Crafty update – Day seventysomething

I don’t know what day it is.  I’m too lazy to look it up.

I haven’t regaled/bored (depending on who you are) you with details of my handmade endeavours, so here’s an update.  My next post will be knit-free, for those of you looking for Sabbatical Adventures.

Let’s see, since my last knitting update (August 30th), I have finished:

 

Socks for Vorlon – basic sock pattern from my brain, Wendy Roam Fusion yarn

Socks for Zebula, Stripe Tease pattern by General Hogbuffer, Wendy Roam Fusion yarn

Hat for Zebula. Pattern is the Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson, yarn is Manos Del Uruguay Wool Clasica. The pattern is kind of lost in the busy yarn, but she insisted.

Hat for me – Scathach’s Hat, by Mona C. NicLeòid (I’m glad I don’t have to say either pattern or designer out loud!!), Prick Your Finger Hand Dyed Romney yarn

Socks for Dr. Thingo – Java Socks pattern by Cailyn Meyer, I Knit or Dye Leisure Sock yarn

Hat for Vorlon – Captain Jack’s Hat pattern by Drops, Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn

 

I’ve had a lot of time to knit lately, apparently.  The hat for me was especially nice – the yarn was soft and bouncy and a pleasure to work with.  I’m planning on matching mittens for Vorlon made from the leftovers from his hat, but my first attempt, designed on the needles was a little tight, so I’ll do them again.

I also had a brief foray into millinery.  Well, sort of – I just changed a ribbon.  If you know Dr. Thingo at all, you will know that he loves his panama hat, purchased on some conference trip to France a few years ago.  Fact:  He will avoid biking to work in the summer, because wearing a bike helmet means he cannot wear his hat.  Anyway, the ribbon on the hat got to be a little grotty, what with a few years of hot-weather-wear.  I offered to change it, so he bought himself a length of grosgrain ribbon.  It only took a half hour, all told, but it was kind of fun. I took the ribbon off the hat, reverse-engineered how they’d made the bow (it’s not really a bow – it’s just folded back on itself, and tacked in place by two strips of folded ribbon, and all sewed into place onto the hat.

Old ribbon

My sabbatical iron is HUGE! That’s probably the last time I’ll use it before we leave next July.

Old vs. new

 

 

Crappy phone picture of finished product.

I seem to have developed a stash, after two months of being here, mostly leftovers from all the stuff above.  Some things just can’t be avoided.   Maybe I’ll crochet a bunch of squares, and join them all together into a huge, kind of ugly, This Is the Yarn I Used During Our Sabbatical blanket after I get back.

I’ve had visions of a skirt, of all things.  I keep seeing knit skirts around, especially this one.  I’ve seen a lot of them around, and they seem to be universally flattering.  And you can make it seamless, so you can rotate it when you wear it, so it doesn’t get all baggy in the butt.  But first, I’m going to finish all the stuff I have going on.

What I have not finished:  my Parisian Souvenir Scarf (so boring, and now that the kids are in school and I’m not helping with lessons at home, I’m not working on it anymore.  It was a good one to work on while helping them out – not much thinking required).  I also haven’t blocked the Rill Scarf I want to send the lady in Paris who let us stay at her apartment.  Any day now.

Speaking of handmade things, I haven’t done a whole lot of baking lately.  I have, however, developed an attachment to McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives, to the point where the kids have started to expect that there are always some in the biscuit tin.  So I’m going to break the cycle by making something by myself today.  With apples, because it’s that time of year.  Though a chocolate-covered biscuit and a coffee would be really good right now.