end.

Confession: I am rubbish at provisional cast-ons.

The cable is a simple reversible rib, and you do a cable twist every x rows. The bits on either side of the cable are plain knitting - easy!

The actual cable twist is a big fella, and if you don't already have a cable needle (with a kink in it) now would be a good time to get one as otherwise you are going to drop stitches.

Mine came free with Knit Now magazine and it is the kind of lethal implement that gets knitters thrown off aeroplanes. But you will need it to keep this fella under control.

Verdict:

To my eye, it looks very "fashion-y". Very "2011". The pages of catalogues like Hush are full of these loops of luxury-fibre knitting worn by women with improbably perfect hair.

Is it an Infinity Cowl? A Snood? Who knows!

I will tell you this: it is wonderfully warm, especially when it is doubled up. I took my photographs at 11am this morning and it was minus 4 degrees out there. The only bit of me that wasn't freezing was my neck.

I love the squooshy 3-D cable, which looks exactly the same on both sides - imagine that!
I will give this one away, because it is Christmas after all.

But the NEXT one will be for ME. : )

A Very Victorian Ailment

2011-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the Maxillofacial Unit at the hospital.
They took an x-ray of FL's jaws and then we were invited in to talk to the dental doctor. He saw "the Assistant" first, who showed us the x-ray, took a history, and asked if he could examine FL's mouth. FL found that rather funny: "That's why I'm here!"
The Assistant told us that there is a small area of exposed bone at the site of one of his most recent extractions. I asked if it was "dead bone", but he did not answer me directly, replying that it was "very small". He also identified sensitivity in FL's left canine (a rather lonely tooth since its neighbours on either side were extracted 2 months ago).

Then he called the Consultant in. The Assistant "presented" FL in the best Doctor In The House style: "The patient is a 76 year old man with multiple myeloma, referred due to bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw, following extractions by a community dentist. He is otherwise fit and healthy." I am afraid both FL and I laughed: "otherwise fit and healthy"! Snort!

The Consultant saw the joke. The poor Assistant was so nervous I am not sure he realised the irony of what he had just said: this man has an incurable form of cancer and his jaw is dying, but apart from that he's fine!

The Consultant looked at the x-ray and then "percussed the canine" (ow!). He said that it could take 4 - 6 weeks for an infection to show itself in the x-ray, so at present it is not clear why FL's tooth is so tender... however, he noticed a possible fracture to FL's upper jaw, running directly above the tooth in question. The Assistant hadn't spotted that. The extraction sites have not healed, but he thought they were showing signs that they might. All in all, he said that FL's mouth was looking a lot better than he might have expected from the x-ray.

He advised FL to perform "scrupulous oral hygiene". If he currently brushes his teeth twice a day, increase it to four times a day, and use an alcohol-free mouthwash. He needs to keep taking the antibiotics to the end of the course, and there are still signs of oral thrush, so he needs to continue treatment for that.

There is no cure for osteonecrosis of the jaw. The Consultant explained that there is no proven treatment, as it is quite a new disease, only arising in the last ten years since bisphosphonate therapy became commonplace for bone cancers. He then corrected himself to chuckle that of course in Victorian times, it was people in match factories who got this! "Phossy jaw?" I asked. He gave me a quick and serious look: "Yes. Phossy jaw."

So we have a diagnosis. And we have a plan. FL will return in 6 weeks for a review, to check that the dodgy canine is behaving itself. The Consultant was very clear that we should contact him immediately if there is any problem before then, and that he is now "in control". Those were the words he used. Good, strong words. Someone is "in control". We like that.

I explained that the Haematology consultant needed to know whether or not to recommence FL's Zometa infusions, and that the decision was going to depend on whether or not the Maxillofacial Unit had found "dead bone". The Consultant said that was a very difficult decision to make. He would think about it, hard, and write to Haematology in time for FL's appointment next Friday. And he asked the Assistant to leave a note on his desk to remind him to do this as a priority on Monday.

So there you have it. Phossy jaw. Never a dull moment, eh?

Dear Santa

2011-12-15T02:36:00.000-08:00

It is probably too late to send a letter up the chimney, but if you are still looking for presents for some of your special people, I have a couple more ideas to share.

Sleepy Owl from Ruth Robinson at Etsy

While scouring Ravelry for other Millwater cowls, I found a lovely specimen by a French knitter, Bergamote.

Best of all, she had a link to a UK-based Etsy seller of handmade ceramic brooches and buttons, Ruth Robinson. Owls! Whales! Trees!

I can imagine these characters appealing to a wide age range and the neutral pallette means they would work well with so many colours.

Any of them would look great on "my" grey-green Millwater cowl (10 cables out of 17 done so far.) I fancy a whale myself, Santa, if you are still pondering ; )

Except... I am going to have to give away my Millwater cowl! I had not remembered "female teen cousin" in my Christmas gift list. I think I thought we were quietly stopping that particular exchange now that she and The Boy are 19. I was mistaken - eek! Unless she has been lying through her teeth all these years, she is someone who appreciates hand-knits, so the cowl will be sent her way. I should finish it this weekend. Phew! Don't worry - I will take a picture before I package it up!

Picture from Amazon

Something which I have already bought for someone else is a new recipe book called "Cake Angels: Amazing gluten wheat and dairy free cakes".

Although I am fairly experienced at substituting ingredients to cope with my family's allergy to cow's milk, I know that it can be bewildering to a newbe. The Boy's Girl has expressed a wish to learn to bake cakes, to which he added an indignant "That I can eat too!", so I was looking for a beginner-friendly book containing edible-sounding items, rather than recipes that sound like science experiments including weird expensive ingredients.

Some recipes from the book can be found on the web:

Orange, pistachio and polenta cupcakes with syrup

Salted Caramel brownies

Gluten, wheat and dairy free carrot cake

Gluten free chocolate fudge cake

Sticky Gingerbread

Lemon Polenta Cake

Tempted yet?

And if you can't be bothered baking your own, and have a higher budget than me, you can mail-order Julia Thomas's ready-made cakes from her website here.

I sincerely hope that my Christmas list is now complete.

I just need to write some cards, buy some food, wrap the presents, send The Boy out to cut a Christmas Branch.... oh my! Nowhere near ready!

No Wine (Gums)

2011-12-13T01:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your concern about FL and his foul mouth.

He went to the GP yesterday, a miracle in itself, and proof that he must be in a lot of pain.

The Doctor examined him, consulted the internet, and has prescribed monster doses of antibiotics plus a once-a-week anti-yeast pill. FL reports that the doctor found ulcers running right along his gums, and that he took a swab plus blood tests. He didn't tell his GP he has a jaw-man appointment on Friday. Hopefully there is a note on his file. FL didn't ask what they were checking his blood for, so I hope it includes a white cell count. I suspect they will have to take him off Revlimid and Dexamethazone again as the drugs are battering his immune system too hard. He is due to take his Dexies tomorrow. I do not fancy dealing with FL on Dexies when he is already feeling mighty sorry for himself (justifiably).

He is also on strict instructions to stay far far away from alcohol. This is not going down well, especially in the run up to Christmas. He had two coffees at the pub yesterday and was not amused. It is hard when all your pals are "drinkers". Because he is also exhausted, he can't golf, so the bar is the only place to meet his friends and their automatic reaction to a sick friend is to offer him a whisky!

I had to whizz his dinner up in the food processor last night because he can't chew. Luckily it was a blender-friendly meal. I will have to make sure I cook soft food for a while. Risotto tonight - that should puree down nicely!

Roll on Friday.

The Purpose of a Stash

2011-12-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

Every so often I participate in seasonal self-flagellation concerning the size of my stash.
Ravelry tells me that I currently have over 22 thousand metres of un-knit yarn squirrelled away for a rainy day.
But this weekend I had an epiphany of sorts: my stash serves a purpose. It is the repository of knitterly dreams. OK, I am not going to knit 23 pairs of socks in the next couple of weeks, but I might manage it in a couple of years. And rather like my collection of Great Novels, it is lovely to be able to go to a box and pull out an old favourite, settle down by the fire and become absorbed in the words or the stitches.
All of my recent knitting has been "from the stash". I have been hammering through the stored skeins at a most satisfying rate in the approach to Christmas.
On Sunday, grumpy with the Pinkness of the Man-Shawl, I needed to knit something to make it better, pure comfort knitting.
So I reached into the top box of yarn, now serving as my bedside table, and pulled out my last 5 skeins of Rowan Cashsoft Aran from a Kemps lucky bag. I only paid £5 for ten balls of this yarn and it has provided 3 gift-hats already!

Millwater Pattern picture from Beth Kling

This is my gift to myself: the Millbank cowl. I could have improvised it without paying for the pattern, but that felt sly and underhand. This was not my idea, and I wanted to acknowledge the designer: Beth Kling. I am sure it could be easily "made up" from looking at the pictures and descriptions on Ravelry. I won't criticise you if that's what you choose to do. Just saying.
That effing enormous cable has to be an inch deep in squooshiness. I can't wait to sink my chin into it on a snowy day!
I really wanted to buy some ridiculously expensive MadelineTosh yarn to make this. But I had £3-cost of £15-value yarn just sitting waiting for me to notice that it was in fact perfectly good. Fit for purpose. Here and now. Instant gratification. That is the purpose of a stash.

FL:
I mentioned that FL had a headache. It took him two days to confess that the problem is not what he first described. It's an issue with his mouth. His gums hurt. His tongue hurts. His lips hurt. He is taking Paracetamol but eating and speaking are both painful. He winces if I try to kiss him.
He is due to see the jaw man on Friday, so it is ironic that this should boil up just ahead of the appointment.
He has self-prescribed two vaguely-likely medicines from his own "stash": Daktarin in case he has oral thrush, Acyclovir in case he has cold sores... but really we both know he has neither of these.
I have instructed him to visit his GP this week. But he will probably wait until Friday.

FO: Bleeding Zauberballs Man-Shawl

2011-12-11T03:47:00.000-08:00

Public Service Announcement: Schoppel Wolle Zauberballs are NOT colour-fast!

So if you plan on making your manly son a shawl for Christmas, it is not wise to stripe cream with red... because what does cream and red make children? PINK!

I knitted my son a pink shawl for Christmas.

The only bits which have stayed cream are the outer edges. The central section is most definitely PINK!

Not even the zombie slasher-movie design features can save this from its PINKness.

Maybe I should leave the blocking pins in place. Or add safety pins. Punk it up a bit more?

Stats:

Pattern: Transatlantic by Stephen West, from WestKnits Two, or can be bought separately (that's what I did).

Yarn: Evil Schoppel Wolle Zauberball sockweight yarn in Schokocreme and Cranberry. I used 60g of the cream and 40g of the red. A few yards of gorgeous golden Yarn Yard silk to crochet round the holes.

Process: Easy enough once you get going. Slip stitches do all the hard work. Be sure to carry the yarn loosely up the side or you will get a lopsided shawl. Mine is a bit tight across the top left because I didn't realise this until too late.
I gave it a gentle bath in Soak for all of 5 minutes until I realised what was happening...

Verdict?:
I am sulking.
It is PINK.

A Weekend in Stitches

2011-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today I finished knitting my Stephen West shawl project for The Boy.

I just have to crochet round the holes (deliberate design feature!) and block it.

So tomorrow I will be free to embark on another sewing or knitting adventure. I might return to Seraphine and see if I can get her finished before the snow arrives!

Or make my navy and white dress? Maybe.

Or knit some Christmas tree baubles? Now that would be crazy... but not out of the question!

I had an unexpected treat in the post today: my often-delayed pre-order of Rachael Herron's book "A Life in Stitches". I have been dipping in and out of it all day.

Do you know Rachael's blog, Yarn-a-go-go? I have been reading it for several years, long before she became a published novelist. Her mother died of multiple myeloma. Strange the connection I felt when I read about that. Sigh.

FL is very tired today. He says there is a tension in his head that only goes away when he closes his eyes, so he's been doing that a lot... and of course then he falls asleep.

The storms passed through here without doing too much damage. We had a sprinkling of snow and lost a few branches in the wind, but we still have electricity and today was still and calm. I walked the dog up in the top woods but we didn't see our resident deer family. There are four of them up there every evening and they don't seem in the least bit worried by humans or a big smelly dog.

The Filling is the Best Bit

2011-12-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

I've seen a few remarks around blogland that some of us are padding out our posts with pointless "fillers" because we have nothing new to show.

Personally, I rather enjoy reading other people's shopping lists and seasonal inspirations. So if you don't like it, just move along quietly please, no need to make a fuss!

