Looking at previous posts it’s really been busy weeks around here, but not quite the busy that equates to lots of blog posts, if you know what I mean.
I’ve managed to get 4 pattern PDFs sent off & returned on A0-sized paper, and the one with the most pieces is now cut out. I’m so fortunate to be able to do it this way, but I really admire all the sewists around the world who don’t have a choice.
Rather than write about sewing plans, here’s a wee update on what’s actually happening – which is crocheting. It’s crocheting, because it requires little prep & takes up minimal space. I can grab it for 10 minutes & put it down for 3 days. Plus I can listen to an audio book on Libby whilst doing it. And this stitch pattern is sooo relaxing!
Yes, this is a lighter green than in photo below. I’ve just started the second skein, & currently the piece is 24in/61cm long & growing.
Some History — I’d been looking for another crochet project and thought a soft, warm shawl would be a good thing to have. But before I could get onto Ravelry, my three sisters & I had a Zoom convo.
Talking about current projects, I mentioned looking for a shawl pattern. Sis3 mentioned a crocheter on YouTube she really likes. I got his (yeah! men crochet too!) URL and am just as enthusiastic as she. Check out his Easy Fall Scarf for Beginners.
Yes, I know a scarf is not as wide as a shawl. I have plans . . . 😉
Yes, the current green is lighter than the darker green here, but yarn is the same Plymouth Encore, 75% acrylic/25% wool & washable! My gold ski cap is the same yarn.
Having pushed out my yarn budget during my last visit, this time I went to the yarn store looking for something more budget-friendly, and I think I got it right.
Three skeins for a total of 600 grams is hopefully enough for a decent-sized shawl, but if I decide I want more length, I can add to it without breaking the bank. Yeah!
Pattern? I think I’ll do some swatching, and go from there. But am definitely thinking crocheting simple stripes. If I’ve time, I’ll look at Ravelry, too. Any suggestions, Dear Readers?!
This is a simple (U.S.) single crochet stitch . . .
I think I’ve finally decided to give up making anything with this heavily slubbed yarn that’s been aging in my crochet project bag.
It’s impossible to count stitches when I get interrupted, so the sides are anything but straight. 🙈 I’ve decided to finally give myself permission to salvage what yarn I can, and donate it to a crafting resale shop.
Anybody else have problems cancelling a project? Do tell – would love to know I’m not alone!
With almost a whole ball of yarn left over from my ski cap, I decided to make a little neck warmer – something I use quite frequently when whatever top I’m wearing doesn’t have a collar.
(Note to self: Next fleecy top needs to have a collar. Maybe another LB Pullover? There’s that long piece of navy fleece I currently use to keep my legs warm. Hmmm .. . . ..)
Meanwhile, cogitations on a wee scarf . . .
Maybe a solid single crochet stitch… naw, too stiff.
My Bernina may still be somewhere in storage, but there’s one thing that came to light straight away: My crochet hooks, bag, and a bit of yarn. Yeah!
A simple throat warmer (aka, short muffler)
There’s a lovely local craft thrift store that accepts every kind of crafty thing you can possibly imagine. And they had the perfect single ball of yarn plus crochet hooks until I found mine in storage… It might still have been summer, but humidity is veeeerry much less up here, so it was no problem at all to whip up a little neck warmer to gift to my landlady.
Colour on far left is accurate ~ NOT far right! They really do have more scissors than you can imagine!
Dropping in to share a quick ScrapHappy project for my neighbour, a link over to Kate’s ScrapHappy post, and share another project just restarted for the umpteenth time.
Several weeks ago I was about to start downstairs in my building, when I saw my neighbour trying to manage 2 crutches, a booted foot, and some small packages before coming up the stairs.
.
We decided I’m come down first. On the way down I realised she needed a shoulder bag to put small bags in, and I had the very bag with me. A solution! I showed her what I had in mind and watched her easily and very adroitly balance herself upstairs.
Being a non-sewist, she had no idea how easy it was for me to make her a bag of her own… but a bit of thinking and we reasoned that a cross-body bag would be even better.
So that’s what she’s got, and it works a real treat. Mission accomplished! (Now I want one, too…. hehee! 🤣)
Over the weekend I had the urge to crochet, but I didn’t want to continue the project that’d been sitting untouched for weeks. What to do . . .
I ripped that forlorn-looking project down to zero and started over. And am happy to report it’s going great guns. At last I think I’ve found a good way to use this lovely yarn. Another little yippee!
Finished off 3 small balls of leftover yarn a few days ago, and now have a narrowish looong scarf for somebody to wind around their neck on a cold winter’s day. Below are beginning, in-the-midst-of and completed views . . .
The ends are ever so slightly differing shades of a creamy washable wool bought from a friend in California who was selling out her washable wool yarns.
The middle photo shows the leftover-from-a-shawl yarn of I can’t remember what fibres 60% silk & 40% wool (from discontinued HPKY Hand Painted Knitting Yarns, Daphne colourway), that I got from Loopy Yarns, the great (now closed) yarn shop I lived dangerously close to in Chicago.
The shawl’s probably on Ravelry, draped over a creamy foot rest if I’m remembering properly (yes!)… but I also remember blogging about it, and here’s that photo!
It seems I decided to take off the fringe and do an edging around the shawl, which I duly crocheted. (See photo below.) After all that, there was still enough yarn left to crochet the centre section of that looong scarf. Remember the looong scarf??
And I’ve finished Osman’s latest adventure, The Man Who Died Twice, book #2 of the adventures of the Thursday Murder Club. What can I say? It’s every bit as good as the first, if not better, ’cause I think the book’s longer. Hard to judge as I read an e-book this time, instead of waiting for the hard copy from the library.
(I gave up getting either book from our local library, which reminds me to cancel those requests.)
