Knitting Continues

Bear continues to keep in touch. He's explained his coursework to me, which impressed me no end. I barely understood one word in twenty, but it was so lovely to hear his voice. Things are just happily tootling along. I'm settling down to hibernate. I've also placed a grocery delivery and I've ordered the first of the Christmas goodies. I'm using Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for Christmas. As usual, I'm swearing that I'll get less than last year, and to be fair, I've gradually cut down. However it's November tomorrow and now I'm watching for sales on things like goodies that I can stash away until the big day. Really, I just want the men at home and for it all to be cosy. I may invest in candles - lots and lots of candles!

The next bit is a lot of knitting. You may want to skip it if you're not a knitter as it's a lot of grumbling about knitting things.

The delay since the last post is because I wanted to take a pic and I was baffled about the best way to do it. I then took the pictures and now my phone won't share them! In the end I looked for a pic of knitting on Unsplash, and when I entered 'knitting' in the search engine, it pulled up this, which is crochet. I can't crochet.

Photo by Imani on Unsplash

Which sort of sums it all up. 

Eventually I managed to coax the phone to get the pics. This is the current state of the jacket I'm knitting. 

It's just a sort of heap, because I've finished the main body, and the back and both fronts are knitted in one piece from the bottom up. The jacket is this one which is a jacket in chunky, and as I'm a larger lady with a ridiculously ample bosom, I'm knitting the largest size. Which is big. The finished length is supposed to be 36 inches or 93cm, and the bottom hem, which is all in one, is 62 inches or 157cm if I knit to size, and I have the uneasy feeling that I've knit it large. I've just started on the first sleeve. 

The instructions I have are to block the pieces before making up. As it's all in stocking stitch or stockinette, the whole thing has curled up. Apparently, I need to block a stretch of knitting that's seriously curled and nearly two yards long - and that's just the hem! There isn't a single uncurled edge. I bought a pack of blocking pins but they look somewhat inadequate and the only place I can think of that has that sort of space and that is free is bear's bed, and I'm not sure that he'd approve. 

My mother used to lightly press her knitting under a damp cloth, and I may try that. I'll have to do something as it's curling up to a ridiculous degree. After the mess I made when I dropped all the shoulder stitches, I'm not going to be wearing it outside of the house, so I think the main quality I'm looking for is 'fits over jumper and t-shirt' and from what I can see, it will do that very nicely. 

I'm not knitting it again. I found myself knitting five stitches for the neckband on a circular needle that was 150cm or 60 inches long. I spent more time trying to get the needle and yarn in position than I did knitting the row. 

Writing Stuff - today is the last day of October and my writing blog can calm down. I posted a story a day from Kane's story, most of them old but a couple of new ones. Today I posted the final story here - Not Fit - which is new and is quite a read at just under seven thousand words. I hope that if you dip in then you enjoy it. 

The stats on my writing blog are now going odd. I have no idea what's going on and I'm putting it down to bots. However, for a while I've been getting a regular hit on Invitation Accepted so I thought I had better have a look and remind myself what it was all about. I'm ashamed to say that I'd forgotten how it ended. I enjoyed the read, but I feel like a very neglectful story mother. I've added the link to ease my conscience, but I feel that perhaps I ought to have a rummage and see what I've forgotten!

Hugs and good health to all. 

Where Did the Day Go?

It's been cold and windy here today. I managed to get one pic to show that Gladys is still going strong.

But it was hard to get as the wind was throwing the branches around like crazy. I feel like there is a hard winter coming. 

I found myself wondering what I managed to do today. I seemed to have done the very barest and my major triumph was remembering to take out the recycling for collection tomorrow. Of course, I also wrote just over five thousand words, so I suppose that accounts for some of the time. Some of it was for DHm but a large chunk was for my writing blog. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

I had a call from bear yesterday which was lovely. He sometimes calls just to talk stuff out, though I'm honest when I say that I haven't got a clue about what he's talking about. 

With the weather being so cold and dreary, it's such a temptation to pile on the blankets and revel in feeling snug with all the wind and rain outside. It's my favourite time of year and I intend to enjoy it!

Hugs and good health to all.  

Finally Finished Something!

I finished the fish-tailed blanket, the one that had sat in the corner for years. 

I had a good go at it because I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the garage. I thought something was burning, but apparently nothing was burning but the crankshaft pulley was loose and then they couldn't get the part, then the part turned up late, and it took some time to fit. I got about six inches knitted on the blanket that day. It turned out very roughly 150cm x 150cm or sixty inches square. I plan to hibernate under it.