I have my new calendar for 2012 - yay! It comes from Eirrean Lorsung. Last year's version graced my office wall and received frequent astonished / admiring comments from colleagues and visitors. I predict further puzzlement in 2012 due to an increased level of whimsy in the illustrations. Shrug - it keeps them on their toes!

In search of grandma-friendly gifts, I was delighted to see Mooncalf's latest selection of cross-stitched pretties. In particular, I fell for this "tea wallet" with a distinctly European house motif: perfect for Other Granny who flitted around the EU for many years and loves special teas!

For the younger women in the family, I am drawn to comic-book hair accessories from Janine Basil They are perhaps a little pricey for what they are, and I have not yet succumbed, but they are definitely barking up the right tree.

And if I had a special niece or nephew or grandchild to give presents to, this Fantastic Fox Kit would be top of my knit-it-for-posterity list. But I don't. So I won't. What a pity!

Marking the Place

2011-12-05T02:39:00.000-08:00

Knitting

No Finished Objects to show today. The Boy's shawl is three-quarters' done and is looking good, though I say so myself.

My secret knitting for The Girl is also three-quarters' done, despite a major attack of chart dyslexia. If you are on Ravelry, you can see it over there.

Education

The Girl is home again, safe and sound, with news of a conditional offer for 6th Form College, should she choose to accept it. The decision will not be made yet. It is very complicated: so much to weigh up.

If she stays in Scotland, it will be that much harder to get into a University in England, which is almost certainly what she wants to do. Even in my day, quite lowly English Universities required a quiver full of A Grades from Scottish Higher students. But at least then, a handful of B's was enough to get you into a decent Scottish institution. Nowadays, the baseline criteria for e.g. Aberdeen for 2012 is 2 A's and 2 B's (Highers) or 3 B's (A-levels). No matter how you look at it, it has to be easier to get B's than A's, especially if you have two years to do it (Highers only take one year, A levels take 2).

I know this is not a popular point of view, but I really don't have much respect for the Scottish qualifications' framework. The 6th year at a Scottish school is so often a waste of time, when pupils resit their Highers from the year before, do some part-time work stacking shelves in a supermarket, and basically lose all interest in learning. No wonder only 11% of the pupils at my daughter's school get the qualifications required to go to University... and then only a handful of them actually choose to continue their studies. Her current teachers do not expect the kids to go to University, so most of them don't.

The College she visited in London has consistently been in the top 5% nationally for "value added", taking pupils with very few entry qualifications and exposing them to amazing educational experiences such as lectures from University Professors, visits to museums and galleries, residentials at Oxford , mentoring from professionals in business and industry: all with the aim to inspire them to engage with learning and see the point of education. Some of them get A's and A*s, but all of them benefit from enthusiastic, energetic and committed teachers.

But here's the catch: if The Girl goes to England, she will incur University tuition fees. Here in Scotland, the government covers the cost of tuition fees for Scottish and EU students... but NOT for students from the Rest of the UK (England, Northern Ireland or Wales). Insane. So if she moves to London for 6th form and then applies back to a Scottish University, she will be treated as "English" and have to pay approx £9000 a year. If she stays in Scotland and gets into to a Scottish University, her tuition will be free. If she stays in Scotland and goes to an English University, she will have to pay the £9000 a year.

Personally, I think it is worth it:. to broaden her horizons, to open up the possibility of living in the wider world. Too many of her current teachers have never left "home" and have such a parochial view of life. The Girl was born in London, goes there regularly, and although she is far from street-wise, she knows there is more excitement to be had in life than from the arrival of a Wetherspoons pub in the local market town. (Don't get me started on that one.)

The financial aspect will be dealt with. That is what student loans are for. And I have been putting money aside since my kids were 5 years old "for their education".

But leaving home is a big decision for a 15-going-on-16 year old girl. She would be going to stay with her dad, whose lifestyle is very different to mine. It would be a challenge for him too, having a teenaged girl around the house. And of course I would miss her.

But I know how frustrated she is by the lacklustre approach of her teachers, the narrowness of their world views. The expectation that the boys will go "into the oil" and the girls will marry them and have babies and live next door to their mothers. Really. Even in 2011.*

* ETA: I am feeling guilty that I wrote this bit - no teacher has ever said that to my daughter or me... it is more my interpretation of how things are in these parts, if you understand what I mean?

So watch this space. There may be changes ahead.

KitKattery, Betsey-fication and a Book

2011-12-03T02:20:00.000-08:00

My Stephen West Man-Shawl for The Boy is progressing well. The two colours of Zauberball are fading in and out in a most pleasing way.

I could probably finish it this weekend if I dedicated myself... but I'm sure you know how it is! I might just cast on a little something for The Girl while she is away. I could make serious in-roads on her Christmas knit before she returns on Sunday night. Hi Girl! We don't read each other's blogs, remember?!

Yesterday's talk of sewing a Jasmine blouse has once again come to nothing. There is some kind of mismatch between fabric and pattern which causes me to pull this project in and out of the cupboard on a weekly basis. I'm just not feeling it.

Meanwhile, my daily check on Etsy for vintage Betsey Johnson patterns paid off (late) last night, with the purchase of this little number: Butterick 4088. THIS is the pattern to use for my teal and brown plaid fabric! I might de-puff the sleeves, but I love the front pleats, that little stand-collar and the fact that this dress / tunic is not just a shapeless smock - it goes in and out. Yes, I am a Betsey Johnson addict - it's official!

And this month's SkeinQueen Club yarn arrived - look away NOW if you are still waiting for your package!

This is Stormy Seas, the semi-solid option. It is a British Falkland Merino / silk mix and has an extraordinary ability to catch the light and shift before your eyes - truly beautiful! My picture does it no favours.

This month's Club reading inspiration is Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch. Once again my local library rose to the challenge, and book and yarn arrived together - woo hoo!

This is not a book I would ever have chosen for myself, but I have been totally swept up by the powerful story-telling. I read Part One last night: it is an absolute riot of Dickensian characters, an all-five-senses immersion in time and place. It has all the rush and verve of the very best of children's literature, a certain fairy-tale quality...and yet it is definitely not "childish". I have ordered a copy for The Boy. He is not a great reader, but as a lover of Moby Dick I know he will totally "get" this book. I will say no more for now... except "Read it!"

On Dressing For Myself

2011-12-02T03:20:00.000-08:00

With those shockingly pink trousers out of my system, I am contemplating my next make.

A white-collared dress is still high on my wishlist, but the collar fabric came a cropper in the washing machine. I pre-washed the pink cord. Separately. Then I ran a white wash: pillowcases, a towel, underwear, the white fabric. And guess what? Some, but not all, of the items emerged with a distinct pink glow - nooooo! I am going to wash it again, but I am cross. Surely this should not be possible? There must have been pink dye residue lurking in the depths of my washing machine, despite the whole rinsing and spinning process.

So I might crack on with my Colette Jasmine blouse while I think about it. I am considering a contrasting neck-tie using a slice of this charity-shop ra-ra skirt. What do you think? Too busy?

I have been reading reviews of the new Colette Sewing Book with greedy attention. I am hoping that FL has listened to my extremely heavy hints and that I will receive a copy on Christmas day... but he can be quite unpredictable in the gift department. I may have to buy my own! I particularly enjoyed the extract over on Casey's blog here, and Ali's piece here.

To quote Sarai of Colette:
"I believe in a personal approach to style. To me, that means wearing things that make you happy. This takes a bit of reflection and a dash of restraint."

Restraint? Really?! If I had deployed restraint, I would not own a pair of day-glo "mental" trousers, as one commenter put it ; ) I suppose it is all about context. Those pink trews are, I admit, somewhat inappropriate for a senior management meeting. In those circumstances, I exercise so much "restraint" I am no longer myself. Which is perhaps a comment on the mismatch between my true personality and my day-job! But I don't see a way to changing career in the near future. So, with "a bit of reflection", I would love to make and wear clothes that are work-appropriate but still "me". I think I cracked it in the summer, with my "40's blouse and trousers" look, but the cold weather has me foxed and boxed in.
I need a plan! Sound the trumpets!! Call my Ladies-in Waiting!!!
Things I like:
There is a side to "my style" which is not being explored at the moment. In addition to "the vintage look", I really love the simplicity of many Japanese sewing patterns: those easy-going dresses with high waists or no waist at all, worn in soft warm layers.
I have until now viewed this as a look for "homewear" and haven't invested much time, effort or cash into making up the styles I love, prioritising my work wardrobe. In the summer, my Lisette Portfolio tunic/dresses absolutely expressed this side of my style.

Inspiring Dress from Anna Allen at Etsy

Anna Allen again

But what if I made myself a comfortable Japanese-style dress or two to wear to work?

My initial reaction to the idea was "too casual", but I have seen some of the younger fashion bloggers totally work this look in a way that makes it seem 9-5 appropriate. Keiko Lynn being the prime example.

All it takes is a bit more polish and attention to the details of accessories and make up. And if your dress is a simple pop-it-on-and-go style, you have more time to spend on the "extras" like combing your hair (ahem!)

The key will be finding the right fabric. Which is where I come unstuck. It needs to be warm and not completely plain or I will turn into Little Orphan Annie. Which is what got me thinking about plaid. The stuff in the picture above, earmarked for my Jasmine blouse, is too thin for a dress.

So I find myself obsessing about a sewn-to-order dress I saw on Etsy...

Velvet Bird dress - eek I might have to buy this one!

As worn by A Beautiful Mess (too short for me in that photo!) and FernandRolland (just right!).

There's a lovely interview with Ms Velvet Bird herself here.

I could wear a polo-neck sweater underneath on a frosty day, a cardigan on top on a normal day, or even throw my bare arms to the wind if the sun shines... ooh! Sold!

FO: Shockingly Pink 70's Trousers

2011-11-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

With Red Patent DM's - what else?!

Do not adjust your sets: these trousers really are THAT bright!

Stats:
Pattern: Vintage 1970's Butterick 3289 by Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, size Junior 7 with an extra centimetre added to the sides of the back pieces and 12mm seams all over.

Fabric: 2 metres of shocking pink chunky corduroy from Croft Mill at £6 per metre.
Zip: 7 inches, same shade of pink, found in the stash
Button: from the box.

Dance like nobody's watching : )

The Sewing:

I already made up this pattern in a chalk-stripe moleskin so knew that it would fit with the adjustments noted above. I wear the chalk-striped pair a lot : )

I decided to have the cord nap running upwards rather than down, as the colour was richer that way up.

In total, these took me about 6 hours to make. Easy. I had to stop work on Sunday with just the hems and the buttonhole left to sew: the small matter of cooking dinner intervened.

How many acres of fabric?!

Verdict?

The Girl has no words. It is probably better that way.
FL chuckled and the words "clown trousers" were used, but he quickly corrected himself to say they were "lovely" and "very you"!

But actually, I didn't make these for anyone but myself. I saw that pink fabric and knew that I needed some madly bright and fun 1970's trousers, because although a lot of my cultural memories of the time are from black and white television, it was also the era of David Bowie and hippy rainbow-coloured idealism... in between the power cuts!

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that on Saturday, The Girl and I watched Control, a film about Ian Curtis of Joy Division, which definitely captured some of the grey truths about being young in northern Britain in the 70's. So help me. Call it catharsis.

Back to the trousers... the cord is perhaps a bit too widely-spaced: I do fear they look as if I had cut up a candlewick bedspread to make them!
And it is possible that they are a bit too Ziggy Stardust for my workplace...

The Good Life: Barbara and Tom

But as an upbeat, comfortable pair of trousers to wear at home around the farm they are perfect ... because don't forget that while my teenaged self was watching "The Good Life" on tv, wishing I could be Barbara, FL was living my 1970's dream right here, where we live today.

Back then, the hives were buzzing with honey bees, there were cows in the byres and hens scratching in the yard. I distinctly remember his sunshine-yellow terry-towelling t-shirt - mmm hmm! They don't make them like that anymore, do they?

That lifestyle is long gone, but there are still echoes around the place. There's a rainbow sticker on one of the upstairs windows and I found his 1970's copy of John and Sally Seymour's Self-Sufficiency guide the other day - fantastic!

Sadly there is no mention of how to make clothes out of old bedspreads.

Hospital Update and a Flight

2011-11-29T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hospital:
Just marking the spot in the diary: today was FL's regular appointment at Haematology.

Kidneys "fine", liver "fine", calcium "fine", white cells "holding up", haemoglobin "pretty steady".