Now to catch you up on what’s been going on creatively since my last post —
All the soap bags I looked at online seemed to be single or double crochet patterns and I just didn’t think they’d allow much sudsy action. So this is what I came up with for my first attempt. Would you believe I sat down the very next day and crocheted it? Then to test it in the shower…
Unfortunately, once in the shower I quickly learnt how much that 100% cotton yarn stretches when wet. Instead of 3 soap slivers neatly encased, I wound up with 2, plus an escapee. Live & learn, right? 🥴
No, I haven’t started a second soap bag yet . . . .
Possibly because I was going hammer & tongs on a yummy scarf with some leftover yarn sent from Yorkshire in 2016 as an unexpected gift from my sewing bud, Ali.
Ali hangs out mostly on IG these days. Look for her in 2 places: #timbers OR #the.fabric.first.aider. As an NHS emergency paramedic, she’s had a harrowing schedule for the last umpteen months.
Yes, GBSB’s (Series 6) Ali. I’m right chuffed to know her before she became famous! She is the most generous, sweet & kind soul you could possibly imagine, and always smiling. Here’s a clip of her on set.
(For those who don’t know about BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, Wiki has a season-by-season guide. Ali is in Season 6.)
The start of this story goes back to 2016 when Ali was crocheting several of what she christened Octopus scarves. If you’re intrigued, her pattern is here, and my version is here.
The reason it’s coming up now is I’m seriously working on eliminating my yarn stash before venturing out to buy more, considering the C-urrent situation. . . A-hem!
Yarn is Sidar’s Sylvan, 2016 vintage, and discontinued — ’bout time I used it up! (Please note that freshly polished brass piece I used for contrast!)
Sewing sorta got lost in the crochet and ebook reading this past week, but I have plans, so stay tuned . . .
Chiming in with Deb & Donna’s #What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge
Editor’s note: The maaany links in today’s post should all open on separate pages. Should, but they won’t all cooperate & I’ve given up trying to force them. Just wanted you to know, in case you’re expecting them to all do the same thing.
As most frequent readers will know, the recipe above was altered when I made it up — I was looking for a spicy microwave cake recipe that didn’t require an hour’s baking time (in other words, a quick Raisin Spice Cake alternative). You can download it here.
I’ve been giving the above with spice variations a trial run. So far have made it twice, managed to waaay over-spice the first one (hint: 1 teaspoon of ginger, not 2 ), forgot the molasses the second time, but got the spice amount a bit better.
As usual, I only used 1 tablespoon of brown sugar rather than the 3 listed. Have yet to try it with a few raisins, but the chocky variation, which includes chips, came out nicely. So maybe a few raisins will be fine.
As mentioned above, this also chimes in with Deb’s & Donna’s monthly #WhatsOnYourPlateBlogChallenge.
James C Brett Marble Chunky Yarn
Red Vanna Yarn on right
Acrylic yarns pulled apart to better see their ply.
But I’m tempted by this one as denims would “go” with everything. It’s James C Brett Marble Chunky MC10.
However, on close examination (hence the close-up), all the Brett Marble Chunky is probably 2-ply. But aren’t those strands thicker than the 4-ply of the red Vanna Yarn on the right (which I used yonks ago & still had a bit of)?
I know Vanna is not as soft as Brett’s Marble Chunky. Which might be why I’m not too keen on using any of the specified Lion Brand yarn. Aside from the fact I cannot find any colour I like. 😒
This might be an “official” holiday weekend here in the U.S., but having the real holiday on Sunday sorta throws me off, if you know what I mean. There were fireworks displays in some places on Saturday night, and other places Sunday night. I wonder if tonight will also be punctuated with pops . . .
But life goes on, and with it came this morning’s overdue walk up to the recycle center, right past a huge hydrangea bush. I couldn’t resist the photo op!
Seems about time for a knitting update, too.
Only 2.5″ wide…
… and about double that in length.
I ripped everything out and started over, using the same 12 stitches cast on. I played with the alternating k2p2, p2k2 and didn’t like the effect at all! This yarn is so slubby and has different colours running in slubs as well as tiny bits of bright colours — totally obliterating everything else.
I found it very frustrating, and definitely not restful knitting. So I am back to the basic stockinette stitch of knit one row, purl the next, and am using where the tail of the yarn is to remind myself which row I’m on. Curling will have to be handled after I’m done. That’s the extend of my definition of relaxing knitting!
My felted pin in action here…
… and here, on another narrow scarf from Chicago days.
Now I might guess someone is gonna spy with their little eye that the felted piece above is attached to a large hair pin. Yes, an extra large plastic hairpin.
But no, I haven’t started felting –it was included in the package Sis#2 sent around the hols. She’s the master crafty person, dabbling in felting, eco dyeing, and a major knitter, far as I can tell. One difference between us is she has a house. With a back porch. And lives farther north, where it’s (generally) cooler than my apartment complex/state.
She also recommended a new author to me (Tony Hillerman), and although technical/electronic bits are outdated, the stories include correct info on various Southwestern areas and peoples.
The main character in the majority of the series is Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, a member of the Navajo Tribal Police. “Hillerman is considered one of New Mexico’s foremost novelists.” Wikipedia. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Blessing Way, and learned a lot!
Have I already raved about Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club? In case I haven’t, let me report I literally couldn’t put it down. Finished it in 2 days, and sincerely hope there’s a sequel already in the works.
As this is fast becoming too long a post for Macro Monday, I’ll love you & leave you, to report on sewing projects another time . . . hehehee!
Ciao, Lovelies! 💕 💕
I framed the felted picture & hung it above my sewing table. It deserves a better mat, but that’ll have to wait for a proper store visit.
Curls n Skirls 
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