Month: March 2012

Going Round in Circles in Ruddington

1 Comment
It was with glee in our hearts we set forth to Ruddington’s Framework Museum to attend this workshop organised by Mary.  Circular Sock Machine workshops are quite rare in the UK, infact I think this may be the first one, so hubby and I were very pleased and excited to be invited to it.  I quickly messaged Jane (my partner in crime in the CSM world) to see if she was going and she was so we organised our transport arrangements so that we could all go together.  

 See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.   We had just been given our packs and as you can see we are completely absorbed.

 Although the museum was closed the section that exhibits the stockings was just above us on a balcony and here lay Queen Victoria’s stockings, there were signs of mendings on the toe!  Only a very small hole and beautiful darned, obviously stockings were an expensive commodity in those days.

 A machine that particularly took my fancy, a Griswold 160/80 which was from Dennis Wright’s collection,  it would be used for very fine stockings, oh if I could only own one of those.

 A very excited knitter finishing her first sock. 

 There were 22 sock machines in the room and discussions were had about just how much they had gone up in the last couple of years.  The regular price for what one hopes is a decent machine comes in at £650/£850 and one with a selection of different sized cylinders will often go over the thousand.  I am glad we bought ours when we did!  Most people may think we were surrounded by a pile of junk!

And everyone giggled that I was knitting a sock by hand, and comments were made that I may well finish my sock before anyone had finished theres.   There is a very steep learning curve when using one of these machines.

We had a very enjoyable day, we learned to use a beret to cast on, and how to sew a backstitch bind off.  A demonstration was given on an e-wrap selvedge and how to rib a sock on a machine.  I was taught how to kitchener  with the purl stitches on the outside and the sock still attached to the waste yarn.  Hubby picked up a few tips and Jane was taught how to change a cylinder.  And we picked up a brand new set of needles, which whilst they are not cheap, will last and we feel very lucky to get.

Day 9 of 30 days.

1 Comment

Just a quick post to tell you all how things are going.  Well, I have managed to fit in and complete 7 sessions out of the 9 possible days at Curves.  I missed Saturday and Sunday.  I could have managed Saturday if they had opened in the afternoon, they don’t and as I didn’t lug my pyjama clad body into the shower until after lunch – oh the horror! I skipped out of the gym that day, and they don’t open on Sundays.

Did I compensate for this lack of activity? I hear you ask.  I thought about it, I really did and then decided, nah, just take it as an own goal and relax.

Still 7 days is 7 days and when I am there, I throw myself into it and work up quite a lather – to the point that the instructors offer to go and run to get me tissues as the sweat is pouring off my head.

Weighed in today, with much less trepidation, and have lost another 2.5 pounds.. Yay, *does happy dance* which makes it a grand total of one stone, one pound.

The only downside is, I could eat a scabby goat.  Appetite has gone through the roof and I am going to have to put some serious thought into fruit and vegetable consumption this week as the high carb, high fat goodies are looking really attractive.

Not an Aberation

4 Comments
I really am blogging about knitting.  
Apologies for the long silence, I have been knitting, some might say avidly, I would just say daily, but what I haven’t been doing is photographing.  Because, well, that would mean I would have to update my Ravelry account and find all sorts of information out to tell you, which is lovely, but not as cozy as knitting in front of the fire – the study can be rather cold as it doesn’t have a radiator in it. 
The cold snap has broken, so here I am. 
Firstly I picked up a cracking bargain in the sales, Rowan Kid Classic in pink for 50p a ball.  No that wasn’t a misprint, 50p a ball.  (I have to keep saying it to myself because I can’t quite believe it) Now I have never really worn pink, but at that price I am willing to give it a go and then thought about the summer and how lovely the flowery colours can look in the brighter light and thought Hey Teach might fit the bill. So I have been knitting this most evenings.  

When Kid Silk Haze Stripe was released by Rowan I fell under the spell of Twighlight 200 and knit it up with the pattern Petit Trous de Printemps 

 It reminds me of Autumn Fog laying gently on wild thyme and purple heathers, it is very, very pretty,

 and as you may know Kid Silk Haze is the crack cocaine of the knitting world.  Myself, well I have a love hate relationship with it.  I swear quite profusely at times whilst knitting with it, but then fall under its spell as it grows from my endeavours.   And once completed, I can forgive it almost anything.

 Then there were socks, these were Regia Flusi Das Socken Monster in 1800 for me,

 and socks for my little monster, son no.2 in Regia Flusi Das Socken Monster in 1805

 Hubby was lucky enough to find these at the bottom of his Christmas stocking, Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball 2083 (very splity not in love with the yarn, but very in love with the finished item)

 and Zweger Garn Opal Handwerk Und Hobby in Gardner 5043 which suits the allotmenteer in him.

and all together. 

There are other socks that I have started and not completed, and a hat that I am sure I have knit, but have since misplaced in the house.  There may be another photography session in the not too distant future, but rest assured, Mandycharlie continues to knit and sew.  This afternoon I have to continue with my task to recover the cushions which make up Mum’s conservatory suite – I am half way!

Day 1 of trying something new for 30 days.

3 Comments

Our sons have been talking about TED for the last year or so.  I have dipped in and out and often find the talks inspirational and fascinating and if I come across one that doesn’t float my boat, its only a few minutes out of my life before it is finished.

Recently thinking about my new years resolutions and having joined Weight Watchers, which is working (YAY) I knew the time had come to up my exercise.  I started with the Wii and I love the dance DVD’s, they are great fun, however the Zumba DVD frightens me senseless and I simply can’t keep up with it.  It was good and I was exercising and stretching out etc, But, I was still on my own and keeping yourself motivated can be very challenging.
Lately I have been listening to TED late at night, lying flat on my back in bed with hubby, whilst he snores I try not to giggle, when I came across this posting. Try something new for 30 days  and I found it very amusing and enlightening, it made a lot of sense.
Now I can put things off for all eternity, I can make excuses up as to why I shouldn’t do something.  For instance, I am too fat, I’m bald, it hurts to do these things, everyone’s looking at me, etc, etc.  But after watching this clip, I thought this guy has something, 30 days, if you don’t like it, don’t do it after that.  But for those 30 days, just go for it.  
So today, I joined the local gym for woman, you might have heard of it Curves, .  I had my induction today and then did a circuit for the fun of it, and then walked home.  (I had already walked there)  It was great fun, although I may have had to have an afternoon kip as my old carcass feels the strain these days. 
29 days to go.