Greens and Navy Hat

Yarn: James C Brett Top Value DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: navy

Yarn: random ball of leftover yarn

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: green

Yarn: random ball of leftover yarn

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: green

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat (stocking stitch variation)

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started:   8th September 2018 

Finished:  8th September 2018

I worked 12 rounds of ribbing and switched to stocking stitch. In the decreases, every purl was changed to a knit.

Io Sono Vlad!

The story progresses!  

In Italian class last night, we were told to practise using the Passato Prosimmo, the Present Perfect tense. This is used for things that have happened, and have been completed. At its simplest, it's a noun or pronoun, the correct form of 'to be' or 'to have', and then the infinitive.  eg 'Io ho mangiare' and 'Io sono nata'. Most verbs takes 'to have', but we were asked to practise the ones that take 'to be', and we were warned about 'Io sono morta'. It has the flavour of 'I was dead, but I'm finished with being dead now.'

Naturally, this led my thoughts into vampiric pathways, and before I could concentrate on how to translate "I arrived at the cinema at 8.15pm" (Sono arrivata al cinema alle 20.15), I had started planning out a story about Vlad Dracula. Here's where I am at the moment. There's quite a bit more to add, but I'm rather liking it so far.

------

Salve, mi chiamo Vlad.

Tanto tempo fa, in diciembre millequartocentotrentuno, io sono nato, in Monti Carpazi, Romania. In millequartocentosettantasette, un pipistrello mi ha morso sul lato sinistro del collo. Poi, sono morto. Ora, io sono il morti viventi. Io sono il vampiro, il vampiro grande. Io sono Vlad Dracula!

Ho bevuto il vino porto scuro e ricco. Ora, a me piace bere il sangue, e odio l'aglio.

Gestisco l'hotel Transilvania, un hotel per i mostri, vampiri, fantasmi e licantropi. Abbiamo dodici camere da letto. Vuoi prenotare una stanza?

Red and Blue Hat

Yarn: James C Brett Top Value DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: navy

Yarn: random ball of leftover yarn

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: red

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat (stocking stitch variation)

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Started:   6th September 2018 

Finished:  7th September 2018

I worked 12 rounds of ribbing and switched to stocking stitch. In the decreases, every purl was changed to a knit.

This hat finished the last two balls of my 52 ball challenge this year. It feels like quite an accomplishment to finish 52 balls of yarn in 52 weeks, well 36 weeks, which is even better. That's on of my crafting goals for this year completed.

The other two are 'use more fabric than I buy', and that one needs some work. But the third goal is to make 52 items. So far, I'm at 44 items. That goal is going to be reached.

Mi Chiamo Vlad

Mi chiamo Vlad. Sono nato in milleduecentodiciotto, in Ungheria, e sono morto in millleseicentosettantadue. Io sono il vamipro, il vampiro grande, Vlad Dracula.

Sideways Hat

Yarn: James C Brett Top Value DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: navy

Yarn: random ball of leftover yarn

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: red

Pattern: Sideways Hat

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Amount used: 90g

Started:   30th August 2018 

Finished:  5th September 2018

Holding the yarn tripled, cast on 30 sts.

1. Knit 3 sts, k2tog, yo, k to end.

2. Knit

Repeat these two rows 42 times.

Cast off, and then sew together the cast on and cast off edges.

Make a twisted cord, and thread it through the holes at the top of the hat. Tie it off.

-----

The cord can be undone, and the hat can then be used around the neck if desired.

The hat above was made by knitting two rows of red, and then four of navy.

Decluttering Kitchen Drawers and Pantry

Thankfully, I'm feeling a little more myself now. 

Whilst I was making dinner last night, I was enjoying having all the space and clear surfaces. It made the task so very much easier. I was able to have everything laid out and prepared, just waiting for their turn to be cooked.

Tasks:

Declutter 2 shelves in pantry

Declutter kitchen utensils, knives and gadgets, and organise

Declutter and organise parchment, foil, and plastic 

Declutter food storage containers

Six out of date items have been ditched. They were things people have tried, but didn't really like, or didn't use often.