Today's blood will be sent to Birmingham for a Freelite test, results next month.

No Zometa until we know what is happening with his jaw. He has an appointment with the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon on 16 December. If there is any sign of "bone death", the Consultant says he will not be given Zometa again and they would have to think "very long and hard" about an alternative.

He continues on Revlimid, 3 weeks on, one week off, and Dexamethazone (20 tablets once a week).

Back to Haematology on 23 December - fab!

Taking Flight
Now if you will excuse me, I have to take The Girl to the airport. She is flying to London for an interview for 6th Form College. This would be for a place to start at College next September.

Due to the impending public service strike tomorrow she is having to fly early, even though the interview is not until Thursday. She is taking plenty of homework with her!

Coffee and a KitKat

2011-11-26T04:59:00.000-08:00

Another weekend... but no hat on the needles!

Instead, I have been seized by an attack of the Westies and have embarked upon the Transatlantic Man-Shawl for The Boy.

The yarn is a pair of Zauberballs by Schoppelwolle: Cranberries and Schokocreme. So soft, so fluffy and so perfect for a scarf! The shifting colours have me transfixed and I can't put my knitting down.

I have also developed an unfortunate craving for coffee and Kitkats. I am nothing if not coordinated.

It's going to be a good weekend! ; )

FO: Fifth Weekend Hat: Zig Zag to the West

2011-11-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Zig Zag to the West

You may remember that Christine and I took a trip to the Glasgow School of Yarn for a workshop with Stephen West?

My Workshop Swatch

The class focussed on using travelling slip stitches over a two-colour stripe to create a pattern. It was fun! It looked great! And I was determined to use the technique, probably to knit up one of Mr West's own designs.

Wanderer Cap pattern pic and my two-colour version a la Stephen West

However, when Weekend Hats arrived, I spotted this Jared Flood pattern, the Wanderer Cap, and immediately saw the potential for West-ification!

All the hot young designers are playing with this type of colourwork at the moment. Have you seen Ysolda's Oxidize? And she even got Stephen West to model it for her : )

I still had loads of grey / green Rowan Cashmerino Aran in the stash from my Kemps lucky-dip bag, and there was most of a ball of midnight blue Berrocco Blackstone Tweed leftover from my favourite Knitspot scarflet - perfect!

Aerial view

I ran into a technical hitch where the zig started to zag. I lost my stripe at the end of each round after turning the corner, because you are not supposed to work the last stitch of even-numbered rows, just shift it and move the marker. Hmmm... this is what comes of trying to be clever!

I consulted Christine, who suggested adding a stitch and taking it away again later, which sounded like sense but didn't help. I considered embroidering over the "jog". I tried purling it. But in the end I decided to leave it alone - if anyone asks, this is a special 3D-effect zig zag with a shadow behind it!

Verdict?
Ah - this was such fun to knit! I find stripes so motivating, and the travelling slip-stitch gives a forward momentum: you can't help but knit faster.
The fabric has lots of bounce, it's really soft and warm, the colours pop in contrast against each other, and it is so wonderfully geometric.
This is for FL's Christmas: something a little more conservative this year!
I was sitting next to him as I knitted it, but he was totally oblivious - hee hee hee!

Photographic footnote:
As several other bloggers have mentioned, daylight is at a premium these days. I had a cunning plan to take some pictures in Old Aberdeen at lunchtime. I thought my new hat would look fab with the new library as an arty backdrop.

However... it was Graduation Day! The place was absolutely heaving with people and my nerve failed me. I thought about pretending to be a tourist and asking someone to take a picture for me, but they might have questioned the requested angle: "Just my hat and the library please!"

So here is my only over-exposed attempt.

Ah, the trials of being a knitty blogger! ; )

Old Splurgey MacSplurgepants

2011-11-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

from Swedish Elle via The Needle Diaries

First of all: SO many comments! Thank you so much to everyone for all your lovely hat compliments and votes of confidence on the aging process.

I definitely like the idea of going silver instead of grey - thanks to DaisyDonut for that one!

I have been knitting such a lot recently that there has been no time for sewing, but there are a gazillion projects buzzing around my brain. The navy dress with a white collar is top of the list. Especially after I saw this image (left) over on The Needle Diaries blog. Ooooh! I bet you it is the work of that Vuitton chap again!

Since my son left home, we have experienced a conspicuous drop in our electricity consumption. As I pay a set monthly sum to cover our energy costs in advance, I had started to build up a sizeable credit on my account. The electricity company was happy to let me leave it there, but why should they get the benefit of my money? So I requested a refund of the excess - woo hoo! I popped most of it into my savings account, but as it was my birthday, I had a bit of a fabric splurge at Croft Mill. :D

May I present: The Investment in My Future Wardrobe, 2011-12 Edition?

There WILL be a Betsey Johnson coat.
There will be a Betsey Johnson dress.
There will be MORE Betsey Johnson trousers.
There will be something practical for everyday work-wear... and there will be something fabulous that I will probably never wear!

Can I suggest that you avoid CroftMill for the foreseeable future unless you are in the market for serious fabric-buying? They have got some amazing stuff right now. I am still not sure how I escaped without a couple of metres of sequin-embroidered, quilted-back fake fur.

Especially since I spotted this Betsey Johnson (who else?!) pattern over on Etsy!

A cardigan with fake-furry body or sleeves?

Errr maybe not... ; )

Happy Birthday To Me

2011-11-20T01:01:00.000-08:00

Today I am 47 years old.I am not quite sure how that happened. It sounds quite... middle-aged.
When I was 40, FL got the kids to fill a room with balloons for me - that was pretty surreal! And 45 found me thoughtful and a little sad: definitely no party. 47? More of the same with extra grey hair.

My presents - woo hoo!

FL actually noticed my grey hair the other day. He laughed at me. Oh - that hurt! When a 76 year old man laughs at you for looking old, you know you have lost your youth.
I had a haircut a few weeks ago, and the hairdresser seems to have sliced out all of the pigment. I looked in the mirror and felt... washed out. The Girl reckons I should hit the dye-pot but I am losing colour from my skin too, so kind of think I ought to accept this with grace. I don't want to look like I am trying to "cover it up". But this sudden acceleration from young to old shocks me.
I have been reading Diana Athill. "Instead of a Letter" finds her at 43 - resigned to aging and writing from a standpoint of loneliness, full of regret for opportunities lost. But then I read "Somewhere Towards the End", written when she was 89, and she is full of verve and joy and enjoyment of life. She pokes fun at her younger self. She found love in her 60's and it transformed her. I am not saying that "love is the answer"! Just... that I must not allow other people's expectations of someone my age to define me.
At 20, I was told I was too young for every job I applied for, that I must go away and get some experience and then "come back in a few years". Of course, I never did. I had to lower my expectations of finding a career in my field and seek "a job" to pay the rent. So I gave up on my dreams. I reckon that's what happens to most people.

My cards - hee hee!

But the place I find myself in now isn't so bad. I have my First Love - how amazing is that?! And because I know he won't be around forever, I have learned not to define myself solely in relation to "my man". I have books and yarn and fabric and dreams. Yes, I still have dreams, they're just different to the ones I started out with. That's OK.
So what lies ahead of me in my 47th year? Who knows! But I need not to become a bitter old woman. It would be so easy to slip into a state of seething resentment that things did not turn out differently. I can't turn the clock back. I have so much to be thankful for.

P.S. You want to know about my presents don't you?

From FL: An Invisible Zipper foot for my sewing machine (Aargh! Is there no escape from Invisible Zips?!) which was wrapped in many layers of paper inside a peppercorn packet inside an anchovy packet inside a biscuit box inside a shoe box :D I actually thought he had bought me a new iron - what a lovely surprise! He also got me The Marriage Plot and the latest book on Virginia Woolf :)

From The Girl: Vintage knitting needles made into bracelets :)

From Christine: Alice Starmore's book on Aran Knitting :)

Yup - spoiled rotten that's me! ; )

Now, if you'll excuse me I am off to the cinema with The Girl for a dose of Twilight!

FO: Yet another Weekend Hat: The Roobee Ruche Beret

2011-11-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

At last - I knitted a hat for ME!

This is the Ruche Beret by Susan B. Anderson from Weekend Hats.

The pattern calls for DK weight alpaca / merino and I just happened to have 50g of Jamie Harmon handspun naturally-dyed angora / wool mix in the stash. It was a present from CeCe in New York - thank you again Cecelia! It is actually a searingly bright shade of coral. My camera couldn't cope!

This yarn was a pretty good substitute, though I went down a few needle sizes to 3.75mm (from 4.5mm) to get a closer gauge. As a result, my hat is quite a snug fit, and more of a cloche than a beret.

FL took one look at me and said "Straight out of the 1930's!" which I take as a compliment ; )

It was a very quick and easy knit - mostly plain knitting in the round.

When I finished I was a bit "meh" about its plain-ness and fiddled around with buttons and bows, trying to find the perfect embellishment. In the end, I opted to pin on a faux-vintage brooch from Joules. I reckon it adds to the Charleston vibe!

Verdict?
A definite Keeper!
Woo hoo!

FO: Topiary Beanie with Rabbit

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

My latest hat: the Topiary Beanie from Weekend Hats.

I knitted this for a friend's birthday. She is 40, a mere child! ; )

This is one of those projects with a back story. But rather like explaining a joke, perhaps you had to be there (i.e. in my head) to understand?

The story:
When my Skein Queen yarn club package arrived I wanted to knit up this glorious turquoise alpaca / silk yarn straightaway. I thought it would make a lovely slouchy hat and earmarked the Topiary Beanie pattern from Weekend Hats.

Then the library emailed to say they had got me the novel which inspired the colourway: "When God Was a Rabbit". As I read, it became clear that The Rabbit was actually a Belgian hare: this is relevant!

At the weekend, a friend threw herself a 40th birthday party. As this involved a large crowd of people, "supper" and a ceilidh, I felt unable to attend. FL can't dance anymore and I know from bitter experience that if I had gone on my own he would have been unbearably jealous of "all the men" he imagined I might dance with. N.B.These men are total figments. Just like they were in 1984. Sigh. The stress!

The point is: I couldn't go to E's party but still wanted to mark her birthday, so when I read about the Belgian hare I knew I had to give her this hat.

Why?

Because when E sold her flat to come and live up here in the frozen north, she bought herself a rather expensive painting of two hares dancing. It was an act of profound self-confidence, and an investment in her future independent self... rather like the party.

The Hat:

So, knitted in support of an independent woman: the Topiary Beanie in Skein Queen alpaca / silk mix, colourway "Eleanor Maud".

It is a very slouchy design. E has more hair than me and I think she will suit the proportions of this hat. If I knit it again for myself, I will go for the smaller size.
This was a rather intense piece of knitting. The lace section is quite tricky, but a manageable portion size. I never did get used to "knit 4 together" or "slip slip slip knit", let alone throwing a "pass the slipped stitch over" into the mix. I also encountered an intriguing wrap stitch for the first time, which was easy but momentarily baffling! So it was quite a good challenge to my lace-knitting skills.

My favourite design feature is an inch-wide band of slipped stitches which runs up the centre back of the hat, drawing it back and down. It adds stability and definition to the shape, emphasising the drape of the fabric. The alpaca / silk yarn was a good choice - phew!

The Book:

And what of "When God Was a Rabbit"?

After my first reading, it was easier to say what I did NOT like about it, which seems rather unfair, as it isn't a badly written book.

I was irritated by the almost-constant references to a timeline from 1968 to 2000-and-something, pinning events a little too self-consciously to their date in recent history . I can almost guarantee that the author looked at archived copies of The Daily Mail to validate her period detail, and in the process came across lots of juicy sub-plot ideas.

So this novel has all the topical tabloid news favourites: a kidnapping, child abuse, domestic violence, television games shows, viagra, cancer, gay parties, camp celebrities, homophobia. At the same time, I was struck by the avoidance of any mention of race in what is a terribly "issue"-based novel...unless you count the "woolly-haired" murderess Jenny Penny and the messed-up elderly Jewish villain...hmmm. It is a very white middle-class world.
According to the author's postscript, she came in for some criticism for using the Twin Towers in the novel, but I found this no more of a problem than the inclusion of other pieces of news around which the plot was draped. People closer to that reality may feel differently.

The characters do not seem to have their own identities and their relationships are strangely cold. They are the subjects and objects of stories and anecdotes.

