Booties

A customer came into the shop last week. They were having a very hard job making a pair of bootees. I looked at the pattern, and didn't find it terribly clear. Instead, I wrote my own pattern. She was delighted.

Using 3.5mm needles, cast on 30sts.
Work 18 rows of k1, p1 rib.
Row 19: Kfb, p1, (k1, p1) to end.
Row 20: K1, (yo, k2tog).
Row 21: Purl
Change to 4mm needles. Knit 1 row and purl the next.

Shaping the top of the bootee
1: Knit
2: P21, turn
3: K11, turn
Working with these 11 stitches:
4: Purl
5: Knit
6: Purl
7: Knit
8: Purl
9: Knit
10: Purl

Decrease rows
11: Ssk, knit to the last 2 stitches K2tog (9sts)
12: Purl
13: Ssk, knit to the last 2 stitches K2tog (7sts)
14: P7, then with the wrong side facing. pick up 10 stitches along the top of foot of the bootee, purlwise, and then purl to the end.
15: K27, then pick up 10 sts from the top of the foot, and knit to end. (47sts)
16: Purl
17: Knit
18: Purl
19: Knit
20: Purl

Shape foot
1:K1, ssk, k15, k2tog, k7, k2togtbl, k15, k1. (43sts)
2: Knit
3:K1, ssk, k14, k2tog, k5, k2togtbl, k14, k1. (39sts)
4: Knit
5: K1, ssk, k13, k2tog, k3, k2togtbl, k13, k1. (35sts)
6: Knit
7: K1, ssk, k12, k2tog, k1, k2togtbl, k12, k1. (31sts)
8: Knit
Cast off

To make up join the foot and back seam reversing when you get to the rib and join on the right side so that you can't see the seam once you have turned the top down.

Thread ribbon through the eyelets.

Sock Tutorial

It was rather weird teaching again. I do love it, especially when you see the 'lightbulb moment' when the person gets the idea.

We've been talking about having a regular 'Improvers' Knitting Class' at work, and that sounds like a great deal of fun.

Glorious Red Acer

This morning whilst walking with Ava, I spotted a fantastically beautiful red Acer. The rain was falling in many, many soft, but persistent droplets. Despite the damp, I had to stop to take in the beauty of the tree.

The result was a wet dog, a happy heart, and curls revived by the misting of rain.

November Goals

1. have a thankful and grateful month
2. finish the Duck quilt
3. display the Christmas Tree for Refugees
4. make healthier food choices

UFO Challenge

I'm rather excited. I've just joined my very first quilting UFO Challenge.

Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts has started a facebook group for people who have multiple UnFinished Objects and want to do something about it. Over the last few months I've been trying to work on a schedule of finish two projects, and then I can start a new, little one.

Hopefully this will mean my stack of UFOs will decrease!

Today, I've been working on my Muppet Babies quilt.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, David and Ben.

This year's cake has two tiers. The pink top one is luscious lemon, and the white bottom layer is a rich, dark fruitcake. The lemon layer has lemon cream cheese icing, and the fruitcake has been marzipan-ed. Both have been covered in fondant, and the cake decorated with licorice allsorts.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

150g butter 150g cream cheese
600g icing sugar
zest of 1 lemon

Beat the butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and half of the icing sugar in a bowl. Reduce the speed of the mixer, and then incorporate 1 tablespoon of icing sugar at a time until the correct consistency has been reached.

Use the icing to decorate cakes.

The icing can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Christmas Stockings

They are finished! For a second time!

I had not realised when I made them last year there was to be a flap with names embroidered on. But, it's not a problem, and they are truly finished.

Mini Christmas Stockings

Two mini Christmas stockings have been made for work, and I've been asked to teach a workshop on how to make them.

A pattern will follow in due time.

Sugaridoo QAL

I'm in. I'm going to take part in my very first Quiltalong!

It doesn't start until later in November, but by that point I will have finished the Christmas Tree for Refugees. The QAL is broken into monthly parts, and will run for a year. There will be new techniques and methods of piecing. I'm so looking forward to it.

Cat's Kitty Socks

Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend 4ply
Composition: 100% Wool
Colour: Black
Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend 4ply
Composition: 100% Wool
Colour: Pale Grey
Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend 4ply
Composition: 100% Wool
Colour: Pink
Pattern: Cat's Kitty Socks
Size: adult
Needles: 2.5mm
Amount used: 100g
Started: 29th Aug 2019
Finished: 2019

This is a reworking of YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks by Inorgaknit. 

