Back to the Armchair

I started a new blanket last night. I've been without an armchair project since the engagement gift blanket went to its new home a few weeks ago. We've had real winter weather for the last few days. Perfect weather for curling up in the armchair with a new project. More significantly, I've had a much more hectic time than usual. I've been considering the possiblity of becoming a foster carer for some time. Now a situation has come up with a family I know: their 8 year old may need to stay here for a while. That would make a huge change to my lifestyle. After a day of phone calls and research I really felt the need for a comfort project. If you've noticed a number of references to tidying up the sewing room in my last few posts, the missing bit of information is that the sewing room and the spare room in my unit are one and the same thing. This room would need to become a child's bedroom and I would need to rearrange everything else to fit. That's quite a challenge. There were a couple of boxes of yarn on the top shelf which had been there for a long time: what to do with them? You can follow my thinking . . . I bought some more yarn to match (oh, oh!) and started the blanket.

If you're observant and know your local yarns, you may have noticed something else about the pic of my new project: it's not all wool--shock, horror--I'm using cotton, tencel and acrylic! The yarns I had to use up were a cotton/acrylic and a wool/lycra. When I dropped into the local craft superstore I found some tencel-acrylic on clearance. The yarn had an irresistable sheen to it but, unlike the silk of my dreams, is machine washable. I bought it and after half a dozen or so rows, I'm enjoying it. Obviously there are some changes happening around here.

Going Home

These bulky creations are going home today. The biggest item is the engagement gift blanket. I started it just under a year ago and it's been nearly finished for ages. A couple of weeks ago I took it to the Neighbourhood House to tie off the fringes. Yesterday I was back there to start the quilting on the Raffle Quilt. J and I had arranged to meet to get that job done together. We took turns quilting and resting. That way we were forced to take suitable breaks--quilting can be tough on the shoulders and hands and I for one find it hard to stop once I've started. I'm pretty much incapable of sitting still, so I packed a couple of items to keep me occupied when it was my turn to rest. I wove in the last few loose ends on the blanket. There werent' many because I designed it in stripes with the ends forming the fringes. The other task I brought, you can just see peeping out from the black plastic bag on the right. It's the new back for the doona cover which came to grief with the family dog. It needed to be ironed. It's huge! I'm struggling for workspace at home. In the big North Studio at the Neighbourhood House ironing it was a manageable task. J even took a turn when it was my turn to get back to the quilting. H just laughed at me when I suggested she do the same while I dealt with an enquiry for her in the office. Oh well, it's done!I'll be glad to send these items off. Lately they've been just sitting around getting in the way and adding to the clutter at my place. That was never the idea. Now I can bundle them up with all the love that was intended and send them to their new home. There are a few other bits and pieces I've been saving to go in the same parcel: a couple of scarves and a hat or two or three. They'll arrive in Brisbane just in time for August, which is usually their coldest month. Great! Now to walk away from the computer and complete the task before I do anything else, come on now . . . .

OK, to complete the task I need to get a big cardboard box out of the car. I got one at the hardware store in anticipation of this occasion and it's been rattling around in there for weeks. A bit of clever construction work with some packing tape and scissors and I'm off to the Post Office.

Gizmo Gift

There's a new member in my gizmo collection. It's a home-made swift or skein holder. I received it at the Neighbourhood House yesterday, as a bit of a surprise. I was there to borrow L's car and sort out keys for my evening quilting class. One of the key members of the craft group happened in. When she saw me she couldn't quite remember my name, but she excitedly started to describe something she had for me at home. It too was nameless at this stage. I gathered it had to do with winding wool--whether it was a warping board or a skein holder or something entirely different wasn't clear. The only way to solve the mystery was to see it. She was enthusiastic enough to drive home for it and bring it back for me. Here it is: Just the right size for my 2 metre skeins, low profile so it doesn't want to tip over and with fixed arms, so they don't want to collapse in. Having said all that, the skein I tried it on wasn't in the best shape to start with and I did have a few tangles to sort out. Overall: I love the home-made ingenuity of it and I'll happily give it another go. Better yet, the generous unexpectedness of the whole episode makes me smile.

Drat!

My camera's playing up, so I can't post the picture of the overdyed wool-silk yarn I wanted to show off today. The yarn is leftover from the Engagement Gift blanket. I have several odds and ends in that bag. They'll be great for making cosy little winter accessories, but it wouldn't be fair to expect some-one to wear a leftover bit of blanket, however nice the yarn might be, so I'm spicing them up in the dyepot. This hank has morphed from a lime green to a strong emerald green with the addition of Landscape sky blue, but the camera just makes whirring noises. So, sorry, no pic. And I must add getting the camera fixed to the list of things to do in the next few days. Drat!

Clayton's Rib

The rib you have when you're not having a rib:I saw this stitch pattern on the weekend in a book of baby cardigans my friend M was working from. They called it a garter stitch rib. Every second row is garter stitch. The other row is K3, P3, K3, etc. The yarn here is a mohair blend, so that makes the resulting fabric even softer in outline. I'm enjoying it--just a simple scarf with some of the yarn left over from the Engagement Gift Blanket. I put the last stitch in that project this morning and immediately cast on something quick and easy! Now I must get the blanket fringe sorted so that project is really complete and ready to send to its final destination.

