Woolgathering

Conker Feet are almost done. I finished the second slipper in bed last night. But I am not yet properly done - for when I say “finished” I have indeed done all the knitting and cast off, but have yet to apply the “finishing treatment”. I have the choice of crocheting an edge - and I don’t crochet - or, wait for this… picking up all the stitches that I just cast off and then casting them off again, but purlwise.

Now, that’s a difficult choice. I could crochet and make a mess or I can pick up and make a mess - because picking up it’s not my best skill. Let’s face it, if I plan to pick up all the stitches again, those slippers are going to languish at the bottom of my workbasket for many moons to come.

Now, where did I put those crochet hooks?

*quiver*

Conker Feet, my “Mama Janes” slippers are coming along nicely. I completed the first one in bed last night and then rattled off the second sole before going to sleep. I reckon it would be perfectly possible to make a pair of these in one afternoon, with some dedication and concentrated knitting. They would make perfect last minute gifts.

I shall make mods to any later pairs, to suit my own peculiar feet - detailed thoughts on this are at Ravelry and I’ll report back here as and when I attempt them.

All together now!

I came, I saw, I conker-ed
I came, I saw, I conker-ed
I can’t dany it’s got that I, yi, conker-,
I, yi, conker-, I, yi, conker-, yi….

(with apologies to James Cavanaugh / John Redmond / Frank Weldon and Edmundo Ross)

Those slippers knit up mighty fast. I took them to bed last night and by the time we put the light out I had just the one round left to go. I discussed with Mr L my love of the engineering side of knitting, I laid the toe out to be admired by the pair of us, I stretched it this way and that (so neat!), I found the hole… It’s a good job that these are so quick and easy to do - because I shall be re-knitting this one. Somehow, I have a dropped stitch at the toe end where the sole was picked up to knit the welt. For now, I knit on. I am so far on with it that I might as well get it cast off and check the size before starting another one. It does look fairly diminutive on the needles, it must be said. (Swatch! Who said Swatch?)

I must get a move on - I have someone coming for an 11am appt and I have been lolling in my bed trying to to alleviate a migraine.

It saddens me that these days hosting spinning group almost always gives me a migraine. I need to rethink my approach, I think.

Oh, there’s a mystery sock KAL for Socktoberfest. Shall I? (Ravelry account required KAL here)

Up and at ‘em this morning and I had the bread rising by 7:30am. I am now showered and ready to begin my other baking. I have discovered that I have no milk for the spinning ladies’ tea/coffee and no time to go seek some.

*sigh*

I got up to find that the cats had discovered by Blink; carefully washed, blocked, folded, and laid on a table by me - now in a crumpled tangled heap on the floor.

*double sigh*

Last night I began my slippers. This Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend is fabulous stuff. I knitted my first sole in bed and hope to make progress today. No chance of pictures today, light levels are v low.

And now I am off to make eclairs…

…but have no milk for my crème patisserie!

Blink is blocking. I didn’t plan to block it because I liked its texture but after I soaked it I found that it really wanted to contract, so I pinned it out roughly. I only did the basic 12 and a half repeats in the end - then fretted as I knitted the decreases because I didn’t think that it would be long enough… but it has blocked to 67″ by 8″ or thereabouts. I do believe that I could have got more length out of it quite easily, but it is on the kitchen table and just fits that nicely as it is.

Time to move on. A few rows on the Morning Surf today, I think, so that I see some progress there, then I’ll cast on my slippers  if needles are available.

1) Thanks to Jenny,I now have a UK source of slipper soles - just what I was seeking. I knew I had seen them previously but couldn’t track them down when I looked the other day. Thank you very much.

2) and for your next trick, dear readers, I want some polystyrene feet. Again, I know I have seen them somewhere but am having trouble finding them. They are for photographing sock FOs and maybe for felting overlarge socks into slippers - so they need to be sized, at least roughly. I want UK Ladies size 7 (ish) - I never got the hang of Euro sizes (41?) and don’t have a clue how UK sizes map to US ones. Nor do I really know how Men’s and Women’s sizes map to each other…

3) Blink stalled a bit over the weekend as I have been very busy. I have no idea where the weekend went to but I appear to have wasted it doing proper work. In short, I barely picked up the scarf all weekend but managed last night to edge it to the end of 12 repeats. Theoretically I can go for the end now, but there is yarn to spare and I like a longer scarf. I’d like to make 15 repeats - though I’m not sure about my yardage there and I am running out of September.

4) Spinning is here this week - I’d like to make a gingerbread cake today and give it time to relax before Wednesday

5) but I have to go out and spend my afternoon delivering some training (and most of this morning will be spent in preparation)

Maybe I’ll get Blink off the needles tonight - I’d certainly like to. The Manos is gorgeous and I want to have a go at those slippers soon. Do they count for Socktoberfest? They are kind of like socks, really… can I complete Blink and a pair of Slippers before 1st October maybe?

Perhaps tomorrow I’ll force my way through the pile that is blocking the doorway in my workroom and take proper stock of my sock yarn stash and make a plan for October.

Yeah.

Right.

In Other News - Sandaysoft is becoming rather too busy for comfort. It’s time to decide whether or not to develop the business into a proper money spinner rather than a hobby, and aim for a shift away from employment to self-employment - because the way things are, the one is not earning enough money but is taking too much time away from the other. So, do we build the business? It will take time away from the knitting, that’s for sure.

Right, I need to crack on. Lots to do today.

My life has become incredibly busy of late. I cannot imagine what has happened!

This coming week will see me rushed off my feet: I have three separate clients to see for Sandaysoft, an appointment for training an individual for another client, a Development Trust Board meeting, a mountain of documentation to write, three web sites to bring up to date, spinning group to host and cake to make, my quilting homework to do - and my Blink to complete!

Well, something is going to have to suffer. I could claim that it will be the blog(s) but it is more likely to be the housework and dog-walking. On the other hand, I could just go for it hell for leather and try to get Blink finished tonight. I’ve been too busy today to pick up the needles until now. Mr L made me a wonderful Sichuan Chicken with cashew nuts for my dinner and I am too stuffed to move. I reckon that sitting on the sofa and knitting* is about all I am good for.

*Can I have wine with that?

There are lights beginning to show at the end of the Blink tunnel. Eight repeats completed and the first skein is close to its end.

I shall need to crack on, as the yarn for my slippers arrived this morning and is beckoning to me. I need to go look for some suede or leather soles that I can stitch onto the knitted slipper, for longevity (and safety - we have a lot of hard flooring in this house.) Information on where such may be found would be gratefully received. Go on, talk to me, I know you are out there!

50% done.

Hurrah!

(nominally, at least - because I shall be knitting until the yarn runs out)

Pretty though, isn’t it?

Onward!

Blink seems to be steadfastly resisting the halfway point and I seem to be spending more time going backwards than I am spending going towards my goal. This scarf is turning out to be anything but the quick knit that I intended it to be. I don’t know what it is - because it is a simple enough pattern. Perhaps it is because I am stressed and upset at the moment and that is causing lapses of attention. And it does not help when one corrects an error from the wrong pattern row, either.

Well, all I can say is that I must spin a good yarn, as it is holding up well to all this punishment.

I had hoped to take my knitting and sit quietly in the back row with it tonight but as I have been conned into doing asked to do chairs and teas, that will not be possible.

In Other News - I just bought a kilo of gorgeous natural BFL. It’s not all for me, I hasten to add.

Frankly, the thought of spinning an even yarn for a whole jumper is even more scary than tonight’s elections or my job application!

Ah, well - back to Blink. Let’s hope for some forwards progression!