Using 2.5mm needles, cast on 64sts. Join.

Work in 2x2 rib for 20 rounds.

Declutter The Understairs Cupboard

It's time once again to declutter the understairs cupboard. It was done earlier this year, but quite a number of items were put back in the cupboard to be donated to a charity shop in good time for Christmas. This feels like a good time.

I've recently decluttered the sitting room again, and there's a pile of games we no longer play waiting to go to a charity shop. It would be good for this collection of stuff to leave the house tomorrow.

I love the feeling of space that's generated when things leave. Last week I was feeding a friend's cats. Her house is physically the mirror image of mine. She is also a maximalist. It was fun seeing so many interesting things in her kitchen, but I could not live with that much stuff. I greatly prefer a tranquil space.

Breast Cancer Screening

I don't want to do it. I don't want to go. However, it's one of these things that is necessary.

A few years ago, a friend was asked to be part of a pre-50 breast screening trial. In her screening, cancer was found. It was far too small to have been detected by monthly self-examination. If it had been left until she was 50 her treatment would have been far more invasive, and her prognosis nowhere near as good.

I still don't want to go, but I will go. Partly it is out of respect for my friend. 

----

Done! That's it over for another two years. 

Cry Me A RIver

And the rain fell. It surely fell!

At the weekend, there had been some heavy rain, and with a major rainfall (two weeks rain in 1 hour), the water was not able to soak into the hills, or flow into the drains. It ran off into rivers, and along roads.

Laxey was originally a little fishing village at the bottom of a glen. As the population grew, houses were built up the sides of the valley. The roads to the houses often proved to be the path of least resistance, and the rain falling on the hills very quickly drained into the river. There was just too much water for the river and drains to cope.

In the picture above, there's a digger in the river, and what appears to be a second river flowing alongside the original. The Department of Infrastructure had breached the wall by the river, and placed the digger in the river. The intention was to excavate some of the river bed to make flooding less likely. However, the timing was such that the digger became part of the problem. The water was not able to flow as quickly as it had to navigate around the blockage of the digger. Also, the breach in the wall meant water was able to escape the river at a higher point than it would have done if there had been a whole wall, and no digger.

The Beloved was on-call and was out in Laxey helping people. He set up a rest station in the local church, and also deployed sand bag to help divert water.

October Goals

1. finish Christmas stockings
2. write and publish the 'Simply' patterns
3. sweep the kitchen floor every day
4. blog every day

September Review

1. start Lilo and Stitch's quilt

2. finish Christmas stockings

3. finish two pairs of fingerless mittens

4. write and publish the 'Simply' patterns

A start was definitely made on the quilt, but it's far from finished. 

The stockings now need the cuff sewn to the tops of the stockings, and the binding put on.

Two pairs of fingerless mittens were indeed made, and six hats, and another two pairs of mittens.

The 'Simply patterns have not been written.

Atelier 6

Look what's arrived!

It's time to play!

I'm just wondering if I should warn the family that there will be no dinner provided today.

Time for Tea!

A lovely addition to my life, a new teapot. I drink either herbal infusions or loose-leaf tea almost every day. A teapot is a requirement. 

Sadly, my old teapot was no longer up to the task. A few weeks ago, I realised the collar (bit that the lid sits on) had a crack in it. As the collar is plastic it wasn't a big deal, but yesterday, I noticed the plastic sleeve also had a large crack. This had the potential to be far more dangerous. 

While the Beloved was making a pot of tea (in the new teapot) he checked to see the extent of the crack. There was not one but two, on opposite sides. The cracks extended about 90% of the up the sleeve. It really feels as if a nasty accident was only a few days away. Thank goodness we noticed in time! 500ml of boiling water in free fall is not fun!

Starting To Prepare for Christmas Dinner

I think I might have been bitten by the gardening bug. A few days ago I was learning about new potatoes for Christmas dinner. This idea pleased me. 

A bout 10cm of potting compost is placed in the bottom of a large container. Seed potatoes are placed on top, and then covered with potting compost. As the shoots grow up through the compost more compost is added. This continual banking up of the growing medium produces a good yield of potatoes.  

I feel the need to give it a go.

Sew MuchTo Do, Sew Little Time

There's a sale of sewing machines, machines suitable for garments and also quilting. A beautiful new shiny toy is now on order for me.