I wonder if this is actually a very clever piece of writing and that their apparent lack of feelings is entirely deliberate? That they are all victims of world events? That they are not responsible for their own actions? Things happen to them, but they don't really do anything.

I liked the Rabbit / Belgian hare. He does a fine line in throwaway humour. In many ways, this is the most believeable character in the whole book: a talking rabbit called god. And yet, he too is the victim of an accident.

Oh dear! Can't any one of you take control of your lives?! Is this, then, a book about destiny? "What's for ye will nae go past ye" as my mother would say.

But for all my disquiet, I found a lot to enjoy in this novel. I laughed out loud at several points. I read bits out to FL and he laughed too. I started scanning through the book again last night and realised I had to get a copy to give my friend, alongside her hat. And that sounds like a recommendation, doesn't it?

So, there you have it: a hat for E, in celebration of being 40. Happy Birthday!

Oh - and the final piece of serendipity? When I went to the cupboard to look for wrapping paper, I found this piece of Belle and Boo paper with illustrations of a girl and her pet rabbit that I had completely forgotten about! Destiny!

FO: Another Weekend Hat, the Greenery Beret

2011-11-12T02:56:00.000-08:00

Excuse tortured expression - my photographer was getting shaky!

I am on a hat-knitting roll right now!

This is the Greenery Beret from Weekend Hats, which was a very quick knit, though not an easy one.

"Knit 4 together" is much more easily said than done, let alone "yarn over, slip one, knit three together, pass the slipped stitch over" when your stitches are at the end of a slippery blunt-ended dpn.

How many times do you reckon I passed the yarn-over over, instead of the slipped stitch...? Or dropped the whole lot off the needle? Yeah. Choose your needles with care! A circular needle would have been sensible, but I didn't have one small enough.

This hat is peppered with mistakes. I know this because I had to do some... fudging (see reference to yarnovers above). But even though I know that to be a fact, I can't spot the errors - bargain!

I used a leftover skein of handpainted dk wool from Uruguay. I used it to knit my Pioneer top. It is soft and pretty with amazing yardage. I had 50g of yarn left in the ball even after knitting this hat. It might be enough to knit another one! This one is a gift.

Before blocking, this was a fairly close-to-the head tam and you couldn't really see the fan pattern. After a soak in wool wash and a few days stretched over a dinner plate, we have an actual lacey beret-shaped hat! I love the way the decreases were worked into the pattern on the crown - like a kaleidoscope!

This pattern would be amazing in a self-striping Noro-type yarn :D

So what's next?
You don't think I've stopped knitting hats do you?

I am already deeply engrossed in the Topiary Beanie, also from Weekend Hats. I am working to a deadline on this one, with a friend's birthday looming at the end of the week. I was going to gift her a pair of socks but realised I was more likely to run out of time on a sock project than a hat.

Only having one head helps.

A Date with Max

2011-11-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

FL has received an appointment letter for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery outpatients clinic.

16 December.

I am trying so hard not to read things into this! I must not jump to conclusions.

They have his x rays. They know his dentist made a mistake. They just want to make sure that everything is OK.

And that is all it means. That. Is. All. It. Means.

News? I have none.

2011-11-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

It is ten days since FL went to the hospital and was given a terrifying new disease to google.

He went to the dentist, who took x-rays, gave him a bottle of mouthwash (oh, well no, actually sold him a bottle of mouthwash) and said that either she or the hospital would be in touch.

And we have heard nothing.

Meantime, a lot has happened. I had a car accident (shocked but OK). We had a few new windows installed. I had a flat tyre. The Girl applied for 6th Form College in London. We caught 4 mice in the front room traps. FL got so high on dexies that I had to go to bed early to escape his staccato triple-volume excitement about an impossible implausible scheme... only to have him follow me and mutter and jump all night long. I spent half an hour shouting at a man in Delhi to report that my ancient mother's phone was not working and no, she could not go to her computer because she doesn't have one, and no she could not ring him herself because her phone was not working and no she did not have a mobile number and no I could not go round there and help her because I live 300 miles away. (Upshot? She has to ring him when her phone is working again. Give me strength.) Last night I managed to sleep. Life was good again.

But we have heard nothing.

Lula and Louis? Meet Betsey J!

2011-11-09T01:41:00.000-08:00

This is the latest issue of Lula magazine, an expensive and hard-to-source publication which I appear to be collecting despite the fact that I could re-sell my back copies on Eebaay for enormous profit!

Note that white collar. It turns up a lot in this issue. Mostly as designed by Louis Vuitton, a designer whom I generally greet with a shrug and a lip curl due to those ubiquitous fake bags on market stalls. Not his fault I suppose!

There is an amazing LV hotpants-jumpsuit further into the magazine which showcases this detail. I think the collar may be laser-cut white leather and the main body of the suit is velvet or maybe a boiled wool? It has massive decorative buttons too - oooh!

So when I was feeling a bit fragile and distracted last night (don't worry - it's nothing new) and came across a 1970's Betsey Johnson dress pattern on Etsy with similar features, my heart started racing. Ooh the possibilities!

It has a front zip and a lace-trimmed oversized Peter Pan collar.

I am thinking navy velvet with a white pique collar and maybe a brass-toothed zip. Big patch pockets with decorative button tabs?

I would like to wear it to my office Christmas lunch - so there's a deadline to aim for!

Exciting! A new sewing project to play with! Now to find some fine navy velvet...

So Much Knitting

2011-11-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for Betty Jean. She is deeply flattered, but is lying down with a cold compress on her fevered brow, so can't come to the blog right now ; )
As you may have gathered, I am having a Major Knitting Moment.

Greenery Beret

There are so many new inspiring knitting pattern books and magazines coming out at the moment.

Weekend Hats
I already showed you my Leaves Long Beanie.

This weekend's project is the Greenery Beret. I happened to have exactly the right colour of dk wool in the stash, leftover from making my Pioneer top. Destiny! I have knitted one pattern repeat, and although I know I won't finish the hat today, it will certainly be this week.

Skein Queen

My first Skein Queen club package arrived and ... oh gosh, oh wow... it is perfectly in tune with my preferences! I opted for the semi-solid option and it is a rich deep turquoise, overlaid with a warm chocolate brown. The base is an alpaca and silk sportweight.

It would make a lovely slouchy-styled hat, if I can resist saving it for yet another shawl.

I have a very good feeling about this yarn club! The accompanying recommended read is "When God Was a Rabbit" and my local library reserved it for me within the week :)

A Stitch In Time Volume Two

Has arrived.

It is immensely huge.
I love some things while others... others are not to my taste. At all. But there is more than enough love to outweigh the scary-looking garments.

"Scary?" Well, this may be a controversial comment, but I don't think that all the patterns survived the grading process. Those teeny tiny skinny 40's ladies looked amazing in those delicate garments, but scaled up to thicker yarn to fit larger ladies, I think that in some cases there has been a loss of design integrity.

Scaled up, there is an element of "fancy-dress" about some of these patterns, rather than the wearable reproduction of a garment for a larger size. Something has been lost in translation.
But there is still plenty in this book to excite me!

So you can expect to see more knits appearing on this blog.

And if not, I need to be challenged at dawn, because it is definitely not enough just to look at the pretty pictures!

FO: A Weekend Hat ( Leaves Long Beanie)

2011-11-05T03:35:00.000-07:00

This week's Waiting Room entertainment is brought to you by Weekend Hats: 25 Knitted Caps, Berets, Cloches and More. (You can see a Preview and Table of Contents on that page.)

I came across this book in the News Section of the new UK knitting magazine, Knit Now. Mooncalf wrote about Knit Now yesterday and I totally concur with her assessment, right down to the need to knit the Forest Gloves! Read her review here.

Back to Weekend Hats... it is fab! I want to knit almost everything in this book, and that doesn't happen often. I particularly like the Wanderer Cap (which is by Jared Flood but looks like a Stephen West design) and the Greenery Beret (by Melissa Labarre).

But I had this stunning blue PoshYarn superwash merino aranweight in the stash which I wanted to use for a Christmas hat for a shocking-pink-haired girl. The Leaves Long Beanie pattern calls for worsted weight (same as aran) so the decision made itself.

It was a quick and easy knit. The only thing I changed was that I added a tassel :D

I was slightly worried that it was looking too staid for its intended recipient. It wasn't slouchy enough to call a rasta hat or fitted enough to call a beanie, so was treading an uneasy middle ground.

I suddenly remembered a favourite hat from my childhood which had this plait and tassel feature. I loved to skip along feeling the plait bounce off my shoulder!

Some members of my household suspect that I do not intend to give this hat away. But Christmas is fast approaching so now is not the time to be selfish!

And I take my hat off to people who take the photographs for headwear-knitting books.

It is so hard to get the pictures to show the colour, the shape and the fit in a flattering light!

I was not helped by our fabulous new windows. You can see through them! The wind no longer whistles through the cracks in the glass! But... gone are my lovely (grubby) white gloss-painted window-ledges! Now I am surrounded by unfinished plywood and I have no curtain-poles in my bedroom - eek!

Now I need to factor in the whole diy / painting palaver to my pre-Christmas weekend crafting schedule - ugh! This was definitely not part of my plan. Maybe I will wait til The Boy comes home for Christmas to help me - now that really IS a good plan!

Meanwhile, I'm off to knit more hats!

P.S. I am rather enjoying seeing the stars from my bed at night. And getting up with the birds certainly frees up more knitting time!

Health Warning: Medicine in Polite Language

2011-11-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

So here we are, with a new disease to fear (Bisphosphonate-induced Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BONJ), if you missed my last post.)

FL has convinced himself that he "definitely has it" and was refusing to go back to the dentist before his scheduled appointment next week. But I like to get to the bottom of things and have been using my work-related online access to academic journals to do some research. As I am not a medic myself, most of it is a sea of meaningless words with Greek or Latin roots. FL is a classical scholar and understood "osteo" (bone) and "necrosis" (death).

It amuses me to think that someone somewhere is seeing a sudden unexplained rise in accessions to their rather esoteric journal from my institution. Hee! But I digress.

I found an excellent article (Badros, reported here) on a study of 22 patients with Multiple Myeloma who developed BONJ. It is clearly-written and gives a good over-view. For once, I understood what I was reading! But as usual the important stuff is masked by polite language. I wanted to know what it means for FL if he has this condition, and I was getting nowhere.

So I tried another tactic. I found an article on the history of ONJ. If you are of a tender disposition I suggest you do NOT google the words "phossy jaw". In particular, I recommend you avoid the images.

Because ONJ used to be known as "phossy jaw" and was famous as one of the hideous conditions suffered by workers in Victorian factories - match-making factories to be precise. Vapour from the phosphorous (phossy, bis PHOSphonate) used to make the tips of matches got into the jaw bones of factory workers, causing pain, deformity and eventual death. A large percentage of deaths were reported to be due to suicide to escape the unremitting pain. Concern about the disease was one of the factors in the London match-girls' strike of 1888. You can read about that here (no scary pictures, I promise!).

The good news is that we now have antibiotics. Woo hoo! And we have pain-killers. Woo hoo!

The bad news is: even nowadays, if you get it, it will eventually kill you. Not on its own, but because of all the other factors that accompany it. Like: not being able to eat solid food, significant levels of pain, the psychological impact of serious facial deformity as your bones rot, brain damage, and of course not being able to take the bone-strengthening drugs which you were taking to combat the Myeloma means that you are at greater risk of dying of the cancer itself.

This is the kind of information you don't get from doctors. And while I would not want anyone to show FL the pictures or even the words I have found online, I do think that those in charge of promoting the prevention of BONJ need to take their job a little more seriously. Scare the dentists into understanding the condition, not just because they might get sued (not by us, I must say) but because this is a truly horrific way to die, worthy of a sensationalist Victorian melodrama.

FL is going to the dentist today for an x-ray.*

*Edited at noon: Just received text from FL: his dentist is sending the x-rays to the Dental School. I can't help feeling we could have saved a few days if the Consultant had made this referral on Tuesday, but then again we might still have been waiting for an x-ray appointment. Now we wait.

The Vital Information:
If you have Myeloma and are being treated with bisphosphonates (Zometa by infusion or a daily pill such as Pamidronate) it is ESSENTIAL that you tell your dentist and that they consult your oncologist before carrying out any sort of dental procedure.

They MUST NOT extract any teeth unless there is no alternative, and they should then do so only under the supervision of a specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.

If in doubt, go straight to your local Dental School armed with an information leaflet. In Scotland, I recommend this one.

