Yarn Along

Posted on July 31, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

Yes! I’m knitting a deformed cat! It’s the stripy one you can just see on the book’s cover but mine’s obviously not stripy. I’ve been having some trouble with holey M1s (I grew up, like most, knitting into the front and back of a stitch, not fiddling about picking up strands) but think I’m getting betterish.

I saw the Cats and Kittens book at the library and though I don’t generally make toys I thought I’d have a try; as it’s a short and (hopefully) sweet make while I relearn how to knit using a new technique of holding the right-hand needle and wrapping the yarn. It’s going better than it was last week.

Queen Camilla centres around the Royal Family who have been living in an exclusion zone on the Flowers Estate for the last 13 years, along with other undesirables, due to the UK now being a republic. However a campaign is underway to bring in a New Conservative Government and reinstate the Royals. The big question amongst all the goings on is: will Camilla be Queen of the country, or stay Queen of Charles’ vegetable patch?

The (talking) dogs are really the stars of the book, along with Violet Toby who is the Queen’s next door neighbour. So far they all share the best lines. It’s all wicked satire.

I love Sue Townsend’s books. I’ve grown up with Adrian Mole and love The Queen and I which is similar to the above, they even share some characters and the location, but QC is a rewrite of sorts. If you wanted me to pick between the two for you I’d recommend The Queen and I, though I’m still only halfway through QC.

I’m joining in again with Ginny. What are you crocheting / knitting and reading at the moment?

yarnalong_gsheller_pink

Harry the flirt

Posted on July 27, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

145

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I’ve tried out a new crochet mouse pattern provided by the organisers of the Mile of Mice fundraiser in aid of The Alzheimer’s society and attempt to break a Guiness World Record for a Mile of Mice.

I crocheted Harry using some Stylecraft Special Dk and a 3.5 mm hook as someone had said the pattern came out rather big. As long as he measured 9″ from the tip of nose to end of tail it didn’t matter, but I fancied using a smaller hook for a change from the usual 4mm.

146

He is undeniably not quite as elegant as Gerald and the rest of the knitted crew, but Harry seems to have bags of personality.

147

In fact as I tried to get him to pose sensibly he seemed to be flirting a tad.

148

But then he looked as if butter wouldn’t melt. You need to keep your wits about you with Harry around.

If you’d like to crochet a flirty mouse, or knit his elegant cousin, see the Facebook group (link above) for the free patterns and details, or look for the ‘KAL: A Mile of Mice’ group on Ravelry which I set up in support of the project. I’d LOVE to see your meeces.

Waffle knit cloth ~ ready to scrub

Posted on July 26, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

As you know I’ve been using the knitty sticks again lately. I finished the cloth early Wednesday evening, as you can probably tell by the golden sun which streamed in through the windows as I took these photos. 138

I used more of my Planet Penny Cotton with 4mm circular needles. Mine measures a genteel 6″ by 7″.

140

I *think* this was another of my Pinterest finds, but you know how it is – I’ve got a folder of printed patterns, saved patterns and links on three lap tops and on my iphone, plus, more in my Ravelry library. It gets a bit crazy but you save what you see at the time (and then often forget all about it for ages!)

141

I really love the texture of this knit. It’s almost too nice for scrubbing dishes so I’m going to try it as a wash cloth. I haven’t used any cotton for ‘wet use’ so am wondering if my face will turn yellow! So far it’s been perfect for owl I and owl II as well as the three string bags you’ve seen lately, but I’ll let you know if I end up looking jaundiced….

142

Today I’ve been sitting in the garden, in the lovely sun, trying out a new crochet mouse pattern (see the KAL: A Mile of Mice group on Ravelry for the details) for the Mile of Mice charity fund-raiser. I’ll post a piccy of him tomorrow. This song goes well with summer outdoor crochet – I’ve been listening to a double album of theirs –

Hope you’re enjoying the sun – or snuggled warmly if it’s winter your side of the world.

Yarn Along

Posted on July 24, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

I get this real urge to knit sometimes. I’m not great at it and even more so since I’m trying to use another technique. I look like a beginner and have dropped stitches*, had them slide off the end of the circular needle** and keep stabbing my hand***. It never used to happen before, but I’m determined to try holding the right needle underneath and have a go at sliding my hand along the needle, rather than on top and throwing the wool. It’s not easy when I’ve knitted the other way since childhood, albeit sporadically.