I should carry on with the jacket I'm knitting which is in the home stretch, but I started another blanket, to have something mindless to knit while I'm watching tv.

I'm missing bear. He's been gone almost a month now, and he's been poorly as well. I guess most of the people reading this know that feeling. I'm sure that it doesn't really get much easier. I'm proud of him, though. He's getting good marks and I think that he's eating well. Tonight he's planning a fancy meal with chorizo and chickpeas. Hearing him managing just fine makes me feel that I've done something right and it's incredibly reassuring. 

I've decided to give up on the chillies. They are absolutely crawling with bugs and it makes my skin crawl. It's a shame, as we were getting quite a bit of pleasure seeing the plants grow, but DH isn't enjoying the pickling so much and now that I've found a brand of hot chilli pickles at the local supermarket, at a cheaper price that DH can make, and they taste fine, then I may as well abandon the plants. If DH was enjoying the pickling, or the stuff in the supermarket was significantly dearer, I would probably have persevered, but I want my windowsill back, without the icky bits.

We've not gone entirely to ready made, though. I chopped up 2kg of onions for the freezer today and the house stunk. Still, I have the benefit of a good deal, ready to go and easy to use. 

Writing stuff - for those who subscribe to email notifications on my writing blog - I'm sorry. But October is almost over. It's been all about Kane, and the new stories in order so far are Watching the Shop, Afterwards, A Cup of Coffee and Dumping the Junk. And of course there'll be a nice long instalment on 31st October. If you want to read the whole thing so far, you can start here, but it's quite a read in full. I was surprised when I was going through. 

Hugs and good health to all.

I Used My Lucet

I love using my lucet, but I can rarely think of any use for it. This is the lucet in question.

And this is the braid I made from some faded twine I found the other day. I've had it since father was gardening.

It's not brilliant, but it took me about half an hour total, including watching the video to remind myself how to use the thing.

You can see the difference between the cord on the video and the my attempt, which is largely because the lucet is too big for the thin twine I used. I've already started rummaging around to find the smaller size that I'm sure that I have somewhere. Or, apparently, I could use an ordinary fork.

The reason for the braid is that we have a log basket in our study. We don't have anything in the house that will burn logs, but it's a great size for us to drop the bits of recycling from the non-kitchen areas of the house into. The kitchen recycling bin is down a flight of stairs from the study and I currently can barely manage to walk across a room. Don't get me wrong, I can do the various cook/clean/laundry stuff but I'm grateful for things that can save me a few steps. At the end of every day or so, I can empty it into the outside recycling bin. 

It came from Temu, equipped with wooden bars for the handles. 

This presented a number of problems. The first problem was that the dowel wouldn't fit through the leatherette loops to make a handle. I dug out some sandpaper to cut down the size, but then promptly lost one of the dowels. It was always going to be a matter of time before they went missing regardless. However the basket is a nice size and it's made of a comforting sort of felt so I braided up the twine to make handles.

Which I will be replacing the instant I can find the smaller lucet. I like the rustic look but I think that I'll like it even more if it looks a little more deliberate.

Bear is feeling better, and seems to be settling in well. All is good with me as well, apart from the walking stuff. I had the flu jab today, so I've decided that the weekend is dedicated to resting my knee and knitting. 

I've been dipping into some craft videos to see if I can find uses for braid that don't involve making mats. The few times I've tried it, I've ended up with more of a bowl and it hasn't worked at all. It's risky, watching those YouTube videos, though, as I get tempted to try things and I need to run down my craft supplies, not go out and buy more! 

Hugs and good health to all. 

A Joyful Noise

I can't remember which Psalm says it, but one of them says, 'make a joyful noise unto the Lord.' My mother said that was the only way to describe her singing. Once upon a time I sang in the sort of choir that used sheet music (I could read from sight, but not first sight) and was okayish, but now I stick with a joyful noise as the best description.

I've decided that as singing has been described as an aerobic exercise, I'm going to sing in the car. I couldn't inflict it on DH or any of the neighbours, but as I head towards Tesco, I can happily warble an approximation of a tune. It's not proper exercise, but it's vaguely good for me and it lifts my mood. It also makes my driving a lot more assertive. 

Normally I'm a careful driver and I'm cautious at junctions. However it's amazing how much extra confidence I get from belting out old Liverpool folk tunes and while I don't ever think that I'll get mistaken for a boy racer, I'm getting out of some of the stickier junctions a lot quicker.  