Hospital Update: Something new to worry about

2011-11-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today FL went back to the hospital for his regular check-up. We got the Big Cheese.
She said she had decided to reintroduce steroids alongside his Revlimid, as research seemed conclusive that the benefits outweighed the risks, as long as FL avoids infection and "stays well". She checked his chest (fine) and went through a checklist of other possible side-effects of Revlimid, and declared him fit enough to proceed.

She did not tell us the results of his latest Freelite test, other than to say his numbers are "steady". For the first time, she issued a warning that if he is taken off Revlimid mid-cycle, he must return the leftover drugs to the hospital. She said that if his numbers increase, he will be taken off the drug immediately. Reading between the lines, I think FL's time on Revlimid may be limited. But she did not ask for another Freelite test to be done today, so he is "safe" for another two months at least.

However...

She asked if there was anything else, and I said "You need to tell her about your teeth". FL was puzzled. He views teeth as being for dentists, not doctors, but I had a lurking worry in the back of my head that he was not supposed to undertake invasive dental treatment without consulting the doctor. So he explained that he had had a couple of extractions done a few weeks back and the neighbouring teeth now appeared to be abscessing...

Dear God.

The Consultant was on to him like a hound on a hare. "Did you come up to the Dental School for the work?" Um... no, the local dentist. "There is no mention of this on your file - did you tell your dentist you were on Zometa?" Um... well, FL told the dentist he had Multiple Myeloma and was on Warfarin. "But Zometa? Did you tell them about the Zometa?" FL has no idea what he said to the dentist.

So here's the scary medical bit:

"Osteonecrosis of the jaws is a condition whereby there is loss or destruction of the bone underneath the teeth. This loss of bone appears to be caused by a combination of poor blood supply and impaired bone remodeling or healing."

The advice from the International Myeloma Foundation reads as follows:

"Be alert and aware that bisphosphonate use can be associated with jaw or dental problems, including pain, bone loss, and poor healing. Problems are more likely with longer periods of bisphosphonate use (e.g. several years) and possibly more potent bisphosphonates (e.g. Zometa®).

Be proactive if dental problems exist and/or if any dental or jaw interventions are planned. If feasible, dental evaluation and treatment prior to starting bisphosphonates would seem to be a good idea. Once bisphosphonate therapy has begun, dental extractions, placement of dental implants and/or any other major interventions must be undertaken with due caution. Although there are no conclusive data available at this point, stopping Aredia® or Zometa® for 2-4 months prior to a procedure can be considered. This may help even in the absence of any planned surgery.

Conservative measures such as antibiotic treatment and mouth rinses (e.g. Peridex or hydrogen peroxide) would seem to be quite helpful and safe. Intravenous antibiotics may be required for more severe or acute secondary infections. Ongoing use of an antibiotic such as penicillin has also been recommended if problems persist. Major surgical intervention should be avoided if at all possible."

The Consultant looked like she could have strangled us both. She was... extremely frustrated. And who can blame her? I knew about this disease. I knew about this disease, but I trusted FL's dentist to make the necessary checks before starting work, because I believed they were all medical professionals, and they would understand that there was a reason why FL was mentioning his condition. MM is a pretty rare type of cancer, but you would have hoped that a dentist would be aware of the questions to ask, like "are you on bisphosphonates?" Although, to be honest, FL would probably have answered "no" because he calls it "Zometa".

So now what?

After a bit of confusion, (should she refer him to the Dental School now or not?) the Consultant told FL to go back to his dentist as planned (next week) but to insist on an x-ray and for the dentist to telephone the hospital to discuss what she sees on the x-ray before any work is considered.

In the meantime, he cannot have any more Zometa or calcium supplements.

What does this mean?

Potentially, he could lose his teeth. Actually, he could lose his JAW. And there does not seem to be much that anyone can do about it once the rot has set in.

So this is an interesting new departure. There we were, worried about his back, his lungs, his feet, when we should actually have been paying more attention to his damned toothache.

FO: Betty Jean McNeil Cardigan

2011-10-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Stats:
Pattern: Betty Jean McNeil from Emily Johnson of The Family Trunk Project

Yarn: Alba Yarn, shetland fingering from The Wool Shed in Trout (brown), Pumpkin (orange) and Lochan (teal)

Buttons: 1940's vintage celluloid from Clover Crafts and Curios at eeebaaay.

Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce Miss Betty Jean McNeil?

On first meeting, she seems like a rather buttoned-up and studious young woman, bookish one might say. But I suspect she is wearing silk under her fair-isle and tweeds.

There have been many times over the past seemingly endless months of knitting, when I questioned my sanity at taking on this project.

It was my first attempt at "proper" fair-isle knitting: stranding, steeking and all, and it was not easy.

But the biggest strain on my patience was probably the sheer acreage of fine-gauge plain knitting.

I knit little things: socks, hats, the odd shawl, and they usually have snazzy stitch patterns to keep me interested until the next bit of shaping.

Betty Jean was a very different kind of undertaking. She was a very technical, process-driven knit. The first thing the knitter has to do is work a folded hem on circular needles - just one new technique of the many I had to master to complete this garment.

Betty Jean demanded that I slow down and just enjoy the feel of the wool passing beneath my fingers. Even at the very end, when I thought I was nearly done, there was an hour-and-a-half's-worth of i-cord bind-off to negotiate... followed by sewing on twenty buttons. TWENTY!
I didn't dare to try it on until the last button was in place.

I had taken liberties with the yarn / needle combination and I knew this was going to be a very fitted garment. Luckily, I got away with it. But I wouldn't risk it again. Swatch, my friends, swatch!

Verdict?

I started this with the 1940's in mind, but the silhouette is actually late 1950's / early 1960's. That high neck could be very prissy and self-righteous-looking. I am going to have to take care not to look like a Sunday-school teacher when I wear it.

Knee-length tweed skirts may be a bad idea. Cropped narrow trousers would be better.

But don't misunderstand me. Betty Jean was a labour of love and she is everything I hoped she would be: vintage-looking, fair-isle, a bit preppy College Girl... and really warm!

Yeah... Betty Jean was worth it!

Squirreling: Preparing for Hibernation

2011-10-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

I am determined that this year will not be like last. LAST year the winter hit us hard and long... and we were not prepared. As the hailstones battered the skylight on Wednesday night, I made a list:

Fuel: This year we have laid in a pile of logs. I am not convinced they will see us through to February, but at least we have made a start. I may start buying a few bags of wood from the petrol station and hiding them in the Bothy as second-line defence against FL's through-the-night fire-hugging addiction. Sssh - don't tell! He insists we have enough logs from our own trees.

Food: I am working through the contents of the freezer in preparation for a major re-stock. This winter, I hope to always have a week's worth of meal ingredients in reserve, in case we get snowed in. And we have twelve jars of runny marmalade in the cupboard. If all else fails, we can have toast for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Garden: I harvested all three of my courgettes before the first frost - yes, you read that right: my nine plants produced three baby courgettes between them. I also collected two handfuls of broad beans from my 15-plant plot. So that's about two beans per plant - fabulous! I am seriously considering abandoning the veg garden next year: so much work for so little return.

The herb garden has done better. New flowers are still appearing, including a deep red hollyhock from seed planted at least two years ago, if not three: now that's what I call an incubation period! My tulip and allium bulbs are all in the ground. The garden has had its final weed for the season - you won't catch me out there again til the spring!

Wool: Despite extreme temptation, I came away from the Glasgow School of Yarn without adding to my stash. But I was torturing myself with the memory of the Skein Queen stall, where every colour glowed more tantalisngly than the one next to it... so I signed up for the email list.
Ha! A couple of days later I received an invitation to join the Queen's Surprise Yarn Club and was powerless to resist. Each colourway is inspired by a book or a film, so that will perk up my reading list too.
I have enough wool to last me at least two years. (Make that five: I have no shame.)
But I will knit more cardis!
And next year I am sure I can knit a pair of socks every month.
Just let me get Christmas over...

Fabric: I have the fabric I need "in stock" for several seasonal projects. Once Betty Jean is finished I will get back to sewing. The only vacancy in my stash is for coat-material. That's OK. No rush.

Great Plains basic l-s top

Wardrobe: My switchover purging session left me topless and grumpy, with very few "outfits" to call upon.
So this week I caved and bought three long-sleeved t shirts to see me through the season in presentable layers.
Otherwise, I fear I would have worn my black Audrey-esque trousers and polo-neck sweater every day from now until the tulips bloom. I really miss my short-sleeved blouse collection! I still need to stock up with tights and thermal vests...

Please don't tell me I could have sewn my own long-sleeved t's. I know. But by the time I found the fabric I wanted and sourced a pattern, it would have been springtime again. Life is too short. I was cold. And I need all my time for knitting. ; )

Office shoes

Shoes: Sensible black ankle-boots have been purchased. They are neutral, comfortable and immensely "safe". I will probably wear them every day it is cold or wet or windy but not actually snowing. Yawn.

But the same internet shopping basket contained a pair of burgundy wood-heeled "70's does the 40's" funky lace-ups. I wore them yesterday and they made me smile! And they were in the Sale. :D

Reading Matter: I have been loading my online wish-list at the local library, including the first two Skein Queen book inspirations. This is not a snow-proof plan, as the library is seven miles away, but at least it makes it likely that I will have at least one unread book on the shelf at any one time.

What am I reading right now? The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. My daughter insisted. It contains far too many snakes for my liking but I am almost done. I can't stop now.

And Fitness: This is an odd one to "stock up" with, but I really must ensure I go into the cold weather with some physical reserves. It has been too easy to get into the habit of letting the dog run along behind the car instead of walking out in the weather beside him. FL can no longer walk the fields for hours on end, but I have no excuse.
The other day I deliberately walked from the end of the road up to the farmhouse, lifting my knees high in the air with every step. I must have looked like an extra from a Monty Python film, but it was exercise. I could hear the ball and socket joints grinding with every movement. Not good. : (

What about you? Are you ready for winter?

Wilma, or the Perils of Web-based translation...

2011-10-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

"When planning a "D" in the part number is designed to be worn as a mini dress.

(Clarity of the time of sale in favor of "C" has been moved to No.)
I originally designed as lounge wear,
The article "garbled", an interesting pattern.

Bottlenecks and cut out, point by floating with a patch pocket.
Use a simple apology underlined finger hole sleeve.
Therefore, it is also twisted sleeve design point is underlined.
Collar is just a simple apology wraps
Slap on the back facing the stitch.
Length comfortably sit in cover, winter warmth.

Material has a relatively firm is facing second-knit place.
Fleece, wool knit compression, such as fleece.
Epidemic "can also Fuwa," as well as material, the design would fit.

I saw cute toile collar Guriwohasamidejokijoki off,

Collar B (de scoop neck) also put information on line.

When you arrange short sleeves, also make like a big T.

Deliberately dropped shoulders, and your cute tank top to show patterns.

If you are concerned about the visible bra straps,

Please pull back slightly inside the shoulder line.

(Personally, a little too stuffed collar,

I think I have devised an inner nice)"

This is Wilma.
You can buy the pattern here.

Photo credits: Tamanegi-kobo

Complementary Knitting

2011-10-25T01:04:00.000-07:00

Oh the joy! Seraphine will rise again! 90g of grey gotland has arrived from the roadside shed in the Highlands and I have cast on for the West Wing - woo hoo!

While I was waiting, I could not resist making a start on the Ashby Shawl. But I am a silly fool. I did not pay sufficient attention to the chart key and I decided that all of my wrong side rows were inside out: I knitted where I should have purled and vice versa. "Sigh," thought I. Riiiiiiiiiiiiip! And then I looked at this photo again and I wasn't so sure... so I may have ripped out an entire chart's worth of perfectly good knitting.

Moving on...

I needed a project to knit on the train to Glasgow, so cast on for a sock.

It is the Retro Rib pattern from Favorite Socks. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colourway "S.W.A.K" and I am delighted to have hit the sweet spot in the dye repeat - woo hoo! 64 stitches on 2.75mm dpns gives me this spiralling stripe of loveliness.

Remind me of those numbers the next time I am spitting fire at Lorna's Laces for pooling and splotching ; )

This was supposed to be a Christmas gift sock, but the colour isn't what I thought it was when I saw it in the skein. This is quite a girlie-looking sock. I am not sure that it ticks the box for an FL-sock or a Boy-sock. And The Girl doesn't do brown. So I may have to pause after sock one to prioritise my gift knitting. Because despite all my resolutions about not knitting for non-believers*, I still feel the urge.