I want it now! I want to make so many things!

Green Beans!

I still get very excited going into the garden and picking veggies!  

Today, we added fresh green beans to dinner. From plant to pot was less than 5 minutes. There's also an extensive crop of lettuce, and oodles upon oodles of flowers and tiny green tomatoes. I'm looking forward to being able to adding them to my salads.

Simply A Hat

Yarn: King Cole Drifter Magnum Chunky

Composition: 25% Wool, 75% Premium Acrylic

Colour: Berry

Pattern: Simply a Hat

Size: adult

Needles: 6mm

Amount used: 100g

Started: 1 Sep 2019

Finished: 2 Sep 2019

This is a part of a series of designs I have been working on. They are for those just starting out in knitting, or those who like the designs. The pattern has been knitted twice. The first version is in English sentences, and the second in how it would appear in a conventional pattern.

The hat uses the following: cast on, cast off, knit (k), knit 2 together (k2tog) and yarn over (yo).

Using 6mm needles, cast on 38 sts. 

The hat is made from two rows of pattern. The first row is knit 3 stitches, knit 2 together, yarn over, and then knit the rest of the stitches in that row. In the second row, every row is knit.

Repeat these two rows until 120 rows have been knit. Cast off. Leave a tail of yarn around 30cm, and cut the yarn. This yarn will be used to sew the hat together.

The knitting will be a rectangle, with a row of holes near the edge of one side; this is the top. Fold the knitting in half and sew the short sides together. Sew in the other end.

Take a cord and thread through the row of holes at the top. Pull the cord tightly. This will gather the top of the hat and produce a pom pom-like effect. Fasten of the cord. Fold up a brim on the hat, and it is complete.

The cord can be crocheted, twisted, a piece of ribbon, or some strong elastic. If elastic is used, the hat can be worn with a ponytail poking out the top.

----

Using 6mm needles, cast on 38sts.

1. K3, k2tog, yo, k to end.

2. K.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 a total of 60 times.

Cast off, leaving a tail of yarn to sew up the side.

Sew the short sides together. Weave in ends of yarn.

Thread a cord through the row of eyelets.  

Christmas Tree Update

On Saturday, I took part in the "Our Island, Our World" festival. There was lots of interest from people wanting to know why there was a Christmas tree on display at the end of August.

Yesterday, I created a Pinterest board for the project. It was lots of suitable patterns for mittens, gloves, wrist warmers and hats. And then , I started a Facebook group.

So much interest!

September Goals

1. start Lilo and Stitch's quilt

2. finish Christmas stockings

3. finish two pairs of fingerless mittens

4. write and publish the 'Simply' patterns

Decluttering in August

Only one of the Declutter 365 tasks for August fitted with my needs (declutter guest room). Therefore, I headed back to the start, and began tackling the kitchen once again. It's been really good to see how many areas are working well, and bring me joy. And of course, it's good to revisit what's been done previously and give it a little more love.

The tasks completed in August are:
1. Declutter your kitchen sink and organize the sink area
2. Clear off kitchen counters
3. Declutter and organise freezer 

4. Declutter and organise fridge

5. Declutter or exchange excess coins from change jars

6. Declutter and organise herbs and spices

7. Declutter and organise cutlery drawer

8. Declutter and organize ziplock bags, foil, and plastic wrap

9. Declutter small kitchen appliances

10. Declutter and organise potholders and kitchen towels

11. Declutter shelf above radiator

12. Declutter food storage containers

13. Declutter and organize bakeware

14. Declutter and organise canned food
15. Declutter other shelf-stable food

16. Declutter front and top of refrigerator and freezer

Kitty Socks

Whilst on Pinterest I saw some fabulous socks, YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks by Inorgaknit. The decision to knit them was made then and there, and I promptly bought the yarn. I was however very good and didn't cast on until I had finished the project I was working on.

It was at that point I realised the socks were made toe up, with a short row heel, and intarsia for the details. That isn't going to happen. Instead, I shall keep the look of the socks, but they will be longer in the leg, have heel flaps, and Swiss darning will be used rather than intarsia.

New Watch

Telling the time at work has been difficult. When I worked in an Administrator I placed a clock on the wall of my office. As I was using a computer most of the time, my eyes could scoot down to the bottom right of the screen to see the time. At home, I'm normally in the sitting room, with a nice large wall clock, or near my computer or phone.