It has a downside. I have learned over the last few shopping expeditions that it's not a good idea to belt out Men of Harlech, a song all about medieval battles, when I'm in a 30mph zone. It's not good. I need to stick to something less martial in those areas. On the other hand, Kumbaya is wonderful and soothing and far from helpful if I'm supposed to be dashing down a 50mph zone. 

I've done a little baking. There are two recipes that I know that involve browning the butter before baking. One is brown butter biscuits and the other is burnt butter cookies. I was supposed to be making brown butter biscuits, but I left them in the oven too long and I think I had a recipe crossover.

Bear has the 'fresher's flu.' It's a known thing that happens when students from all over the country meet up and mix all their germs. He's got a bad sore throat and is definitely suffering. I've had a few texts and a call or two, which is far more communication than I expected, and apart from the illness, I think that he's doing okay. He's cooking, he's got to grips with the local laundrette, he's shopping sensibly and planning his food, and generally keeping his feet on the ground. I'm not there and can only go off his reports, but it seems that he's laying the foundation of keeping a good rhythm in his life. 

This is vital as bear, being his usual self, has signed up for a degree that is incredibly intensive with a massive workload. He's grumbled that he has a friend doing a History and Sociology degree at another university and they have the same number of contact teaching hours per week that he has most days. I'm pretty sure that he'll be fine, but I worry.

I miss him so much. So does DH. We're not being silly or dramatic about it, but there's a gap. However he's been in touch with both of us, and that is reassuring. 

Writing stuff - it's carrying on with a different Kane story each day of October (apologies to those who have subscribed to the blog and who are now getting spammed). There was a new story last Friday here, and I've got a few more up my sleeve.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Not Ideal

I didn't take any sensible pics today, so here is a pic of my new wrist rest and mouse mat.

I've been setting up a new station downstairs, where I'm planning on using the planner and getting some serious writing done. I have an old PC of bear's that I can use, and originally I ordered a plain black wrist rest and mouse mat. However bear asked nicely and took them away with him, so I indulged in fancy rests. So far I'm still setting up the planner and working out how best to use it, but it's been fun.

I've had something of a runaround today. I tried to pay money into the Post Office and failed as apparently my bank doesn't work there, then I dropped off some donations at the Salvation 
Army. I don't know what was going on, but I nearly passed out in the car park. I had a dizzy spell that I absolutely did not appreciate and I had to sit in the car for twenty minutes before I felt anywhere near to be safe to drive. I was so cautious driving to Tesco which was only a few hundred yards away and I got a baked potato and a hot chocolate in the cafe to try and ground me. I felt a little better, at least enough to carefully drive home, but I'm still feeling off. I've made lots of notes in the planner. In the past I've found it difficult to track any symptoms but now, if I keep it up, I can see if there's an underlying problem. I have a suspicion that it's lack of sleep, but I'll track and see. 

DH had a text from bear saying that he had had trouble making a chicken curry, but he got it sorted. What I heard was my son is making himself proper meals!!! I am so proud and relieved. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Welcome to October

It's not officially the start of autumn. Meteorological autumn starts on 1st September and the other start of autumn that I remember is 21st September or the equinox, but 1st October always feels more like the start of autumn to me. It feels like the colder weather has turned up early this year and I'm sitting here with one of my knitted blankets around my shoulders and I've lit two candles to take the chill off the room. I can't bring myself to turn the fire on. 

Incidentally, it's this blanket, which is ridiculously long and narrow for a blanket but a wonderful stole type shape and length to wrap around my shoulders, cross over my chest and leave a nice overlap for when I'm watching or reading something on the computer. 

I called in to Tesco today to pick up salad for DH. They didn't have any interesting bargains, so I picked up the salad and some sweeties for the Foodbank to remember one of DH's family and dashed out. I noticed something at the Foodbank bin, though, that made me wonder. It looked like someone decided that those in need had to have bottled lemon juice and donated dozens. 

I had a quick look and they are good until May next year. I wonder if someone had been planning a demonstration or a pancake feast and were left with an uncomfortable surplus that they decided to pass on. 

I'm taking the chance of a new month and the new stage in my life to try and find a way to work with a planner. I've had success in the past when I've written everything down, and so I've decided to go with a variant of the bullet journal. Parts of it require using brief notes so I'll have to modify that part. I can't write brief notes to save my life - I can witter on for pages. I've used something similar in the past, so I'm optimistic that I'll get a little further with this. I'll share any successes, and if I have any amazing insights, I'll let you know. 

Writing stuff - I like to mark October, so once again I'll be including a story a day from Kane's story. I won't say anything here when I post, unless it's a new story, but if you want to dip in, my blog is here and all are welcome. 

Hugs and good health to all.