Plans For The New Year

 Plans for the new year in respect of crafting include knitting the vintage jumper, finishing off the sock yarn stash and tackling the short cloak pattern. My sister has also requested a pair of slippers (so I am looking at slipper soles and yarns for those). 

I am also mindful of finishing altering the two Regency petticoats and cut out the short cloak. I also would like to get going on the new Regency dress I have planned, which means locating the particular pattern and putting it together with the fabric, that’s been kicking around in my stash FOREVER. I also have my eye on an old cotton sateen navy duvet set for a waistcoat, possibly with a long skirt attachment to make an over-robe. As the duvet set is a king size and I bought at least two pillowcases, the possibilities are ENDLESS. I am reminded I need to sort out the lacing on the regency corset to make it easier to get into and I WOULD like to play around with my pattern to give myself more of a short stays set. If I added a skirt to that and made a shift with a flap that sits over the stays…. I need to stop letting my head try and work out those things. But research planning will be fun.

I also ALWAYS plan on using up the designated 18th century stash and fixing my Outlander (S1) plaid skirt and making up both a bonnet and at least one or two caps. I have been saying this for at least 5 years, so if any progress is made on those, I will be very surprised. I DID find both my behind pads and shift that didn’t work, so that’s a win. I’m not sure what to do about the latter - any pattern needs adjustment for the shoulders and a full sleeve and gusset redo, meaning I might as well look up some extant sources and actually pattern the thing with the measurements I took for me. I will likely MacGyver this using the neckline of a pattern I bought. 

I am trying to restrain myself from buying up lots more fabric; I definitely want to redo the Stars Wars dress in a smaller size, but that’s pricy fabric and my job situation is up in the air. I am also trying to restrain myself from buying lots of Christmas fabric in the sale to make a new set of Christmas PJs and tunic dress, but it IS £1 a metre. I’ve also been looking at patterns to round out my basic library, which include a basic set of classic PJs for adults, though I much prefer to cheat on the button holes etc. my hands don’t work that well tbh, so modifying patterns is what I am about. I should also REALLY read the guide AGAIN and properly figure out button holes on my Janome. Which I have owned for nearly 13 years. 

I am also still hunting for my saw and sandpaper, so I can cut down a paint stick for a busk. The one I ordered off Etsy never arrived and there was no contact from the seller at all. Etsy kindly refunded me, but I think I’ll stick to the paint stick method where possible or use my existing Mantua Maker one for long stays. 

I really should make a list and then what I need to purchase for that list, if I need it. 😬

The other side of the plans is relating to life and activism. For various reasons, I am having to complete an application to go on my local council housing list. As this would be for a one bedroom place, this would mean having to drastically downsize pretty much everything. I also have to make some calls about my nursing registration, proper benefits advice and what not. I’m desperately hoping I won’t have to leave my home, but I have to plan for that eventuality. I am still not fit for work and I can’t see effective rehab happening any time soon, given the last (almost three) years of lack of support from my local healthcare providers. A major letter of negative feedback requires to be sent, once I have redrafted and edited what I have saved. I am also attending our legislature for a closed session next week with some fellow local Long Covid advocates. I’ve also made a contribution to a major media programme on the condition, but I don’t know if the videos I made will be used. On top of that, our petition for compensation and pension for key workers with long Covid is finally taking off, so there’s a planning session coming for that. I am thinking drafts of letters/emails for people to send to their elected representatives and local newspaper editors. 

Yes, I have a whiteboard. Yes I make lists of things to tick off. Yes I think I need a lot of help. 

Stay cool.

Christmas knitting and so forth

 So after the poncho disaster, I passed this on to my niece (9) and it fits her perfectly, I estimate that she’ll likely be wearing that until she’s probably at least 14 or so, if not longer. She also really appreciated her knitted socks. Unsurprisingly, not only does N want to do more sewing, but she wants to learn how to knit, so she’s off to find the knitting book my mother gave me, which I passed on to my nephew and at some point this year, we will be doing the basics.