At work, it's different. There's a clock in the office, but I don't like popping the office just to see the time. I tried carrying my phone with me, but it is quite heavy, and women's clothing does not have many pockets of a suitable size for carrying phones. I'm going to be making some new clothes and will address the pocket situation, but for now, I have a new watch.

It's probably about 20 years since I last wore a watch. The leather is stiff and creaky, and it feels weird.

Walnut Cake Traybake

Notes

The last few times I've been making cakes they have been baked in aluminium foil tray. These are really useful as the cakes can be easily transported in the tray, and also served from them. If the person cutting/serving the cakes is careful the foil trays can be used multiple times. IF they are not so careful, the trays can be placed in the recycling box. 

However, each time I have used the trays I haven't taken note of the quantities to use. Today was an experiment, and I've come to the conclusion that a 4 egg sponge is about spot on. 

Ingredients

200g sugar

200g butter

200g gluten-free SR flour

4 medium eggs

200g walnut halves

50g butter

50g cream cheese

200g icing sugar

Method 

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Set aside 15 of the prettiest walnuts and reserve for decoration. Beat 200g of butter, and 200g of sugar until light and fluffy. Whilst the mixer is attending to this, break the remaining walnuts into pieces. Add then to the butter and sugar. Then add the flour and eggs. Mix well.  Spread the cake mixture into the aluminium tray. Bake for 25 mins, or until the top is golden and the cake cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before decorating.

Cream 50g of butter, 50g of cream cheese and the icing sugar, until well mixed and glossy. Spread the icing onto the cooled cake. Add 15 walnut halves in a regular grid pattern. This will facilitate cutting the cake into nice regular portions.

Simply A Hoot

Yarn: King Cole Dollymix 

Composition: 100% Acrylic 

Colour: Taupe Pattern: Simply A Hoot

Needles: 4mm 

Amount used: 100g 

Started: 25 Aug 2019 

Finished: 25 Aug 2019 

This owl was designed to be suitable for a brand new knitter. The ability to cast on, knit and cast off are all the knitting skills required. 

Using 4mm needles, cast on 25sts.

Knit 100 rows.

Cast off, and cut the yarn, leaving a tail of around 20cm.

Notes: I would recommend using a smooth, lighter coloured yarn. This will allow the new knitter to see their work clearly. Once the knitter is feeling more confident, darker yarn, or self-patterning ones can be used.

Poor Pooch

Da Hound is feeling a little sorry for herself.  There were some GI problems yesterday, and she decided the only thing she would eat was ice cream. She didn't even want yogurt, or scrambled eggs.

Today, she has had some chicken, but required a little coaxing. I'm currently thinking about recipes that will tempt a dog's palate.

A Mindful Person?

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally.” Kabat-Zinn. 

It appears I'm actually quite a mindful person. Who have thunk it?! Whilst cycling this morning, I was captivated by the sky, and clouds. It claimed my attention for almost 5 minutes. It was a lovely, calm time, well until the music I was listening started speeding up. At that point I closed my eyes and allowed the music to take me where it willed. This involved some rather fast pedaling, and ended with a calm, yet energised. That's a good start to a day!

Mindfulness

Last night, I was looking through Amazon's reading recommendations, and spotted this little one. It was on sale for 99p, and I decided to take the plunge.

The first exercise is "In this exercise, the invitation is to pick as a focus of awareness a new aspect of life. You may really look at a particular leaf on a tree, or a stone, a flower, or a plant."

I tried, I really did. My focus was the parlour palm beside my chair in the sitting room. However, Madam Ava had other ideas. The chief amongst them was she should be the focus of my awareness, and strokes. This duly happened, and I pounded how our lives had changes since this beautiful dog joined us. I also thought about the family that felt compelled to give her up, and the love and attention shown to Ava at the MSPCA by staff and volunteers. 

It was indeed a calming five minutes, and one filled with gratitude.

Cycling Every Day (Or Not!)

One of my goals this month was to cycle every day. The aim was to start off with 1 minute on the first, 2 on the second etc. It was all going well until the 10th, and circumstances happened. I tried to do 21 minutes on the 11th, but managed about 15. On the 12th, I tried to reclaim the lost minutes, but failed. On the 13th, I wasn't feeling great, and no cycling was perpetrated, and well, it all came crashing down.

