WIP Wednesdays: Clearance and Sales

This week, believe it or not, has been all about clearing out.

It started with liberating the 4mm needles. It all snow-balled a little from there...

I went from 1792 to a mere 814 unread e-mails, just by deleting everything from before 2010. Yeah, I know. Still working on 2010. Scanning through pages of unread newsletters, I stumbled upon a few things I forgot about, like contact information, and the wedding sermon. Sort of significant stuff, not to be lost in the deep deep cracks of the gmail account. Everything else had to go, so it went. 

Going by the amount of relief that gave me, I went through my list of tweeps. If I'm no longer following you, it's not because of you. It's because of me and my incompatibility with your tweets. I should let a few more go. I'm working on that, but for now my curiosity wins. 

To continue with this, I said goodbye to a few feeds in my reader. I don't quilt, but if I pick it up, I'm sure I'll find a few lovely people writing about it. Life blogs turning into lifestyle blogs also had to go. I just found myself not reading them, and then there's no point in letting them add up the unread numbers, is there? I wish them all the best, it seems mostly with living a blog-free life. Many of them are getting out of the blogging rat-race. Who knew?

I don't have the illusion that anyone will notice my clearing operation, other than me. But the numbers are down, and that is good for me. Me, me, me. It's me I need to pay more attention to. 

Sleep more, take care, achieve goals. Dare to fail. 

Having dealt with technofail for most of the evening, the sleeping thing means that this blog post will be published incomplete. I'll return later this week with some things that caught my attention, and explain the Sales part of the title of this post. 

Lady Gift

section 4

Tanit's Jacket

row 40

Damask

Knit-a-long

row 19

Tardis

close to 1/6th spun

I'm setting myself the goal of working on the looks of this blog. Expect some changes in the near future!

WIP Wednesday: WIP Galore!!!

Ahhhhhhhh. A WIP Wednesday with some actual WIP's! (and tools, FO's and near FO's, and secret WIP's)

Yes, well, here we are. I promised you a daylight picture of the thing that The Photographer and his brother made for me as a Christmas gift. How special is that?!? It makes a little noise, but I figure I can get rid of that somehow. I'll ask, before you ask. 

I used it to skein 276 meters of a light fingering weight yarn I made out of Dutch Wool Diva's September instalment called Doctor. Not the, the other one*

It took a while to spin, not just because that's an awful lot of 3-ply out of 1 bat, but also because the gift knitting got in the way. It was so nice to get back at the wheel!!! I'm now working on the BFL by Dyeing for Ewe which I finally managed to get my hands on. Colourway: Tardis. I need not say more. It shines. 

Last year I spun some DWD mini bats and some Zwartbles I was gifted by Louise of the CaithnessCraftCollective. Both remained a little under the radar ever since, and they've turned into a something. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it isn't quite a thing yet. I've decided it needs pompoms. 

Knitting is taking place, some of it on this start of a cardigan. I've loved it ever since it was published by Gurdun Johnston a few years ago, but it never got made. Attempt #3, with a new yarn. Love the stitch, but it moves along so very, very slowly. You're looking at 26 rows. That's right, 26. On 4mm needles. I suspect it will be finished indefinitely.

This one's twin is now almost off the needles, which means I get to carry on with the twin of my own mitten, remember the cameo mitten in blue and cream? 

Another WIP I've got going right now is a future gift to a female. The female is not yet been determined, although I am fairly certain of the continent she resides on. I'm not on it right now.**

There's also a perpetual sock. It'll be another one. 

Once I get a thing off the needles, I'll have some needles free to join a KAL. Recruit me while I'm not yet otherwise engaged!!!

Oh, and Donna said yes. Hi Donna!

*House

**Guess

WIP Wednesday: a year unplanned but in progress

It's not too late to say Happy New Yarny Year is it?

No?

Well, in that case, I wish you all a Happy Yarny New Year!


I spent mine many miles away from where my mobile phone provider thought I was (the Isle of Man, really?), and even further away from where I am right now (as home as home can be, when one is away from one's home, or one's heart). I got to spend it with my love, some old and some new friends. Yes, there was a little alcohol involved. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I did not have a hangover in the morning, epic or otherwise. Ha! Whether it be age or wisdom or both (or an upset stomach in the middle of the drinking) I can't claim to know, but hurrah!

I managed to meet up with some wool I had delivered, and delivered some jelly I had made earlier this year. Both were well received. My love and my BiL made me a most wonderful tool in the shape of a swift, of which I did not get any pictures in the sun. My camera took some shoddy pictures while my other camera made some difficult ones...