I thought a washcloth/dishcloth would be a useful thing to make as it’s small and fast to complete. Well it would be if I didn’t do *, ** and *** but I’ll get there!

The pattern’s here. I really like the raised box stitch, it’s amazing what you can do with a simple knit and purl combo.

I think I saw this book on someone else’s yarn along post last week, when I caught sight of it at the library yesterday I grabbed it. As you’d imagine it’s no literary masterpiece and I have made predictions a third of the way through about what’s likely going to happen. I’m sure I’ll be right too. That’s ok – it’s relaxing and not in the slightest demanding. My brain can slowly continue morphing into custard!

Basically the story centres around four female characters who been drawn back to the inn (B&B?) one runs. None of them are particularly close but because of the news the inn keeper shares and Meryl’s films they’re beginning to finally bond and become suportive of each other. If you’ve read The Reading Group, The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club (aka Divas don’t Knit,) The Jane Austin Book-club or The Friday Night Knitting Club then you’ll know what to expect.

I really like Meryl Streep. There’s a few films from the book’s list I haven’t watched yet: Heartburn, though I have read the original book by Nora Ephron, and Defending your Life which doesn’t ring any bells.

I’m still listening to The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K Rowling.) It’s going to take me a weeks to listen to it in chunks. I’m really enjoying it so far, Robert Glenister (of the tv prog Hustle, brother of Philip – who was the brilliant Gene Hunt in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes) reads superbly. I can’t recommend it enough so far. Check it out on Audible.co.uk or Audible.com.

I’m joining in again with Ginny this week. What are you reading, crocheting or knitting?

PS: Are you following Cat of the Slugs on the Refrigerator blog and her Crochet Camp? Did you – *~*cough! cough! *~*- see the guest post on Sunday?

Ribbed scarf

Posted on July 21, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

I’ve enjoyed picking this crochet up at odd times and doing a (long) row accompanied by my audio book, or listening to Aggers and Vaughan gently mocking Henry’s threads of the day, the beery state – or not – of the watching fans and waiting to see if Mrs Aggers has been up on the roof again lately. Anything they say, apart from the actual cricket, is fascinating and strangely soothing. I admit to doing an air punch when we won last weekend. I even might have had a teary eye in fact, but I’ll cry at anything.

I’m so pleased with the yarn. I picked it on a spur of the moment – dashing away from the till while the shop assistant totted the total on the back of an old envelope, like they do there. It was reduced to half price-ish and seemed refreshingly different to my yarn choices so far.

Crochet rib is cunning isn’t it? Just like its knitted sister it’s springy and creates a thick cosy type of fabric, just perfect for a scarf. I really liked the ribbed square that we crocheted for the 200 crochet blocks CAL earlier in the year. I’m going to keep experimenting with different variations.

Do you want to make one too?

Ribbed Scarf

2 x 100g balls of King Cole ‘Wicked’ (shade – 728 – Dye lot – 67886) or any DK yarn

4mm hook

Scarf width 5 1/2″ – length 77″

The scarf is worked horizontally so I loosely chained approx 371 stitches to make the length I wanted. Periodically I stopped and draped the chain around my neck. I prefer long scarves that I can wrap around my neck once or twice but obviously you can make yours shorter by making fewer chains.

Foundation row: Half-treble (UK) into the 2nd chn from the hook. HTR into each chn to the end. Turn. (Sip a G&T – it’s been a fiddly job.)

Row 1: Ch 2, HTR into the back loop of each HTR from the previous round to the end of the row.

Row 2+: Repeat row 1 until the scarf is the desired width. (Or in my case until you run out of yarn!)

+++ If you HTR into the back loop the rib looks the same on both sides. You can also alternate rows: making a HTR into the front loop on row 1, then making a HTR into the BL on row 2. Repeat these two rows if you want ribbing on just one side.

Take it easy and crochet this in shortish bursts as it takes a while to do a whole row. I found it left my elbow a bit wincey if I did too many HTR at one sitting. If your hands are getting tired then stop and give them a good wiggle. Be prepared to be mocked though – I was standing over the sink (for some reason) “Why? Why are you practicing starfish shapes with your hands? Is it for casting spells at the witch Olympics?”
They just don’t get it, do they? So silly, just so silly.