Part of me though, "This is not a problem, I can start over next month." But, another part of  me thought "Why the delay? The existing plan isn't working, so adapt. Change the plan. It doesn't have to be perfect, just a bit better than the current one. You can tweak it again and again, until it is serving your purpose."  "Oooooh!" thought a third part of me.

And so a new plan was created. This is a good plan, I like it. It allows for days when life is crazy, or when I am ill. It has the benefit of being simple.  Wanna hear the plan?

Each month, I am going to select an album, and then each day I will cycle for one song/track. The following day I'll use the next song, and then the next. If I miss a day due to business or illness I'll just skip it and not worry. If on any given day I want to cycle for longer, then that's great.

Christmas Has Been Saved!

Glory of glories! Isobel asked her friend where she had the information. It turns out it isn't the WI who are making a knitted Christmas tree, but she met a woman the Tynwald Fayre. THAT'S ME!  I am that woman!

When I heard Isobel had misunderstood and the WI hasn't hijacked my project I was ecstatic, I was dancing around at work!  Wheeeeeeeeeee!

Christmas Hijacked?!

At Yarnies this afternoon, I was asked what I was knitting, and explained a bit of the Christmas Tree for Refugee project. Isobel asked if I was doing it the Women's Institute. She told me they were making a Christmas tree for the airport, and the tree is made from green knitted squares.

My mind started racing. I had spoken to people in the WI a couple of years ago about this project. Maybe they thought I wasn't going to pursue the idea and decided to take it up. There's so many conflicting thoughts and emotions. I'm feeling bereft.

However, I don't feel there's anything I can do about it just now. I'll start making inquiries on Tuesday afternoon. All I can do it take this maelstrom, put it in a box and then revisit it later.

Free Audiobook

I have won a free audiobook!  It's The Lonely Heart Attack Wrinkly Olympics by JC Williams. I've read the book, and am now looking forward to listening to it too.

When reading it the first time, I had to go back and read the same paragraph three times as I could no longer see the text because some idiot was laughing too much that the Kindle was shaking!

Winnie Pooh

I'm practicing my Italian comprehension by listening to Winnie the Pooh in Italian. It's proving to be rather tricky to understand Pooh when he has his head stuck in a honey pot! 

The three most important things I have learned are: 'O rabbia' (oh bother), 'pensa, pensa, pensa' (think, think, think) ,and eating hunney cause people to get stuck in rabbit holes - don't eat hunney!

Sigma 19 Progress Report

At the start of the year, I signed up for a series of 19 self-set challenges. This is a little progress report. 

19 hat: 19 

18 hats: 18 

17 hats:  17

16 mittens: 15 made

15 fabric gift bags: 10 made 

14 finish or frog WIPs/UFOs: 10 frogged or finished 

13 hats: 10

12 new recipes: 10

Crispy Parmesan Chicken, Somerset Chicken, Parsnip and Apple Soup, Creamy Garlic and Parmesan Chicken, Salmon Florentine, Bacon and Cheese Puffs, Aromatic Chicken, Bakewell Cupcakes, Gluten-free pizza base

11 new places to visit: 6

10 areas to declutter: 6

Cupboard under the stairs, shower room, bathroom, back vestibule, Offspring’s wardrobe, sitting room 

9 read new books, rather than re-reading old ones: 9

Frank and Stan’s Bucket List, Frank and Stan’s Bucket List #2, Coming Home for Christmas, Spark Joy, The Joy of Less, Goodbye, Things (Would not recommend. It is incredibly self-obsessed, and the content is very shallow.), The Clocks, The Unexpected Guest, Resurrection: Skulduggery Pleasant 

8 quilts: 1 made 

7 techniques to learn or practise: 6 

Brioche stitch, Fair Isle, free motion quilting, flowers in a row, bubble pattern, fisherman’s rib in the round

6 gloves: 

5 new items of clothing to make for me:

4 stones lost (56lb): 20lb 

3 cardigans/sweaters knitted: 3 knitted 

2 hooded blankets: 

1 new language to start learning (British Sign Language)

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Ingredients

2 cups of gluten-free SR flour

1 cup of natural yogurt

Method

Mix the yogurt and flour in a bowl. Bring it to a dough. Spread the dough onto an oiled baking sheet, and make it into a pizza shape. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 200C. Add the tomato sauce and toppings. Then bake for a further 20 minutes.