Armchair Project Upsize

I started this armchair project last winter. Look how it's grown!The idea started as a lap rug or couch throw, but since it's an engagement gift, there had to be room for two. The two live in Queensland where the weather is generally warm, but there are some seriously cold mornings and evenings in winter and the houses have no heating. I remember when I lived in that area, the adequacy of a lap rug was measured by how effectively it covered cold toes. Next came the idea, that since the rug was already going to be wide enough for two, it could double as an extra layer of warmth, colour and comfort for the end of a double bed. You're getting the picture: the ideas grew as did the rug. Now it's nearly finished. It has definitely outgrown my armchair. In case you need a size comparison--that little silver line at the top right of the pic is my crochet hook. Each row is 200 stitches and I've done more than a dozen rows in the past 48 hours. I'm keen to get it finished and on its way before the weather turns really cold again. And I'm ready for a smaller lighter project for my armchair.

Meanwhile, Back at the Armchair

I've finished the red wool-alpaca capelet. Now I've started knitting a little neck warmer out of mint green bamboo-cotton. It's a perfect Spring project and designed to limber up my circular knitting skills:
But I still have two major "armchair projects" requiring attention. The Bushfire blanket is all finished, except for one of the fringed edges. I can do that as soon as I manage to clear my big table. Clearing the table is a challenge. The fringing is easy enough. The Engagement Gift blanket needs a few more rows of crochet. I'm not sure how many because I have plenty of wool and I could really go on for ever. I need to decide how big is big enough. Then it too needs to have the fringes tied and cut. That project is going to wait for the next cool morning. Meanwhile, I could pull it out and measure and plan how many more rows it needs. Maybe I could do that when I have the big table clear . . .

Thank You, Driver

The Love Birds are here! I've been referring to them as "the engaged couple"in previous posts--the blanket I'm working on is my engagement gift for them. And I got to be the lucky one to drive them when we went out yesterday. They asked, "Is it ok if we both sit in the back?" Not a problem! So, here they are cosily seated in the back of my car: That's my rear view mirror, if you need a bit of orientation. And yep, they're all bundled up in winter woollies, even though it was a fine spring day yesterday. Their last stop was Mackay in Tropical Central Queensland and besides, it would be a pity for those carefully selected warm clothes to go to waste. The grey and green creation on J's head actually had a previous life as a tea cosy, but that's another story altogether.

Today we're heading over to the Tulip Festival. I've charged up both my camera batteries and am choosing my most comfortable shoes. There should be plenty of beauty and inspiration, plus good coffee and company.

Fibre Therapy

Yesterday didn't get any less stressful after my 4.00 am wake up, but at the end of the day I did manage to sit with my current armchair project for a while. It was a small dose of fibre therapy and I desperately needed it.

I'm working on the Engagement Gift blanket and even though I only managed just over a row, with several interruptions, it was good for me just to have it in my hands and stitch away for a bit. Here's how it's looking: It's now big enough to drape over my legs and keep me warm as I work, and it's definifitely taking on a life of it's own as far as colour scheme goes. The engaged couple arrive in just a few days. I had hoped to have it ready for them to take home. I don't thing that will happen now, but they will get to see it while they're here. And meanwhile it's there to give me something warm and soft to hang on to when things are tough. I so rely on my fibre therapy to keep me going!

Conversations with Wool

I've started the Engagement Gift blanket and have been adding a few rows each day so that it is starting to take shape.
Choosing and collecting the different colours took me several weeks before I started the actual crochet. I wanted a good variety while representing J & A's favourite colours--thankfully they're complimentary: green and burgundy. The teal contrast was an easy enough fit and I thought I was well on my way. Well I guess I am well on my way, but no matter how carefully I plan, these projects seem to develop a mind of their own. This one is saying, "More light green, please". I hear the message loud and clear. So I thought I would buy some more of the apple green colour. I went back to the shop where I'd bought it, but that colour is all gone. I do have some other options and there are several light greens I could use. I also need an incentive to visit one of my favourite wool shops to see what they're up to. It's CCCK's first birthday this week and it's far too long since I've been there. But at the same time I am a little annoyed with my wool. I'm asking, "Why couldn't you tell me earlier?" but I'm not getting much response, just, "More light green please". "OK, OK, I get the message". By the way, I hope listening to textiles won't be considered a sign of insanity. I'll admit to being somewhat crazy about my craft, but I know plenty of people who tell me their projects talk to them, and no, I'm not hearing voices, so don't worry too much.

Next!

Perfect timing!

Within half an hour of my posting the photo of my completed bushfire blanket the postie arrived with a parcel from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I'd ordered the wool I need to start my next project a week before, and there it was on my doorstep just when I needed it. Here's my collection so far for the Engagement Gift blanket which is my next armchair project: The key colours are apple-green and burgundy with touches of teal. The mega balls you can see are from Bendigo--200g per ball: they're alpaca rich and mirage yarns. How could I resist with names like " apple rich" and "rich wine"! The mirage has a little bit of mohair in it to provide some texture. One of the other yarns I've chosen has some slubby silk in it. I'm not too happy with the colour reproduction in this shot, but I'll sort that out another time.

I've also been working on my double weave project for my weaving class today. It's just about time to pack up the car and head off. I have a "twisted cord twister" on my shopping list from the Guild's craft outlet. That will help me finish off the fringes on the bushfire blanket.