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| The Sun by ZackLoup |
I am constantly surprised by the sheer quality of Art that there is available on the Interwebz; my own total lack of skill just makes my awe greater.
I was searching for just the right depiction of XIX The Sun because of this post, to reflect the actual sun being out today, the topic of my post, the words on the Finished Object, and my satisfaction - and there it was, this beautiful fox created by ZackLoup. If you scroll through their other cards, one of my favorite creatures, the Wolf, features (as it does in their name) ... this is definitely a deck I'd back if it came up on Kickstarter. Thank you, ZackLoup.
I was looking for the perfect card to celebrate the completion of an overdue project - it was supposed to be a Christmas present for Titch, a popcorn 'word' blanket from designer Jody Pyott.
Yes, last Christmas, not the one before. Or the one before that. I only have one longterm UFO, and this wasn't it - I was derailed by a seasonal retail job which I loved, but the hours were tiring and left little time or energy for crochet.
Anyway. This project had Issues. Firstly, color choice - wanting several yellows that all needed to complement each other meant testing the customer service at the Wool Warehouse: the lovely lady who answered my call physically ran up to the actual warehouse to check that the colors I'd select would actually go together: and she was right.
Secondly, my first time working with Scheepjes Colorcrafter DK yarn - I'd wanted to try it for a while since it's arrival on my radar as it has a great color palette. It is soft, but I found it splitty to crochet with even with a larger hook than recommended. It does wash well so far.
Thirdly, I had gauge issues. Major ones. In a blanket like this one needs the blocks to be very uniform, and using a few different sizes of hook was necessary for me to achieve that. It also highlighted that I cannot handle row gauge: width was fine, height .... not so much. I'd chosen to make it in DK rather than Worsted or Aran, as I wanted a smaller FO than stated in the pattern - but because of the aforementioned row gauge it came out smaller than I wanted, which meant I needed more words, that I had to create the charts for myself ... uncharted territory, ha-ha. And it was also not the right size for Titch's new truck, a MAN rather than a Mercedes.
BTW, that's a whole other discussion. Suffice it to say, the MAN is more Melania than Michelle, rhinestone than diamond, cod roe than caviar. Her one redeeming feature is that she bears the name of a beautiful angel baby.
But I was too close to the finishing line to quit. Having plenty of yarn left meant I could add a generous border ... I completed it yesterday while watching Dwayne Johnson as Hercules: quite apt, don't we think ?
And here is the result of my Labors:
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| Old English Tarot |
... but it pours. Let me share with you the list of things that have broken in the last week:
1. Mini Diva's laptop charger. For some who-knows-what reason, they required us to also drop off her laptop for the technicians to look at.
2. Mini Diva's behavior. She hits new pubertal lows. As a result Destructo Boy wants to move out. I do too, but I don't say so out loud.
3. The fridge section of the fridge-freezer that came with the house. I phone the landlady who tells me it's nothing to do with her. I book a repair man for it.
4. The shower. Water comes out fine, but at Arctic temperatures. Landlady agrees to send a repair man. Repair man replaces it.
5. Washing machine packs up. We fix this ourselves - a blocked filter and drain hose. Next time we get a short-haired dog that doesn't moult.
6. Freezer section of fridge-freezer packs up. Oh well, at least we've already got a call in for the repair man. Repair man comes and writes off fridge-freezer, a manufacturing fault, reckons it is about 4 to 7 years old. I use Titch's credit card to buy a new fridge-freezer for next day delivery. Thank you, Titch and thank you AO.com.
We have not yet decided what to do about the old fridge-freezer that the landlady wanted nothing to do with although it's hers. It's on the inventory. As a Zanussi when it is a Hotpoint. If you have advice about this, please share in the comments section.
After all this plus normal chores, I decide to reward myself for my ace survival skillz by finally getting out the sewing machine Titch bought me last year as an early Xmas present when it was on sale in May. I plug it in, I RTFM, I switch it on, I do some straight stitching. I turn the stitch selector dial - and it comes off in my hand, there's a crack in the part that grips the spindle.
I could have wept. And maybe I hid my face in the airing cupboard and did.
So this is what I did after lunch yesterday:
That is the pattern page for Sweet Dreams from The Best of Terry Kimbrough Baby Afghans, a 5.5mm hook, a new ball of King Cole Comfort Baby DK in pale yellow, a COLD gin and tonic, and a handsome gorgeous Sebastian. Note the weather - there's a reason I live here, the driest sunniest part of the British Isles.
If you have made it this far, you too have ace survival skillz, and I salute you. Pop off to Life & Yarn for people with unbroken things ...
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| Tarot of the 78 Doors |
I know you'll be disappointed but not surprised that neither the Wild Flowers MKAL Shawl nor Yalinka is here -clue 4 arrived in my inbox this morning, and Yalinka is getting to the size where a row is not a quick thing to achieve.
So instead I have photos of 3 baby sweaters I did recently for a friend of mine who is expecting her Surprise Baby any day now:
This was her favorite - and I like it too, for the cable and how clever the striping is. I have made it before, but this time I paid more attention, so there are no unplanned 'design features'.
The following sweater I found in an issue of Woman's Weekly Knitting & Crochet magazine. I made the edges a different color to add a little extra interest. I liked the patterned cuffs and bottom, and the star motif came out OK, but it is back fastening and I didn't like the way the neck is done, so I probably won't bother doing this one again:
And finally, this lovely vintage cardigan in 4ply - I hadn't made it for a boy before, but I think it works pefectly well in this lovely traditional baby blue:
And of course, the buttons are just great. They 'make' the outfit, and to me show just how important the 'little' things can be - putting plain old cheap ordinary buttons on this would have been a shame.
While I plod on, why not browse the lovely things over at Tami's Amis ....
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| Fenestra Tarot |
Man, sometimes things just feel like you're walking through treacle.
The extended winter does not help, I am layered up like an Eskimo and still feel cold. I am not loving the project I am working on, but I feel impelled to complete it. Which means that I waste far too much time surfing the interwebz because I don't want to get on with it. And then I feel bad about all that wasted time, because it's not like I've used up that time on something semi-productive like housework. So the house is still messy as well.
Sigh.
But, this is supposed to be a hobby and/or pastime. Therefore, the idea is that it is something I enjoy doing. If I do not enjoy it, I should be able to just dump it in a dark corner somewhere without any qualms.
However, because I am an adult and because my parents endowed me not just with stubbornness but also imbued me with a don't-quit mentality, I now find that I am bogged down in the cushion cover from hell:
I need 16 squares. I have 10 and a bit, so at least I am over the hump.
Then again, this is the closest thing I have to Spring right now in terms of both color and flowers. I am off over to Tami's Amis to surf the works of happy, cheerful people .....