Yarn Along

Posted on July 17, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

Despite lovely hot temps – 28oc here at the moment woohoo! – I’m crocheting a thick ribbed scarf for winter. It’s unseasonable but I know I’ll really feel the benefit when the weather changes. Please god it’s not next week. I’m not ready. Hanging out the washing and having it dry in an hour, or less, is fab and I love the way it smells. Plus I’m enjoying feeling warm to the bone, eating salads, homemade burgers, cool leafy evening strolls, G&Ts and Pimms. Oh dear, the spell check wants to amend that to pimps. I am not enjoying pimps, thank you very much.

I’m reading Everything and Nothing by Amarinta Hall (what a name) that I got from the library last Wednesday and have started a new audio book: The Cuckoo’s Calling by a new and aspiring author Robert Galbraith (ha ha! But why not, good for J.K.)

The Mollie Makes are going to be my dipping in and out reading for the next few days. I usually pounce on these as soon as they thud through the letterbox, but lately I’ve been a bit caught up browsing my haul of canal non-fiction.

I’m joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along again. What are you reading and crocheting/knitting this week?

Summer days and lessons learned

Posted on July 14, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

As you know I was halfway through Nicki Trench’s swishy scarf on Wednesday, but now it is no more. As I crocheted and followed the pattern round by round I began to wonder how the pattern was actually going to translate into the pictured scarf. But I’ve made quite a few items from the Cute & Easy Crochet book, what do I know? Then I came to the final round and really didn’t understand the instructions. I believe they needed to be punctuated with a few ( ) and [ ] to make sense. As Google is a friend I entered some search terms and found others who have found the same. One offered a translation of the round, adding the relevant marks. Another stated that the pattern does not actually create the pictured the scarf (!!!!), adding rather bluntly that scarves crocheted using the pattern look a mess. I have to agree with her first observation.

Lesson learned: Check the net for corrections to patterns before beginning. Check Ravelry which is chock full of pics of completed projects, helpful hints and comments. It’s just a waste of time and energy otherwise. Trust your instincts, you’ve followed enough patterns now to know when something doesn’t feel right.

I’m making another, simpler, winter scarf now and enjoying the repetitious crochet. Do you love my yarn bowl? Quite a beauty isn’t she?

Outdoor crochet while listening to an audio book is highly recommended. But I bet you already know this.

An evening street party with Morris Dancers, fresh local food and artisan market stalls.

A visit to a Canal Museum with fingers crossed that I would see the photograph of the man with the same surname as me when I was little, when I convinced (perhaps) my classmates that he was my Great-Grandfather. It’s no longer there, too many changes of display since that silly day.

There are some displays of crochet here; a boat woman’s best bonnet with crochet trimming and granny square blankets adorning the replica of a narrow boat cabin.

The museum is in the far end building on the right.

A water based garden complete with greenhouse. The plants looked luscious and well-tended.

A visit to Poole which has the second largest natural harbour in the world, after Sydney. If you were to walk around it you would walk for 99 miles apparently.

I would very much, thank you please, like this huge Sunseeker boat. A floating gin palace as Somebody says. It was being fitted out, I think, as many men in orange vests swarmed about its deck.

A boat trip around to Old Harry Rocks, drinking in the sight of all the yachts under sail, the speedboats zooming along and not least the tractor and lorry on the back of a ferry.

Lesson learned: After slipping in the shower, doing a back-flip out of the bath, skidding across a tiled floor & ending up under the basin clutching half a shower curtain I’ll always be using hotels’ safety bath mats from now on. It’s not for when you’re a fragile eighty year old, its time is now, for all. (One blue bruise and a sore lower back luckily. It might have been so much worse.) Oh, one more thing – a big cushiony rear is not always a bad thing.

What have you learned lately?

Yarn Along

Posted on July 10, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

It’s summer this week in England and the weather’s beautiful. Last night we walked around the village inhaling the scent of roses climbing cottage walls, elderflower and many BBQs!