The List

For The Boy: a Stephen West Man-Shawl
For His Girl: a stunningly blue hat to set off her shockingly pink hair
For FL: a pair of Sock Hop handspun socks: rustic and manly, just like himself!
For The Girl: I can't say here because she might read it, even though we have promised not to read each other's blogs! Hello girl! ; )
For My Mother: OK... I might not knit anything for Grandma this year because it never seems to be the right thing (*too scratchy / hot / funny colour / modern-looking) and she is perfectly capable of knitting her own black acrylic ribbed hats. Or maybe I will relent and knit her a nice soft natural-fibre hat from a vintage pattern (*old-fashioned looking). Pffft!

Oh dear. I think my list is longer than my available knitting time - again!

Betty Jean: the first cut is the deepest

2011-10-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend I gathered my courage and began to steek Betty Jean.

Some of my readers mentioned that they did not know what "steeking" meant, so I thought I would treat you to some gorey operation-in-progress shots. Those of a nervous disposition may wish to avert their eyes!

The picture above bears witness to the scariest part of the process: listen to me my children, you have to CUT your knitting! GASP!!!

But as several wise commenters observed, this is a "sticky" wool fabric, which cut lengthwise will not instantly unravel itself. If I were to cut it crosswise, it would be a very different story... so I won't be doing that!

When you knit something with the intention of steeking it, you add extra bands of stitches, rather like a seam allowance in a sewn garment. As you are knitting in the round, there are two such allowances next to one another, and where they join is where you cut... but because knitters remember the hours of work it has take to get to this point, there is an option to reinforce the fabric either side of the cutting line. Just in case. Having found crochet too bulky, and heeding the advice that a machine-stitched thread line might eventually cut through my yarn, I opted for two rows of backstitch using the same weight of wool as my garment.

These are sewn through the centre of the line of stitches to either side of the centre-parting, as shown above.
And then you CUT your knitting right up the middle. GULP.
And miraculously, it stays there. As long as you haven't cut through your back-stitching (hence the contrasting colour), this is enough to hold the fabric steady while you fold and steam press under each seam allowance.
This is the top of a sleeve.
The safety pin is holding the stitches which will be grafted to a matching set on the main body piece under the arm.

And this is the centre front, after stitching, cutting,folding, steam-pressing and stitching into place with a simple big hand-stitch.

Easy, huh?!

Now all I have to do is sew in the sleeves and pick up the stitches down the fronts to make button bands.

In daylight.

See you next weekend!

Glasgow School of Yarn... Taking a Pew with Stephen West!

2011-10-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a day trip to Glasgow School of Yarn, organised by the wonderful Yarn Cake.

I took a class with Stephen West! Here he is, the man himself, wearing a glorious man-shawl he designed and knitted, and demonstrating how to cable without a cable needle. It was a pretty small class, so we got individual attention and could ask all those burning questions about his work, his life, what flavour of jelly beans he prefers... oh no, not really! I made that last one up!

I felt like a bit of fraud, because although I am a total fan-girl (a male dancer who designs knitting patterns? Wow! Carlos Acosta, stand aside, Mr West is coming through!) I...um... haven't actually knitted any of his designs! :O
But that is going to change because I am INSPIRED!

He had brought along an entire trunk-load of his work. There were sample shawls, hats, mittens, a bag from past, present and future publications. He talked through his design process, colour, yarn and stitch-pattern decisions.
Two-colour stripes are a bit of a WestKnits trademark, and I think they are one of the features which make the shawls appropriate for men as well as women. I came away itching to make the Transatlantic Shawl for The Boy!

I love the holes in it! I mean - what a crazy zombie-friendly idea! And the vertical stripes? The garter stitch sections, adding texture? SO COOL!
Oh - did I mention we actually got to handle his knitted samples? :D
Sadly, he didn't have any of his books available at the class. I have sent a hopeful message to the Yarn Cake, asking to reserve a copy of WestKnits 2, if at all possible. He mentioned a future publication on the theme of Movement - I will be queuing that one as soon as it comes out - Stephen West legwarmers?! Yes please!
The event was held in the Mackintosh Church, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but I didn't take many pictures of the interior. If you look through the hole in Transatlantic (above) you can see a glimpse of this stained glass window:

Maybe if you ask her nicely, Christine will post her photos of the architecture, as she was far more diligent than me in this regard. Hello Christine!
And Ms Ripples has taken a photo of our class from below, here. I am gutted to note that Mr West is blocking your view so you can't see that this is a picture of him talking to Christine and me! LOL

Of course, the purpose of the class was to practise various techniques. When I look at my tiny swatch, I have to laugh that this was my output from three hours of knitting! But I had another five hours' worth of stitching time on the train, so I also have half a sock to show for it!
And anyway... three hours with Stephen West? Priceless!
P.S. And yes, there was cake too - mmmmmmmmmm! ;)

Step Away from the Steeks

2011-10-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

What I didn't tell you yesterday, was that on Sunday I spent an hour and a half trying to crochet a steek on one sleeve of Betty Jean. I had two problems: seeing where to pick up the stitches was the first. I kept veering off on the diagonal, spanning three half-stitches instead of two.

Then I checked the online tutorials by Eunny and Elinor, and realised that I had only pulled the yarn through the stitches once, not twice. So I ripped it out, and put it away in disgust.

Yesterday (Monday) I had the day off to commune with The Girl on her return from London. But being a teenager, she spent a lot of the day holed up in her room playing loud music. Fair enough! So I thought I would have another try at the crochetted steek.

I ended up sitting on the draughty windowsill trying to see my stitches. I was becoming quite concerned by my foggy vision. This is the result of two hours of chilly effort. (It was 2 degrees C when we walked the dog a little later...)

It is far too bulky. These great ridges of crochet, folded underneath, will give me the most visible of seamlines. It wouldn't be a problem up the front bands, but round the top of the sleeves? Ugh.

A machine-stitched steek would be less bulky... but the sleeve top is too narrow to manoeuvre its length under the presser-foot unless... unless I cut the steek before I sew?

Does anyone know about steeks? Can I safely slice before I sew? It is pure wool so it will definitely felt a bit when washed, but what if it unravels before I get the machine stitching in place? And why are the tops of the sleeves steeked anyway?

I put it away. No more daylight for me til the weekend.

I made twelve jars of ruby grapefruit marmalade instead!

Wave to Betty Jean - she's off on an adventure!

2011-10-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

At about 5am this morning, FL woke me:

FL: Is that you squeaking?
Me: Wassat? Huh? mumble mumble sleeping...
FL: SQUEAKING, are you SQUEAKING?
Me: NO! I AM SLEEPING! What time is it?
FL: Oh no, ho ho ho, sorry - it's the geese. I heard the geese and I thought it was you! Ha ha ha - now go to sleep! It's only 5 o'clock...
Me: Ughhhhhh...

But this disturbance propelled me into a strange dream, in which I was trying to ride a penny farthing cycle up a steep snowy hill, pulling myself up by grabbing hold of the grit on the walls of the houses I passed.
Halfway up the hill, I met Eunny Jang, who was unpacking a vanload of books into a student house, and wanted me to proof-read her PhD. I told her I was too busy right now but could she keep in touch, please?
And then I met a group of foster-carers from South London, complete with dozens of children, who were showing me photographs and wanted me to read them stories - would I come to the library with them? Sorry - busy right now, but I'll be back later.

Cute Child: Whatya doin' Roo?
Me: STEEKING. I am STEEKING!

And that, my friends, is what you call a life-like dream.

FO: Betsey Johnson goes to Bournville: 70's trousers

2011-10-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well now... hands up who thought my Eva Dress 1940's trousers were wide? You ain't seen nothing yet, baby!
Welcome to the 1970's: platform soles, v-necked pullovers, the Bay City Rollers and all!

Stats:

Pattern: Butterick 3289, Young Designer Betsey Johnson of Alley Cat, Junior size 7. I added a centimetre to the back side pieces and reduced all the seams to 1cm in the hope that they would fit. Luckily I was having a numerate day!

Fabric: 2 metres of dark bitter Bournville chocolate chalk-striped cotton moleskin: seriously heavy, warm to the touch and gorgeous! From Croft Mill Fabrics, £5.50 a metre - sorry, it's sold out!

Button: Vintage, from the button box at my local charity shop, 5p. It is a chocolate button.

Zip: At the side instead of the back, which is a concept that scares me. Not exactly invisible, but it still goes up and down, and that was my priority! ; )

The Sewing:

This was a really fun day of sewing! Once I had established that I had enough material (and we are talking about half a centimetre's gap between the edge of the pattern and the edge of the fabric on all four sides!) I pretty much threw myself into this project.

I knew that the pattern was too small for my measurements, but figured that the sheer width of those legs must mean I could make it fit! The first time I stitched them, I narrowed the pleats to give myself more space at the waist, but it wasn't necessary. I had to unpick them and sew them again, using the original pattern markings. I was really pleased to be able to do this, because the style depends on that contrast between the high fitted waist and the sheer width of those legs. The fabric is stitched down for 7 1/2 inches (19cm) in four front pleats. Taking narrower seams was enough to make them fit, with a bit more length added onto the waistband.

So how wide are they, exactly? Um... each leg is 29 inches wide: that's 74cm for the metrically-inclined! WOW! This is the first time I have been able to slide an entire trouser leg over my ironing board!

I am calling this a Finished Object, but I haven't actually hemmed them yet. I finally ordered a pair of simple black ankle boots: good quality, hopefully weather-resistant, plain boots. But when I went to try these on, they just screamed out to be worn with my ridiculously high tan wedges! And I discovered that I can get thick hand-knitted socks on comfortably with these shoes... which makes them borderline appropriate for winter wear. If only I thought I could negotiate the cobblestones of my work environment in them, without twisting my ankle! So I am waiting for boots to arrive before I make a hem-length decision.

Verdict?:

They sang shangalang as they ran with the gang, singing doo-wop-sha-dooby-doo-aye!

Vintage Blouse and 70's copper pendant

Call me crazy if you like, but I absolutely love them! They sing to me of another era and have so much attitude! How can anyone take life too seriously in a pair of these trousers?

And before you ask... yes, I do intend to wear them to work.

Have you got a problem with that, sir?

The question is: would it be totally ridiculous to make another pair in black?

The Geese are Gathering, the Dust is Not

2011-10-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

Every year, thousands (yes, really) of geese gather at the foot of the valley, preparing for their flight south. It is a sure sign that winter is on its way. Ignore it at your peril! And every year I try to take photographs of the shrieking, squawking multitude as they settle on the fields, only to rise up again in swooping sweeping skeins when disturbed by a cow, a tractor, a photographer. One day I will succeed!
For now, you will have to settle for a grey blur, centre left. This is just a tiny percentage of the flock.

Goodbye summer!

So... the weather is on the turn, and I needed to perform the Great Wardrobe Switchover. I approached the task with trepidation this year, because I remember being ruthless when I packed my clothes away in spring!

Moth Quarantine

Actually, it wasn't so bad. I definitely have some skirts: 3 lined wool, 2 cord (1 lined), 3 lined cotton and 2 unlined mediumweight. Trousers? Hmmm.

My ten-year-old cotton velvet jeans are on the washing line in disgrace after I found a moth larva in them - aargh!

My navy Eva Dress trousers are still in the wardrobe but I have my doubts about their warmth. My black Audreys are still in there and I think they will be OK until it gets really cold.

But I definitely need to get on with sewing more warm trousers: Betsey Johnson flares are cut and ready to sew, and I have aubergine stretch wool for another pair of Audreys.

I have my denim Lisette for layering at home, and one work-friendly Brora 40's-style dress - woo hoo!

The Remains of the Day

Tops? Oh my. Not so much. But I knew this.

I was relieved / delighted to discover two Boden polo-neck sweaters I had forgotten about, in navy and black. Unfortunately, having hung them in the sunshine to drop their creases, there was a definite bad smell... I will try washing them again, but I suspect they will have to go. This was why I threw out my thermal vests. Eau de nervous sweat - lovely, Roo!

I am keeping out my two Sencha blouses, South Riding and my new vintage white blouse to wear layered with a warm cardigan, of which I have seven: Central Park Hoodie, Manon, Audrey-in-Unst, two shop-bought (as seen in all the self-stitched challenges), and my two green vintage cardis from Gabrielle - hooray! And I have my two self-drafted tees. But there is a definite absence of long-sleeved tops / thermal layers. I have one brown long-sleeved tee. I have nothing resembling a crew neck sweater.
In the coat / jacket line, I have two tailored work-appropriate jackets, my home-made heavy wool coat, and the Dog Walking Coat of Doom which I have been wearing all summer - tsk! My home-made coat is out on the washing line to blow away the cobwebs. I need to wear it more often, instead of the Dog Coat. But I still want to make a smart wool coat from my vintage Betsey Johnson pattern.

