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Handknitted Socks For Any Season
Hand-knitted socks are very warm and very snuggly, keeping toes warm and stopping legs from freezing in the cold weather. My daughter decided she would like a pair of socks after I mentioned I was going to make myself some. So, onto the net I go and look up a few patterns, settling on a pair that have celtic twisted cables front and back. This is a lady who has never knitted socks before – ever – attempting to work these complicated designs. I have knitted quite a few cable patterns but none as tricky as this one. The socks were worked on five 2.5mm needles – matchsticks I call…
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Hand-made Knitting Bag
Nothing quite like Hand-Made. It’s unique. And that goes for my new knitting bag, made for me by my daughter. It’s huge! Remember Mary Poppins bag, with the never-ending bottom? Meet bag number two. I could fit half a dozen projects into it, and then some. I have a feeling it might be wise to work on one at a time. She made the bag from scraps of fabric left around from other projects but it turned out fabulous. There are so many pockets I don’t know if I can fill them all. But I can sure have fun trying!
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Weaving a Persian Rug
It finally happened. And quite unexpectedly. The knitting has taken a back seat while I explore the art of Persian Rug weaving. This art form has fascinated me for many years and just recently I picked up a book ‘The Root of Wild Madder’ by Brian Murphy from the library, and that was it! I’m away and on the Persian rug weaving train. Not being happy with just reading the book, I wanted to learn and create my own Persian style rugs. It’s amazing how much information there is on the net about Persian rugs but not much on how to actually make them. After hours of searching, watching what videos…
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Handspun Corridale/Alpaca Cardigan in the Making
Seems I am not very prolific on my blog at the moment – much of my time is being taken up with my online women’s wellbeing magazine Brandlady.com. I have been updating and streamlining the article submission area to make it easier for writers to submit their work. And also adding a few things to the magazine. One addition is “In the News” which is being hosted by Clare Hudd of A Krafty Catch. She will report on items of interest specifically relating to women, the new “Army Couture” currently taking pride of place. On the knitting front, I’m still awaiting delivery of my knitting needles. Having discovered I needed…
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Knitting on a ‘Go Slow’
Don’t know about France being on a go slow with the new retirement age reform, but at this end of the world the knitting side of things is definitely on a go slow. Not from choice however, more from a case of being distracted with other happenings in the household. At least I have one mitten completed and the other well underway. A bit of domestic news – thank goodness we missed most of the high winds and floods that seem to have found most people down the east coast – only a couple of showers of rain and very little wind. With kids back at school, its time to…
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Knitting for Therapy
Those of us who have been knitting for many years do not think about it as being a therapy, we just carry on regardless. But for newcomers, particularly those with pain or other health problems, knitting can be a lifesaver – literally. The advantages far outweigh any minor disadvantages, like cost of supplies. When it comes to health, one always, or nearly always, does what is best for yourself. Knitting is proving to be one of the ‘must do’ practical self-help therapies. Besides which, once started, it becomes very addictive with some, if they can, moving on to dyeing their own yarn or spinning their own wool. Not to get…
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Multicoloured Knitting Yarns
Shopping should be banned! It’s the most time-wasting, no-entity there is on this planet. Whoever says they like shopping, food shopping that is, ought to be banished to Mars. After the weekly drudge of trawling through the supermarket, waiting in loooong queues at the checkout, then having to drag the bags into the car, I think we all deserve the best glass of wine there is to offer. Plus it takes us away from the most important occupation – Knitting. And talking about knitting, the ‘quick scarf’ I started last week is finished. A little disappointing and annoying as whoever was at the winding machine in the factory to create…
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Anyone for Continental Knitting?
It’s definitely a learning curve. Using the wool in the wrong hand, holding the needles differently – its like driving on the wrong side of the road, in the wrong side of the car… But, it doesn’t take long to pick it up. This afternoon is the first time I have attempted left-handed knitting – even though I am a left-handed person – and after a few stumbles for an hour or so, I had it. Now I just have to keep it. That means practicing, regularly. Well, I am knitting a plain garter stitch scarf as well as the lacy one, so that will be a good opportunity to…
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Caramelised Banana Pancrepes for Breakfast – Pure Decadence
It was one of those typical Sunday mornings – slow. A couple of cuppas, computer catchup was nicely underway – and then it came to a stop. A request for French toast by my granddaughter for her breakfast suddenly cut through the equilibrium. Oh dear. Amazing how one little seven year old can totally change the whole course of a Sunday morning… Nana looked at her and, of course, received one of those ‘sweet and cute’ looks that are so hard for any Nana to refuse. So, I duly complied, and the French toast was cooked. It was then requested to have it with icing sugar sprinkled on top. Hmmmm……
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The Banana Cake and Nana
And it came to pass that it was said unto Nana by daughter, “Go forth and make a banana cake”. With a number of over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl it seemed like a good idea at the time. So, Nana duly went forth and proceeded to the kitchen to make the banana cake. Now, considering that at the moment in this furnished accommodation, there is no modern contraption to use, i.e. an electric mixer, Nana has to make it all by hand. Then it comes to technology. One microwave. Thank goodness for that! Well, at least it softens the butter enough to cream with the sugar, and saves a…