I visited new places (Cooper, twice in a day, twice!), met some new people (the best bar-keep of the week, nay the year! (2011, for 5 minutes) I'm just saying!), found some family not as I left them (Ehm, what happened to your chest area? It has bumps!) and left some family not as I came in (street-walker lipstick, the newest rage amongst toddlers).*

I found my shoes but not my kettle, a LYS and the bottom of my wallet, more bad but oh so good food (cheesy tots and a banana shake, unless they're out of banana at 4pm. Really?) and a potato pouch.

We travelled many more miles than we expected and did not see the Atlantic Ocean. We'd seen it already. We did go see Shiner though...

2012?

A work in progress. Let's all assume it's about moving onwards and upwards and maybe the universe will start believing it. (All together now!)


Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet up with my jetlag...**



PS. Nell, Heidi, how does February sound to you two?***


*Remind me to get those pictures off of MiL
**getting older
***yes, I'm trying to plan a meet-up through my blog. Why does that surprise you?****
****also, thank you Donna, for the potato pouch! Planning some sweet potato soon!*****
*****does Donna even read this?

Super Saturday: the silence before the storm

Hi there folks,

Writing to you from the Unites States of American Bedroom, while the Photographer is doing some last minute shopping with his brother. Having spent most of yesterday in between in the two in the front of a far to narrow truck to hold 3 people in the front, I'm just fine with not tagging along. I'm to understand this is a good thing, as this last minute shopping might be to my benefit.

Just as well, because I'm not done wrapping yet!!!

I'm covered in fibre-fill, bits of yarn, wrapping paper and tissue, but I can make it!!!

(I've also only had half a cup of weak coffee.)





Just. Need. To. Bag. A. Few. More. Things.

And block another gift, fill a few more gifts and, and, and... then I'm going to sit down and have me some Christmas.


Merry Christmas to you all, thank you for reading! Stay safe, be good to the people around you and may the goddess of Yarny Goodness be with you, always.

Love,
Judith

Something or Other Wednesday: Where am I again?

Oh dear, oh, dear.
Didn't mean to not be here, but you know, life happens. I'm slowly adjusting my routine to not go and feed a cat that's not longer there. I'm also no longer tripping over a litter box that's not there either. Life goes on, but it sure is quiet.

Tomten 2 was finished and delivered to lovely Yke and his parents, he can surely use it in this foul weather.

Please excuse the horrible pictures, I forgot to take any while there was natural light during the weekend, and I don't see daylight on working days. This time I used some ladybug buttons to brighten up the green cardigan. 

With some bright flash-age, the picture doesn't really improve, but you get what it looks like, right? I created a faux-button band by purling the first and last 4 stitches of every row. Next baby may or may not get a tomten.....

Last Sunday we sang, or rather, had a sound battle with a musician-of-sorts who managed to muddle up just about every carol we sang. Still, we didn't do bad, and people seemed to like it. We get another chance this Saturday, when we get to sing inside two small churches. No electrified accordeonists there, ha!

For this picture, I gathered a few of the young gentlemen in my choir to be in the picture with me. Seriously, if you're near Breda, tenor/baritone AND below the age of 50, you're most welcome...

Have to run now, I'm not nearly done with Christmas!*

*Please send help. 

This is the End

Beautiful Friend

This morning at 7.25 am our Flip had his third and final stroke. 

At the tender age of 21-ish, it was enough. 

I'll miss you.

Fibre Friday: things are getting a little hectic around here

Ah yes, December.

Every year I'm ready to not do it. Again and again. And again. And then it's December and it sounds like a great idea to try out that one pattern, for that one person. Only it's never just that one person. Luckily, this year it's only 2 persons. People variety persons. No biggie, just oodles of stitches, and no measurements received yet. I'll just have to guess. 

Today I tried to organise recipients, as A Large Family Gathering is not when we expected it. Recipients organised, gift sets planned out and some frenzied shopping this morning means that I'm actually feeling a little prepared. I just planned a little bit more knitting in. Whoops. 

As a result, I hope to have the time to make the second Jane Austen Mitten the travel project, but come to think of it, a long circular cable might be tricky to get onto a flight. Anyway, I've only to graft and finish the thumb on this first one. 'T fits. 

There really isn't time for spinning. Not when December Is Upon Us!!!!! (really, I'm okay. I can do this). Slow progress, but I'm still working on it, since it calms the soul. And lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. 

In good news, I finally managed to take a few snaps of Goodale, the cardigan I knit this summer. I spun the yarn this spring. 

So far it's only making bits of fluff, so I have to put more twist in the next yarn I spin for a cardigan. I do learn something sometime...

I have to leave it at this, more knitting to be done!*

* the busy is in my head. In times like these I'm somewhat thankful I don't also have to juggle a family and run a house as well. Massive respect to those who do.