Call me Imelda

And footwear? I put away my toes-out sandals and my silk sneakers.

Other than wellies and my red patent DMs, I have: my brown vintage cowboy boots, towering tan wedges and black Camper lace-up heels.

My two-tone brogues don't like the rain. My embroidered Kickers pumps are being worn to death right now and are no good in the cold.

Yes, I must stop prevaricating and buy something practical for winter workwear.
Black leather chelsea boots? Dunno.

What I definitely do NOT lack is woolly shawls ... which must be why I have two more on the needles. Some people never learn!

FO: Colette Ginger skirt with added Mushroomz

2011-10-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

Colette Ginger: the skirt of my dreams!

Stats:

Pattern: Colette Ginger, View 3, cut on the bias, in size 2.

Fabric: Kokka Trefle mushroom print heavy cotton / linen mix from Raystitch, one metre...

with inner waistband cut from plain purple cotton because one metre is not enough!

Lining: Black with white polka dots, from favourite Fabrics at eeebaaay, leftover from my Japanese pattern jacket.

Other notions: Purple gingham bias binding to face the hem and to highlight my hook-and-eye feature waistband (ahem!); one damaged invisible zip.

"Can we go for a walk now?

I've been very patient, while you fiddled about with that stupid zip.

And I don't know why you needed to sew 5 hooks and eyes onto the waistband, or put gingham bias binding on the inside of the hem, where you can't even see it.

Look - your wellies are by the door, and the sun is shining.

We could go and look for some real mushrooms in the top woods.

And I might see some rabbits.

Or even deer!"

I love the shape of the Ginger skirt.

It is so much more than a simple a-line. The back seam curves in as it reaches that high waist, emphasising the small of your back. And the bias version flips out towards the hem, for added movement.

Do you see how it curves at the bottom?

I wore it with my new vintage blouse from Love Alexandra. You can't really see, but it is a kind of broderie anglaise at the front, with swirling lacey eyelets, and plain white cotton with buttons on the back.

I dug out my granny's purple glass and brass necklace.

And my lovely vintage cashmere cardigan from Gabrielle.

Yellow wellies... well, because I had to trudge across two nine-acre fields to get here!

If you look through the trees, there was indeed a family of deer browsing in the late afternoon sunshine...

Quick catch-up: mostly sewing

2011-10-11T02:31:00.000-07:00

Zip Action:
Everyone - you are stars! Thank you so much for all your advice on zips. It was good to hear that this is a problem I share with others. I will try the pencil-rubbing first...but I have a lingering suspicion that I have actually damaged the zip during the "gentle pressing" deployed to open the zip coil before sewing. And as I have never sewn an invisible zip before, and it is now encased by the waistband, I am not entirely sure how to get at the stitching to unpick it.
So... despite my perfectionist streak saying I ought to rip it apart completely and put in a new zip, I think I am going to do something artistic to secure the top of the waistband. It is just so neat below the waistband, I don't have the heart to destroy my careful handiwork! I rather liked Lorna's suggestion to use a frog fastening, because this would not affect the zip function if it suddenly decides to work properly. The problem with my original plan of adding loops and buttons is that I would want to sew the loops to the inside of the waist, and have them looping out to the upper surface to reach the buttons on the outside... past the zipper teeth. Hmmm.

Which brings me back to the idea of corset tape with hooks and eyes. I saw this rather funky gingham tape on eeebaaay - the one on the left.

Photo credit: ebay seller.

As I am planning to use purple gingham bias binding on the hem, I think I will shamelessly copy this idea, and stitch big black vintage hooks and eyes onto a piece of the purple tape as a decorative feature, either on the outside or the inside, depending on how much of a feature I want it to be! This would not prevent later use of the zip if it springs into life.

Bodge job? I deny it! ; )

FL:
I am somewhat shocked to report that FL played 9 holes of golf yesterday. This is the man who was supposed to be taking it easy! He says he thinks the exercise "freed his chest" and that "a little breathlessness" was good for him. What can I say? But he must be feeling better - he could never have attempted such madness a week ago. That's his first golf since August.

Although he was a bit grumpy about the removal of steroids from his treatment regime, his energy level has been noticeably more even. I would much rather he went through life in a steady 2nd / 3rd gear, instead of surging from 1st to 5th and back again, shooting himself (and me) through the metaphorical windscreen once a week!

Other Sewing:
I have cut out my Betsey Johnson pattern trousers. They are going to be amazing! I hope to get on with them tomorrow as I have the day off to take The Girl to the airport for a trip to see her dad (it is half-term here).

And Knitting?
I am about ten tiny rows away from the end of Betty Jean's second sleeve. After that? Steeking, baby, steeking! EEK!

And shoes?
Oh heaven help me, I am totally tied up in knots thinking about office-appropriate winter footwear. I have spent hours scouring the web for something brown and something black... only to decide I want something burgundy, and buying nothing. What a waste of good knitting time!

Zip-pity Boo Blah

2011-10-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have been working on my mushroom madness skirt.

It is view 3 of Colette Ginger, so bias cut with a plain but high waistband.

I lined it with blackand white pin-dots.

It will be hemmed with gingham bias binding.

And this is my first ever invisible zip fastening, which is, frankly, a thing of beauty to behold, thanks to the Colette online tutorial.

Yet again I found myself eke-ing out a tiny piece of fabric to make a Ginger! You would have thought I would have learned my lesson by now. This is now the third time I have had to compromise to make it work.

This time I had a full metre of fabric... but I hadn't realised it was only 45" wide, not 60" as before. Nooooooooo!

Any ideas I might have had about matching my mushrooms were curtailed. I didn't even have enough fabric to line the waistband! Luckily I had some plain purple cotton leftover from a previous project.

So, yes, everything was going pretty well. There were fungi cartwheeling trippily on the bias, there was a danged sharp turn at the top of my waistband, and fizzy dots in my lining.

And then I went to try it on.

And this is how far my zip ascends...

This far, and no further.

It was operating perfectly smoothly until now. I have tweaked it, I have prodded it, I have used brute force, but it will go no higher. I can only imagine that I have stitched it too close to the teeth in my quest for perfection.

So now what? I don't want to risk unpicking it as I think the bias-cut fabric will stretch out of shape in the process.

I am thinking of sewing on a piece of corset tape for a funky hook-and-eye feature centre back?
Or maybe a couple of fabric loops and buttons, as on the back of the Lisette Portfolio?
Tell me sew-ists: what would YOU do?

Season of the Tweedy Shawl and a Baby FO

2011-10-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have been having such a good time knitting Seraphine!

More and more I have come to realise that I have a bit of a fetish for sheepy wool and big textures: cables you can get your teeth into and crunch.
At the moment I am stuck, awaiting news from the wild west on whether or not the spinner has any of their 2010 batch of grey gotland lurking at the back of the wool shed. If need be, I am willing to adapt Seraphine to make an assymmetric shawl. A big pin should hold her steady!

Meanwhile... I knitted a baby hat. This is the Dear Baby Francis Hat from Irish Girlie Knits. The pattern includes a baby sock recipe... and to be honest that was why I bought it, because they are so very cute and cabley.

But I had this Shilasdair Luxury DK left over from the Demne Cardigan and a newborn baby to rustle up a gift for, so a hat happened.

Sleeve Two of Betty Jean has occupied my Waiting Room hours and I have high hopes for a FO in the next couple of weeks. Honest.

All of which left me with an lingering itch for wool. Payday came, and my yearning for a certain pair of golden shoes was tarnished by their lack of wooden heels, so I began fidgetting about, looking for another source of mustard glory in my life. And I saw another shawl pattern, and I found some sale-price yarn... and a plan was hatched... or thatched.

My next Big Knitting Project? Ashby by Leila Raabe, from the Brooklyn Tweed stable.

To be knit in Rowan Scottish Tweed, in the discontinued colour Thatch, a gorgeous autumnal harvesty mustardy gold.

It is a colour that is probably not going to flatter my skin tone, but it is a colour I want to have around me. This is a garment for home-wear round the farm. An essential extra windproof layer. And a piece of kntting therapy. Delicious!

I hear there has been a foot of snow in the Cairngorms... eek!

Picture credit: Brooklyn Tweed

About comments:
If you are a Blogger user, please be warned that there is something going wrong with the comments feature. I can't leave a comment on other Blogger blogs using my home laptop unless I am already signed in and can't leave a comment at all from my work pc. Not that I would ever read blogs on my work pc you understand... But it has been very frustrating over the last couple of days. If I normally comment on your blog and appear to be ignoring you... I'm not!

A Cheerful Miss A Laney

2011-10-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

So many tiny little things to be said. Let's throw them all into one blog post and to hell with Burgundy!

Remember the parcel FL lost on the way to the Post Office? Some kind stranger must have picked it up and put in the letterbox, because I just received a refund for the returned garment - woo hoo!
My copy of Colette Jasmine turned up - it had been delayed at Customs before reaching the e-tailer. It looks fab! I have cut the paper pattern and am itching to get started.
I bought a vintage blouse... and waited... and waited. Then I emailed the online shop. Their server had gone loopy and marked the blouse as sold without telling them who to send it to. Me! So they refunded the postage and sent it First Class - with a free magazine enclosed and a discount code for next time! It is fab : ) I will show you soon, because...
I am sewing a mushroom-print Ginger skirt... mwaah ha ha ha ha!

Muzzroomzz

I ran out of yarn for my humungous Seraphine wrap... but traced the spinner and they are going to try to match the wool and send me some more - woo-tastic!
I have not yet ordered the mustard shoes of bodaciousness, because they look better in America. In the States, they come with wooden heels. In the UK, they are plain yellow. I like the wood best... so I am considering getting them in brown instead... or going completely nuts and buying a totally different pair of shoes. I know. Shocking.
It is Socktober... but I have not yet cast on a pair of socks. This must be rectified! It is practically Christmas after all :O
I have almost finished the second sleeve of Betty Jean - all that is needed now is some steeking and front bands. How long can that possibly take me?!
My new driving soundtrack is The Cure's Greatest Hits. I have no words to express the sheer joy of rediscovering these songs!
Another baby has been born. He can have a hat... once I finish knitting it. It's not his fault his mother drives me nuts ; ) I should have that ready to show you by the end of the week.

And many thanks for all your lovely comments about my Gingery sewing adventure and FL's latest health and sickness report. It's funny - although we probably received bad news yesterday, the Doctor was so open and explained it all so well (I even got a drawing of IGg and a proper explanation of his "type" of myeloma - first time ever!), we left feeling confident that the doctors are doing the right thing.

Denise and Sandy: thanks for the reminder about myeloma and fungus in lungs. We lost our best MM blog friend that way, but had shut it out of our minds. FL thinks he is improving. We remain vigilant!

Lorna: Thank you for the link to Otis! : )

Sarahel: It's still such a taboo to marry across the generations. It can feel pretty lonely sometimes, 'cos we don't really fit into the usual social circles and the world at large treats older / younger relationships as a joke or something sinister. But you know this. If anything I write strikes a chord with you, well, "Hello sister! High Five!" :D
I was thinking... when I first decided to come back to my FL, I had this vision of him in his happy relaxed retirement, sitting under a tree doing crosswords in his chair, while I pottered around the garden in the sunshine. (Yeah... there was probably a toddler in the picture too, but we won't go there...) I hadn't twigged that I would still be working full time to pay the mortgage while he was home alone, in pain, with nobody to talk to. So unfair! But at least I am here for him. He's not in a Care Home! I mean, really, how many lovely lively people are consigned to a care facility just because they happen to be old and frail and haven't got "someone"?

Hospital Update: the October edition (no more Dexies)

2011-10-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

A Quick Catch-Up: Since his last scheduled hospital appointment, (when he reported new chest / rib pain) FL has been laid low with a lung infection. Two weeks later, when he reluctantly dragged himself to the doctor, his GP called an ambulance. He spent one night in the Respiratory Ward with suspected pneumonia on intravenous antibiotics and an oxygen mask, before getting himself sent home for good behaviour. But he still isn't well. Nothing like it. He went back to the GP on Friday for his usual blood tests and came home with another prescription for antibiotics. On Friday night and Saturday he was complaining about pain in his heart/ lung / chest / rib area and started taking Paracetamol at the maximum recommended dose. Until the painkillers kicked in, he was telling me he was ready to give up. This is not FL-like talk! This is bad!