Notes

I was rather sceptical of this dough, but it has proved to make the best gluten-free pizza I've ever had! It really was fantastic. It will be made again, and again.

Drifter Ohio Cardi

Yarn: King Cole Drifter DK
Composition: 69% Premium Acrylic, 25% Cotton and 6% Wool
Colour: Ohio
Pattern: Top Down Garter Stitch Baby Jacket
Size: newborn
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 100g
Started: Jul 2019
Finished: Jul 2019

A single little ball of yarn, sitting all alone in the 'reduced' bin, was transformed into a warm snuggly cardigan.

The pattern was adapted to include more buttons.

Cinder Toffee Hat and Cardi

Yarn: King Cole Cherished
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: White
Yarn: King Cole Cherish Dash
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Toffee Latte
Pattern: Top Down Garter Stitch Baby Jacket
Size: newborn
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 110g
Started:   1st Jul 2019
Finished: 5th Jul 2019

Yarn: King Cole Cherished
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: White
Yarn: King Cole Cherish Dash
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Toffee Latte
Pattern: Newborn Garter Stitch Hat
Size: newborn
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 25g
Started:   17th Jul 2019
Finished: 1st Aug 2019 

This set started out a while back. A customer was trying to return yarn, but one of my colleagues had given them the wrong information. We accept yarn back, as long as we are still selling yarn of that dyelot. I felt so sorry for the woman I bought the yarn she was trying to return. 

I wasn't sure how far the yarn would go in the baby cardi, so I added white as an accent colour. When the Toffee Latte ran out I finished the cardi in white. Instead of just the one button, I added buttons every 20th row.

A little later, I was given a tiny ball of the Toffee Latte, and I thought "That would be enough to make a nice little hat to go with the cardi." I took it along to the Mabon concert on the 17th of July. Whilst there, I made two hats, one plain white, and the other Toffee Latte and white. 

By the end of the concert my joints were rather sore and stiff. I concentrated on getting and moving; the Beloved picked up the hats, yarn, needles and my jacket. Except a little hat got left behind. When we got home, I texted my Italian teacher (her boyfriend plays in the band), and asked if he might be able to have a look. It wasn't found immediately, and I only received it back on the 1st, but it is now finished, and looking rather cute.

Newborn Garter Stitch Hat

Yarn: King Cole Cherished
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: White
Pattern: Newborn Garter Stitch Hat
Size: newborn
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 25g
Started:   17th Jul 2019
Finished: 17th Jul 2019

Cast on 64sts. Join. Work 20 rounds of garter stitch. Then switch to stocking stitch for 12 rounds.

Decreases for crown

1. (K6, k2tog) repeat to end.

2. K

3. (K5, k2tog) repeat to end.

4. K

5. (K4, k2tog) repeat to end.

6. K

7. (K3, k2tog) repeat to end.

8. K

9. (K2, k2tog) repeat to end.

10. K

11. (K1, k2tog) repeat to end

12. K

13 (K2tog) repeat to end.

Break off yarn, leaving a tail, and draw the tail through the remaining 8sts. 

Weave in ends.

Umbilical Variation

Instead of breaking off the yarn after the 13rd round, knit a further 30 round in stocking stitch, then follow the rest of the instruction. Tie a knot in the umbilical cord.

Mitten-tastic!

Yarn: King Cole Big Value Baby Alpaca
Composition: 100% alpaca
Colour: Wedgewood
Pattern: improvised
Size: older child
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 45g
Started: 29th Jul 2019
Finished: 1st Aug 2019

As well as the hundreds of green squares I'm making, mittens, gloves and wrist warmers are also being made. Yesterday evening, I finished the first pair of mittens for August.

It feels good to have another ball of yarn leave my stash and morph into a finished item. A new goal has been set, to finish 150 balls this year.

Missing In-Action?

Well! That was a whole load of nothingness from last month. I had no intention of ditching out on this blog, but it happened. Let's see if things can be improved ever so slightly.

We start off with some goals for August.

Goals:
1. Knit "Stitch in Green"

2. Knit 30 green squares

3. Knit 4 pairs of mittens, gloves or wrist warmers

5. Cycle every day

6. Finish 30 declutter missions

The Declutter 365 missions for August aren't really ticking my fancy. I'm heading back to January; this should be an easy set of missions as I've done these ones quite a few times already. Today it's time to declutter my kitchen sink and organised the area around it.