Scurryfunging Central

It's tough keeping on top of housekeeping and decluttering when you are ill. This evening we have a friend over for dinner, and I have so little energy.

This means it is a time for list after list. The most important things are at the top. The stuff at the bottom might be done, or it might not. (Edited to add: with assistance from the Offspring, the list was completed!)

Ta Da!

make cheesecake

make raspberry cooli

make raspberry sauce

clear kitchen surfaces

clean hob

wash dark clothing 

hang out washing

sweep sitting room floor

wash sitting room floor

sweep kitchen floor

wash kitchen floor

sweep hall floor
wash hall floor
wash dishes

red sitting room (remove items that should not be in the sitting room and put them away, tidy the rest)

de-fluff the sofas of Ava-hair

vacuum sitting room floor
dust sitting room

Clean Hob

Yesterday's declutterings and tidyings gave me such joy. That's not to say I like it whilst it is happening, but I do like the results.

Sadly, my energy levels are really low, and things need to be slowed down a tad. There will be time to race ahead when I have recovered from this cold. Therefore, it's time to clean the hob.

Decluttering Begins Again

The major advantages of decluttering are:

• it makes me happy
• I prefer living with less clutter
• it take less time and effort to keep the house clean and tidy

And with these things in mind, I have decided to get back on the decluttering bandwagon, and declutter the house between now and the new year. The plan is to follow Taylor's 365 Declutter tasks, but instead of doing one task each day, I''ll do 3 or 4. So many of the these task have been done before, it is just a question of straightening up, and looking at items that have crept in since the last decluttering.

I had so wanted to start this with a bang and get things moving at quite a pace. However, I have a healing finger to consider, and a cold/sore throat too. But, it's not going to hold me back. It's going to get done.

Today's tasks are:

• Declutter and organise the kitchen sink area
• Clear kitchen counters
• Declutter front and top of refrigerator
• Declutter front and top of freezer
• Replace paper on top of kitchen cupboards

----

I'm loving the difference! Clean, clear surfaces, space to move and breathe! YES!

September Goals

Goals for September:

• regrow fingertip
• make as many hats as possible
• declutter every day
• exercise every day
• finish Ducky quilt

August Goals - Review

My goals for August were:

• maintain kitchen routine 
• finish City Slickers quilt top 
• finish Ducky quilt 
• finish "Never Be Cruel, Never Eat Pears" cross stitch 
• finish 'Quilters socks' 
• make 5 things 
• use as much yarn as possible in the month 
• eat more fruit and veggies and fewer snacks

Most definitely my goal was not 'take a slice out of your finger'. This caused quite a few problems with regards to sewing and knitting, cleaning and tidying. 

However, in the first two weeks, I used a huge amount of yarn, and finished off quite a number of balls of yarn. This resulted in finished projects, a vastly depleted stash box and lots of hats. I've also rocked the whole idea of eating healthier foods and ditching junk. This month I have consumed about 200g of chocolate, 2 packs of crisps and 500ml of Coke. This is a huge, huge, huge improvement in my diet.

August Craftings

Cat Blanket
Started: 1st August 2018
Finished: 2nd August 2018

Dog Blanket
Started: 5th August 2018
Finished: 6th August 2018

Double Green Hat
Started: 8th August 2018
Finished: 8th August 2018

Three by Three
Started: 9th August 2018
Finished: 11th August 2018

Black to Violet
Started: 11th August 2018
Finished: 12th August 2018

Monochrome Curiosity
Started: 12th August 2018
Finished: 12th August 2018

Monochrome Curiosity
Started: 12th August 2018
Finished: 12th August 2018

Frosted Plums
Started: 13th August 2018
Finished: 13th August 2018

Plum and Greys
Started: 14th August 2018
Finished: 14th August 2018

Monochrome Curiosity 3
Started: 14th August 2018
Finished: 19th August 2018

Busy Bee Cake
Started 23rd August 2018
Finished: 23rd August 2018

Items made this month
0 sewn, 10 knitted, 0 crocheted,  0 soaped, 1 cake

Items made this year
8 sewn, 27 knitted, 1 crocheted, 5 soaped, 1 cake

Yarn this month
bought: 5
finished: 23

Yarn this year
bought: 22 (1.5kg of DK)
finished: 50

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, smashed

1 large bay leaf

1 kg passata

1 handful fresh basil, torn

black pepper

Method

Fry the onion in the oil over a medium heat until it begins to turn translucent (around 5-7 mins).

