One lovely young lady was the exception to my ‘knitted gifts only’ rule during the Christmas Knitting Frenzy of 2022. What to make for a (nearly) 4 year old? Did I mention I’d left this year’s knitted present planning to the last minute? Of course, I couldn’t let her miss out. I’d already bought and wrapped a Build-a-Ladybird game so…I had three days…I made her a ladybird… I’d found this pattern on line some time ago and it looked like…
This has been one frenetic spell of knitting, knitting, knitting. The standard I set myself when babies began being born in my extended family and friends’ circle – to knit individual, unique gifts rather than buy something off the shelf – has presented some deadlines requiring proportionate levels of discipline and effort. This year has been off the scale with 2 babies and 3 toddlers to knit for, an outstanding promise for another toddler plus a baby and toddler in…
Plarn. Qué? Plarn. PL astic y ARN. See what I did there? I’m a little late to the party, I know. Apparently, plarn has been a thing for a long time. I know because I found Eco-Friendly Knits Using Recycled Plastic Bags by Emily Blades, published in way back in 2010. I’d dabbled with twine and string over the years, and I’d made some shoulder bags out of discarded tee-shirts. But plarn? Never ‘ad it, Mr Fawlty. I was very…
It’s time to introduce a new category. Still creating useful contributions to life, some contributions being just for decoration or amusement. Whichever, it keeps me amused. My new cutting board is in place on my desk, the rotary cutter is ready to go. What to sew first? That is the question, and one I’ll be answering soon. Watch this space.
Not a proverb you’d have heard of but it’s one that suits this jotting. If you’ve read any of my musings before now, you’ll know that most of the pieces I produce are knitted flat. I’ve eschewed the Magic Loop and the dreaded sets of four or five dpns for years now after one disastrous attempt with four needles when my fingers jerked uncontrollably, needles slipped to the floor and stitches twisted upon themselves. I couldn’t see the attraction or…
My toad-loving friend and I reached the anniversary of meeting each other 50 years earlier (how did that happen?). This time, a toad (or a frog, we’re not particular) wouldn’t really do, even though the amphibian affinity began early on in our friendship. It should really be something that marked the literal beginning. It was Decimalisation Day; surely there would be something knittable within the currency theme? Nothing inspiring, as it turned out. I haven’t mastered basic crochet skills and…
I’ve asked it before and I’ll ask it again. What do you give the man who has everything? If the top of his present wish list is a pizza oven shovel for putting the pizza into the oven and a hot ash shovel for removing hot ash from the pizza oven, which, by the way, he has built himself, from mining his own stone to cutting and shaping it, then finding the perfect gift is nigh on impossible. A bowtie…
You know when you get up in the morning with the intention of going out on your bike? Yes, you really fancy an energising blast that’ll set you up for the rest of the day. While making your coffee, you observe that the breeze looks…refreshing. Great, it’ll cool you down as you warm up on your ride. The sun keeps peeping out. That’s a dose of vitamin D right there. Another good reason to stick to your plan. But as…