I also finished up some baby cardigans for my mother’s cousin’s grandkid and great-niece. One of these has been handed in and the other I need to post with the baby hats I made last summer for both of them. The surprise baby I didn’t know about has received a tiny baby hat I made last year and which he LOVES wearing.

The rest of the knitting projects were me using up a good portion of the sock wool in different weights, so I’ve made two pairs of chunky wool mix socks. (One is a Lion Brand pattern, for everyday socks and the other is a Hobbii pattern) As well as that, I made two pairs from my West Yorkshire Spinners hollyberry and cherry drop yarns which you can find here. As I’ve been experimenting with heel types and sizes, the first pair turned out too big for me, but which are currently being appreciated by a friend as a gift. The pair for me was knitted up in a slightly different pattern, with a short row shaped toe, which I like doing a LOT, despite the grafting at the end. Both pairs used the cherry drop red yarn for top ribbing, heels and toes. I also used this yarn from Hobbii (though the colourway I used, being limited edition, is now sold out) to make a double rib pair. I used the cherry drop again for the heels and toes here. I am now working on another pair for myself, using Debbie Bliss Toast yarn in 4ply, but I think this may have been discontinued as I now can’t find it. It’s in a gorgeous teal shade, with red heels (using the cherry drop - I am getting a LOT of use out of that). 

I am enjoying trying out different techniques and patterns: Most of my socks use a standard heel flap or boomerang heel, but for this pair I am trying out a modified yo-yo heel, which doesn’t use two rows all around of knitting between the decreases and increases. I am doing this using two circular needles - again a technique I have never used before. I think I both like and dislike using two circular needles (for example, I am already back to two DPN needles for the underside of the foot, but that’s more the poor quality of existing short circulars I currently own), but I think I do like the use of short circulars for the top side of the foot. This is mainly because I find it easier to knit any kind of heel and also maintain the pattern, if used, across the top side of the foot.

One of the reasons I wanted to try out the modified yo yo heel (using a technique from this video by Suzanne Bryan was because I am finally increasing my sock pattern skills to use lace. I initially started using a Cascade heritage lace Shannon’s socks pattern, but was finding it slow going and frustrating (as it really needs knitted on 5 DPNs, magic loop or two short circulars and I only have a basic set of 4 DPNs AND started knitting them in a size too large needles, which has not helped), so I ripped this back and am now knitting up a pair with a simple lace strip down the outside upper edge of each sock. It’s the Let It Shine (v 1.0) pattern by Sarah Youde (aka A Dorky Emu) and I probably found this on Ravelry. If I move to a more full lace sock pattern, I think I’ll find something a smidge easier than the Shannon’s socks and work my way up! I haven’t decided on the toe yet, but I fancy the one in the pattern, a standard wedge or round toe. 

So that’s the seventh pair of socks I’m currently knitting. I’ve got yarn for THREE more pairs of the things too and I am definitely keen to use up leftovers of what I’ve got, so I am thinking of knitting up some shortie or anklets using up the remains of the pairs so far. I have been SERIOUSLY impressed with being able to get two pairs out of a standard WYS 100g ball, when using contrast rib, toe and heels. Will I continue on with socks after this pair? I don’t know. Half of me wants to get all the yarn used up (and see if the Toast will extend onto another  pair for contrast) but I also have a LOT of yarn in the stash I would like to get used up and a powerful need to knit up a vintage pattern redo in 4ply I have kicking around. Which, being 4ply and a short-sleeve sweater will probably take FOREVER and need some consideration as to whether I need to lengthen the body FOR REASONS. I also have some chunky wool cast on at the moment to see how much length I can get from one ball of Paintbox Simply Chunky (which is basically a large swatch as part of the adult poncho planning). 

I am planning on writing up the poncho pattern and putting it on either Ravelry or Ko-fi, but I will then have to abduct the niece (and poncho) for a photo shoot, because I forgot to take photos. Because of course I did. 

Happy new year to all of you! (And yes, I knitted two pairs of slippers for a friend as light relief from socks)