Add the garlic, and continue to fry for another couple of minutes, until the raw smell has gone.

Stir in the carrot and bay leaf, reduce the heat, and gently fry for about 20 minutes, until the onion becomes golden brown, and the carrots have softened.

Add the passata and bring to a gentle bubble. Turn the heat down very low and leave to gently simmer for another 20 mins or so, until it has reduced and thickened.

Stir in the basil and simmer for another five minutes.

Season with black pepper.

Defying Gravity

At the end of last month, I decided to drastically reduce the amount of chocolate, crisps and Coke I was eating. Since then, I've had two packets of crisps, 100g of chocolate and 3 sips of fizzy drinks. I've also stopped eating refined carbs, and have increased my fat and veggie consumption.  

The results are starting to show in my waisline. Trousers that were a little loose started threatening to succumb to gravity. But no more! I've spent time today altering two pairs of trousers to include buttonhole elastic at the waist. It is glorious having trousers that fit snugly around the waist again. Using the buttonhole elastic means that as more weight disappears, I can tighten the elastic. I won't have to buy new clothes for every new dress size. As long as my trousers and skirts fit at the waist I can cope with them being a bit baggy.

There's one more pair of trousers to do. The two pairs of leggings are already in a smaller size, and they fit well. T-shirts, cardigans, dresses and sweaters can cope with being a bit baggy too. But, when the winter comes I'll need to look at either altering my winter skirts, or making new ones.  I think I have a lovely mid grey woollen fabric. That might make a good choice for a new winter skirt.

I was easily spending £2 a day on sugary, fatty, unhealthy crap. I'm diverting that money from food into a clothing budget. By Christmas, there will be a approaching £270 in the pot. I'm sure I'll be able to find something nice.

Finger Update

The image above shows the wonder thing that is a Mepitel dressing. It's a thin film of holey silicon, and it doesn't stick to open wounds!  It's utterly brilliant.

When I first injured my finger, a dry gauze pad was placed over the top to keep it clean and stop blood dripping everywhere. The blood dried to the gauze, and when it was removed it was very painful. (I almost fainted.) The second dressing was a wet gauze and then a dry one, and all taped up. That was also rather painful when it was removed for inspection. However, from that point on, a little square of the Mepitel dressing was placed on top of the wound, and nothing has stuck. The holey silicon can remain in place for 14 days, and I have an extra pad. The finger is healing very nicely.

If ever I'm in a situation where I have an open wound, I shall be requesting this dressing. It makes it so much easier when the wound is being tended. I'm going to buy a few to add to our First Aid kits. They really are fantastic.

Ha-bee Birthday to You

It was my Italian tutor's birthday a few days ago. I made this to take along to class today. 

It's a four layer sponge cake with lemon simple syrup, lemon curd and lemon buttercream. The bee theme is because her company is 'Busy Bee'.

Another Hat?

Yes, another hat, another Monochrome Charcoal one at that.

This has been a hard hat to make. Knitting was off the cards on Thursday due to my sliced finger. Friday, I was able to do a little, but not purl. I had knitted 12 rounds of ribbing, and so switched to stocking stitch. On Saturday, I was back at the hospital for a check up, and it all went well. A little more knitting was possible. Then, this Sunday morning. I was able to finish it. Weaving in the ends was hard. I managed to bash my poor digit a number of times. But, it's done.

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: black

Yarn: King Cole Curiosity DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: charcoal

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat (adapted)

Size: Adult

Needles: 10mm

Amount used: 90g

Started:   14th August 2018 

Finished:  19th August 2018

Busy, Busy, Busy

Life has happened, and the house needs a good clean and tidy up. At lunchtime, we have Jackie the dog groomer coming to groom Ava. This rather requires a clear, tidy space where Jackie can work. 