Friday was a bad day altogether. His car broke down on the way to the doctor (in town A) and he had to tie the power steering fluid hose up with a shoe-lace to get it to the garage. At the same time, the school rang him to say that The Girl had burned her arm and needed to go to the Health Centre (in town B) to have it dressed, could he come? Luckily, he didn't have his hearing aid in, so shouted "Pardon?" at them until they gave up and rang me instead (in town C). Yes, I know -we need to change the "first point of contact" number on the school database - urgently!

On Saturday, I felt like a zombie, with a heavy cold and a migraine. Some fool overtook me driving up a notorious steep blind summit and nearly got us all killed. I drove home very slowly and curled up on the sofa with a blankie while FL popped pills. What a fun family! Luckily The Girl was at a school friend's birthday outing, so missed the worst of us.

On Sunday I made a skirt and FL read and slept. On Monday I went to work as usual and FL read and slept.

So... here we are on Tuesday, with the regular monthly haematology appointment.

Facts and Figures:
September Freelite results: Kappa 190; Lamda 10.2; Ratio 18.7
(July results were: Derived Kappa 257; Ratio 39)
Despite these results being reports of slightly different things (because we saw a different doctor) the overall indication is good, and the Doctor says she considers that FL's Myeloma is "stable".

However....

In July, his immunoglobulin scores were a reason for concern: IGg was 3.02 (normal range is 6 to 16) and IGa was 0.54 (normal range is 0.8 to 4). Why we are only hearing about this in October is a question neither of us asked.

The Consultant had left a note on his file that she was going to do some research before deciding whether or not to continue treatment. However, the results of this research were NOT on the file, and the Consultant was not in the hospital today to, um, consult.

So the Doctor we saw made the decision to prescribe Revlimid (Lenalidomide) without Dexamethasone (steroids) to give his immune system a chance to recover from its recent battering (pneumonia). Her concern was that otherwise he might need monthly blood transfusions to keep his immune system going and that the myeloma treatment including steroids was making him too weak. As it was, she had to do some statistical juggling to authorise the Revlimid today because his numbers were on the borderline of acceptable to allow the prescription.

They are sending his blood off for another Freelite test today and are also checking his serum immunoglobulins. Results available in a month.

So what are we thinking?

It feels like a "safe" decision. There is no point in killing the Myeloma while killing FL at the same time. Rather than witholding all treatment, they are taking a middle path, by removing his beloved dexies and leaving him on Revlimid, with another review in a month's time. In the meantime, he needs to avoid further infection and take it easy... ROFL, as the kids might say.

It will be interesting to see how he feels without dexies. He has become reliant on his sudden energy burst on a Wednesday / Thursday to "get things done". I am hopeful that a more even speed will improve his (our) overall quality of life - personally I dread dexy day when he can be hard to reason with and prone to wild plans and projects, prowling around the house all night, then crashing with exhaustion the next day.

We are definitely entering a new phase, which I would describe as a "quiet life" together. This is absolutely not FL's style, so I predict some difficult conversations along the lines of : "What are you doing with a sick old man like me?" My only answer is "I am loving you, stupid. Now shut up and go to sleep." ; )

FO: Colette Ginger Skirt in Teal Wool

2011-10-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Where did that sunshine go? This weekend we were plunged into autumn with heavy rain, thick mists and fallen leaves.

Just the weather for some winter-weight sewing!

This is my second make of the Colette Ginger skirt. This time I sewed the View 2 waistband, and cut it on the bias as for View 3.

Stats:

Colette Ginger in Size 2 with 12mm seams.

Less than 90cm of 150cm-wide pure wool, which has a slightly felted texture, from Mandors of Glasgow, £17.09
Toning dotty lining for 99p!
One "invisible" zip (which isn't)
Stretch lace seam binding for the bottom hem.

The sewing:

All went well with my first sewing session, despite having to squeeze it out of less fabric than planned.

I left it to hang for a week in case the bias dropped, but I don't think it moved much.

I returned to it today, with the top layer of waistband, zip, back seam and hem still to stitch. The zip was looking fine until I tried to turn the waistband, and then it all went a bit lumpy at the centre back.

Which is a real shame, because it is looking pretty sharp at the front.

I suspect I will be wearing a cardigan most of the time when it's cold enough to wear a wool skirt, so it's not the end of the world.

You can see here how the waistband sticks out at the top of the zip: nothing I do makes it lie flat.

I think I need to learn how to insert an invisible zip properly. This is not pretty. Sigh.

I used stretch lace to bind the hem, so that I didn't need to turn it up too far. This skirt is pretty short in a size 2 - beware tall ladies!

Verdict?

Well, it's not perfect but I can tell it is going to be a cold-weather work-wear staple.

It's a great colour to wear with browns or greys or reds or... mustard? Yeah, I think it would look great with mustard!

I really love the shape of this skirt - it is fitted and yet it has a little bit of swishymovement. There will be more Gingers in my life, definitely!

SSS: The final week

2011-09-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Monday

That's it! I am done with Self-Stitched September! I didn't launch myself into the challenge with my customary energy, so I was not surprised when it felt a bit "flat".

Tuesday

And my photographer is definitely tired of his daily 8am duty. Tuesday's "blurry with dog's bottom" picture was taken with a weary sigh. FL - I appreciate it, I really do!

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

"Self-stitched" is no longer a novelty in these parts so some of my me-mades are beginning to look rather tired (like myself). One outfit in particular is earmarked for redundancy: the swooshy aubergine trousers with Simplicity 2501 blouse and Gap teal cardigan (Wednesday). Through the joy of Flickr sets I can see that this was an "old faithful" in Me-Made June 2011 and Self-Stitched September 2010. And in all that time, the trousers have been unhappily hoisted up with a belt because they are too big, the blouse is definitely faded and washed-out-looking, and there is a thumb-hole in the right cuff of the cardi, which has now developed a ladder. But you wouldn't have known would you?!

So in answer to my mother's question about why I keep making more clothes when I have "so many"? - um, actually mum, they don't last forever when they are being worn and washed and worn and washed on a weekly basis for over a year. And sometimes you get to the stage where you just can't look at them any longer and they've simply got to go.

So if I have learned anything from this month of documented self-stitchery, it is that the making of a garment is just the start of its life. After the "FO shoot" there is the settling-in period when you find out what to wear it with. My Audrey-inspired black trousers are going through that right now. I have been wearing them twice a week, trying them out with different self-stitched tops to find out how to wear them... and realised that I like them best with a plain black shop-bought sweater!

But, yeah, I have had enough of September for so many reasons. I would really like October to be calm and quiet with just some self-stitching to pepper it up a little. What do you think, FL, is that a deal?

Something Old, Something New

2011-09-29T04:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I would have had a steady stream of incoming mail this week to share with you... but it's been very quiet. Worryingly so. I might have to start calling in on all the other farms with the same name as ours, just in case...

But let's be optimistic and assume that I am about to take delivery of some fresh sewing inspiration!

I succumbed to another vintage Betsey Johnson pattern from the 1970's. I stumbled upon a new-to-me sewing blogger who had made these trousers, and was smitten. Yes, they are absolutely shoooge! But we all know how I feel about wide-legged trousers ... and this pattern was very cheap.

Um, yes, they are only a teen size 7, but I reckon it won't take much to make them a little wider round the hip given the yardage already involved in those front pleats! I have some brown and lilac pinstripe moleskin in the stash, ready and waiting for some 70's madness : )

I also snapped up a copy of the latest Colette blouse pattern, Jasmine. That was over a week ago. I have previously bought things from the same UK e-tailer and they arrived the next day. Hmmm. But I am not going to get anxious about it. Even though I wanted to make this last weekend!

I am going to use the teal and brown plaid in the centre of this picture, cut on the cross. That pintuck blouse was never going to work out.

FL has been reminding me all week that I haven't finished my teal wool Ginger skirt. I know! But I want to be sure the bias has dropped as far as it is going to go before I add the zip and hem.

Fingers crossed for lots of sewing this coming weekend!

I Read the Blueprint

2011-09-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

So, there I was, knitting away on the first wing of Seraphine, thinking I might finish it over the weekend, when it occurred to me to check the schematic. You know, the accompanying diagram that gives you a clue about how far you might have progressed.

You could knock me down with a feather, 'cos the wingspan of this woolly wonder is NINETY TWO INCHES!

Say what?! That's... um....how many feet? Ninety two divided by twelve is... um... almost eight (thanks, Lorna!). Eight feet?!

I thought I was at least a third of the way through and was feeling kinda smug because I knew I must be finished soon, long before the first snow of the year..

I may be some time...
And I may run out of yarn...
Wince...

This pattern is not getting a very positive reception on Ravelry. It seems to have irritated a couple of knitters ahead of me to an inordinate degree for containing minor errors and doing things differently to how they wanted them done.

So... if it bothers you that much, do your own thing, ladies! I mean, seriously? You want to end your cables differently? Go on then! There's a mistake in the chart? Oh yes - I see that, but if you got this far, you know what to do, so why not drop the designer a polite note so she can put it right? What's going on here? You are behaving like F-book bullies!

What concerns me is that people are going to be put off before they start. They are interested enough in the design to research it on Ravelry, looking for the finished objects, the modelled shots, but instead all they find are complaints.

When you read beyond the rhetoric, the main problems these knitters faced seem to be: they were expected to count their rows; and unless they were working to the correct gauge, the pieces would not fit together. Umm... really?!

Here's what I think: this is a really gorgeous original design, combining cables and reverse stocking stitch to make a great big woolly hug of a winter shawl. It is by a relatively new designer, whom Jared Flood has given a really special opportunity by showcasing her work in his Wool People Collection. I don't suppose for one minute that it was extensively test-knitted because it is frankly quite a huge undertaking, but if you get gauge there is every reason to believe that everything will work out just fine, because Jared is no fool. And there's a finished shawl up there to ogle!

Even major designers make mistakes. That's why Ravelry is full of errata notices! But nowadays they can be put right almost instantly by contacting the person with the editorial rights, who can then nip in to the pdf and sort it out. It's not like the old days when it could take years for a book to be reprinted and novice knitters were left to either work it out for themselves or give up.

Isn't this the whole joy of a knitting community like Ravelry: knitters can help each other! Young designers can and should be nurtured and supported. I was happy to pay for this pattern, because it has such a great design concept behind it: I could not have thought this up by myself. The mistakes are tiny and pretty much self-correcting - in the grand scheme of things they are a mere hiccup. Why not cut the girl some slack, ladies? Or are ya jealous? :O

Fresh Ginger: Squeezed and Hung

2011-09-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend I made a start on my winter Ginger skirt, using the teal wool I bought in Glasgow.

I had expected to have loads of lee-way with my fabric because this time it was 60" wide and I bought a whole 90cm. Last time I managed to make it with 45" wide x 85cm.

But the shop assistant in Mandors did not take enough care when cutting this rather expensive fabric. I noticed at the time that it was folded and wrapped round a flat cardboard support. There wasn't much left on the roll, so in retrospect I should have asked her to take the whole piece off the cardboard to cut my length... because she pulled it off at an angle, and cut it as it lay, without checking the grainline. As a result, I lost almost 10 of my precious 90cm. My yellow tape measure marks the missing piece in the lower layer of the fabric, and you can see what I lost on the upper layer to the left of the picture. Sigh.

So once again I found myself squeezing a skirt out of insufficient yardage. I had just enough to cut the bias version in size 2... so once again I was forced to take 1cm seams. If I ever succeed in making a size 4 Ginger skirt with the full seam allowance it will be a miracle!

I wasn't sure whether the bias-cut wool might stretch out and distort the shape, so I have sewn the front and side seams and attached the lining to the outer waistband, leaving the whole thing to hang for a while to do its worst before I add the zip or hem. It will probably be there til next weekend... which gives me time to do some knitting : )

FL Update:
The man is surviving. He is not enjoying the concept of "taking it easy" but sheer exhaustion has driven him to his chair instead of the golf club this weekend. He fell asleep while the farm labourer was chain-sawing a tree for firewood and woke to discover he can't see Bennachie out of the window anymore because there are logs in the way - oops!

He now has two hearing aids... but can't tell which is left and which is right, so we are having some teething troubles with those. I spend a lot of time on my hands and knees retrieving them from underneath his chair when he drops them, trying to see which is which. New glasses next, I think!