A list will be required!

To Do

put away sewing things

organise crafting materials

remove cardboard boxes

dust piano and shelf

sweep dining room

wash dishes

put away dishes

put away laundry

hang out towels

put away towels

put fresh bed linens on bed

wash dishes

put away dishes

mop kitchen floor

clean bathroom

Ta Da!

make list!

wash bed linens

cook breakfast

hoover stairs, landing and bathroom

hang out wet bed linens
sweep hall

dust shelf and picture frames

wash towels

sweep kitchen floor

----

Well! In the midst to tidying the dining room I took some birthday presents and started putting them away. When it came to the mandolin, I decided to try it out.  It is incredibly sharp. The accident happened at 11am, and I arrived home from hospital at 3pm. My finger is all bandaged up, and is a wee bit sore,

Italiano on a Wednesday?!

The place we normally meet for class on a Thursday was not available this week. Instead we each had individual lessons. Mine was today. 

Anna, my tutor, asked me to put together a list of things I would like to review. I realised I understood things pretty well, but I hadn't practised enough to make the leap from 'I understand the concept' to 'I can use it easily'. Practise, practise, practise. 

Hats Off to Hope

These are the last five hats I have made. One of the hats had shown as dark and light blue previously. This image shows it really is black and grey. 

The hats will be going, along with the rest of the hats I have made, recently to The Hope Project in Lesvos, Greece. 

"We have been helping refugees arriving in Lesvos since early 2015. Lesvos is no stranger to refugees but the increase in conflict and the closure of safer land routes have force refugees to flee by sea both in the Aegean and the Mediterranean. 

These crossings are dangerous and many do not make it to the 'safety' of shore. For those that make it they soon realize that the hardship is just beginning. Some of the islands of Greece have become a prison for refugees. 

Here in Lesvos the overcrowding and conditions are some of the most horrific, people are deprived of their dignity and treated in ways that should not be accepted in Europe. We do what we can to make a difference and to empower and restore dignity to as many people as we can."

Plums and Greys Hat

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: plum
Yarn: King Cole Curiosity DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: charcoal
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: g
Started: 14th August 2018 
Finished:  14th August 2018

I find it utterly amazing how different the last two hats look, but I was using the same yarn. 

Birthday Money: Spent

It often takes me time to spend birthday money, and today, I finally spent all of it.  The Amazon voucher was spent a little while back on new e-books, and a paper-book of "First 1,000 Words in Italian".

Today's purchase was far more expensive, and it is a course at italymadeeasy.com The idea is to use this course to supplement and revise the studies I am doing with Anna at Buzy Bee - Italian Language and Culture.

Frosted Plums

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: plum
Yarn: King Cole Curiosity DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: charcoal
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: g
Started: 13th August 2018 
Finished:  13th August 2018

Monochrome Curiosity II

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: black
Yarn: King Cole Curiosity DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: charcoal
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: g
Started: 12th August 2018 
Finished:  12th August 2018

Hmmm... The camera has incorrectly interpreted the colours, and instead of black and grey, it's dark and light blue!  I'll take a photograph of all of this batch of hat, and that should hopefully sort out the colours.

Monochrome Curiosity

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: black
Yarn: King Cole Curiosity DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: charcoal
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: g
Started: 12th August 2018 
Finished:  12th August 2018

Black to Violet

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: black
Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: violet
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: g
Started: 11th August 2018 
Finished:  12th August 2018

New Yarn, New Yarn!

This lovely little (150g) ball of yarn was bought today, along with two balls of black. It's a treat to have new yarn.  These balls bring my total up to 20 for the year so far, but I have finished all of those balls, plus and additional 21. This is working well, after I have finished 2 balls, I can buy a new one. My stash keeps getting smaller, but I still have new yarn to play with.

The yarn above, King Cole Curiosity DK in Charcoal is destined to become a tunic/dress for a little one, and the black yarn will be combined with odds and ends to help use them up.

Sophia e Jacamo

Sophia ha vissuto nei boschi per sei mesi. Il figlio di Sophia era Jacamo. Loro sono diventati povero. Sophie ha detto a lui "Jacamo, tu vai al mercato con Daisy, la mucca." Lui è andato al mercato. Il ragazzo stupido ha venduto la mucca per cinque fagioli. Lui è partuto dal mercato e è ritornato a casa sua.

----

The homework set was to write a diary for a week. After a few days, my diary entries were incredibly boring. As the object was to practise writing in the passamo prossimo (present perfect tense), I decided to re-write a fairy tale.

In the next lesson, I learned the verb 'to grow' - 'crescere' and how to say "I am being eaten" - "Io sono mangiato". It is incredibly similar to "I have eaten" - "Io ho mangiato". The first form uses part of the verb 'essere' (to be) and the second 'avere' (to have). Essere and avere are used as auxiliary verbs to move the present to the present perfect. Using the wrong one can cause all sorts of problems.  

I can see a future where the fagioli start growing, and Jacamo is eaten. (grin)

Three by Three

Three colours, knitted with three strands of yarn.

Yarn: Bergere de France Ideal
Composition: 40% wool, 30% acrylic, 30% nylon
Colour: dark green
Yarn: Random green
Yarn: King Cole Merino
Composition: 100% wool
Colour: black
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm
Amount used: 92g
Started: 9th August 2018 
Finished:  11th August 2018

Double Green Hat

Yarn: Bergere de France Ideal
Composition: 40% wool, 30% acrylic, 30% nylon
Colour: dark green
Yarn: Bergere de France Ideal
Composition: 40% wool, 30% acrylic, 30% nylon
Colour: mid green
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult 
Needles: 10mm 
Amount used: 78g
Started: 8th August 2018 
Finished:  8th August 2018

Dog Blanket

A dog blanket in browns and blues. I decided dogs would far rather have a warm snuggly blanket than not have one because the knitter didn't have enough of any one yarn to make it. It was made using three strands of yarn knitted together. This method really does gobble up the yarn and make the knitting grow very quickly.

Eight balls of yarn were used to make it. Part of a ninth ball (the darkest blue) was used to finish it off. The rest of the ninth ball will be used up later in the month. 

I has quite a large de-stash last year, and my supplies of double knitting yarn have dwindled quite considerably. There is enough yarn to make three sweaters, but I'm not ready to use that yarn. That's in the 'protected' category. I think there's now less than 10 balls of unprotected DK yarn.  This month, it will be used up, and then I'll make a start on the 4ply yarn.  I'll probably knit it tripled as well and used it to make hats.

Repair Cafe

A new venture starts today on my little Island, Repair Cafe. Essentially, people bring along their broken item, and a group of volunteers fix them. I shall be attending with needles, threads, scissors, yarn and hooks.

Cat Blanket

My first completed project for the "Hot Flash Dash" - a cat blanket for the local animal shelter. It was made on 9mm needles, using three strands of DK held together. It might have been an idea for me to smooth it out properly before photographing!

Quilters Socks

At the Quilters Guild, every so often people will bring in crafting materials they no longer wish or that have been passed on to them to 'find a good home for'. A little while back I picked up a half knitted pair of socks and decided to complete them for the winter collection for refugees. I've had to rip back part of the knitting as I have no idea what pattern the previous knitter was using.

Hot Flash Dash 2018

I am part of a group whose members try to reduce their stash of yarn. This month, we have a  challenge to use as much stash yarn as possible - Hot Flash Dash. 

The month kicks off with a pair of half knitted socks. I can see some multi-stranded blankets for the local animal shelter, and a few hats for refugees coming off my needles.

August Goals

My goals for August are:

• maintain kitchen routine
• finish City Slickers quilt top 
• finish Ducky quilt
• finish "Never Be Cruel, Never Eat Pears" cross stitch
• finish 'Quilters socks'
• make 5 things
• use as much yarn as possible in the month
• eat more fruit and veggies and fewer snacks