I’ve started to crochet a very unseasonal item – a swirly scarf from Nicki Trench’s Cute and Easy Crochet book. The yarn is King Cole ‘Wicked’ which I bought last week. It was a reduced bargain price so I bought two balls, as you do. I like not knowing what colour’s going to appear next as I crochet (living life on the wild side.) It’s a bit of a different choice for me but I like the tweedy but bright mix.

The books are new today, from the library, and look like pretty good Summertime reads. ‘Everything and Nothing’ is a thriller and described variously as chilling, suspenseful and disturbing on the blurb. It seems a super-nanny has come to look after a family’s two children, but all is not as it seems. The other novel drew me because of the cover recommendation from Kate Atkinson, she’s one of my favourite authors. It’s the tale of two girlhood friends who are inseparable, until one goes missing. I must be in a mystery frame of mind this week, maybe influenced by my audio book. I’m three-quarters of the way through Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, it’s a great book to crochet or sew along to (I’ve been x stitching lately.) As a wanna-be be spy it’s a fantastic book and the 1972 London setting to the story is interesting.

String Bag III

Posted on July 6, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

This time I used Wendy Supreme cotton since I wanted to make a single colour bag. I chose it because of the competitive price to be honest, compared with other cottons in the shop it was very cheap. I like the DK thickness, the cottony soft feel and love this poppy red shade (1949.) It’s actually darker than it looks in the photos, it’s sunny and a lovely warm 26 deg here today. Ya hoo!

The bag pattern’s from Granny Chic by Tif Fussell and Rachelle Blondel (I’d say to borrow or look for a cheap secondhand copy, don’t pay full price….) and I adapted it slightly. Instead of 4 dcs into chain spaces I made 5 dcs and crocheted an extra round so I didn’t cut and reattach the cotton for the second set of handles. I reckon they’ll stand more of a chance of not loosening/falling off if I don’t have dodgy darns and joins. We’ll see! I repeated the main pattern for 32 rounds and it’s looks like a decent length, but no danger of dragging along the ground when full. Unless I’m carrying rocks. I must remember not to carry rocks.

Hope you are also having a lovely weekend. What are you up to?

::: I meant to say that after all these string bags I now feel confident that I could make a fishing net someday!

Yarn Along

Posted on July 3, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

I’m joining in with Ginny’s Yarn Along. I’m always making something and read at least a book a week (I also have two audio books on the go at the moment: Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris and Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan) and love to see what others are up to, so this is a perfect –along.

Spotting the Granny Chic book, written by bloggers Tif and Rachelle, at the library made me very happy. Even more so when I discovered they include a string bag pattern, that’s very good news for my current obsession.

Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper begins on a Summer’s day in rural England, in the 1960s, where a picnicking family are celebrating a birthday. One of the daughters has slunk away to the tree-house to daydream. The seemingly idyllic story is shattered by a horrific incident, the reasons for which are explored in later life by the witness. The book shifts from the 1960s, back to the 1930s and to the present time, so far it’s very good; one of those stories I find hard to put down.

Provence Summer String bag

Posted on July 2, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

While browsing through a collection of string bag photos on Pinterest I noticed one that kept turning up. The pattern’s by Kathy North and is available free from Ravelry, it’s called the Provence Summer String bag.

So, that’s how String Bag no. II came about. It’s easy and fast to crochet in trebles and double trebles. Again I used more of my Planet Penny cotton with a 4mm hook.

Yesterday I pinned and then steam blocked it to gently pull it into shape.

After a visit to the library, and a really nice book find, I’ve seen another string bag pattern which I’m going to try. I hadn’t planned to crochet another so soon but they say good things always come in threes, don’t they?

To the person who Googled and somehow found this blog using the rather sad search phrase: “feeling so fed up and worried will doing knitting and crochet help me….” the answer is YES! I really hope you feel happier soon.

Weekend days

Posted on July 1, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

The hunter-gather came home with a smaller haul than usual, but another good catch from a morning fishing session. Caught with a may-fly which is late for this time of year apparently.

Sunny morning x stitch, starting a kit I bought last year from Liberty of London.

I fancied a spot of baking and had the ingredients to make an Olive, Onion and Basil scone. It was just baking when the fisherman arrived home with uncannily good timing.

Instead of the usual (rather dreary) DJ one of my favourite comics stood-in, while the other was at Glastonbury, on Saturday afternoon. When we saw Rhod at a comedy gig last year I laughed so much I cried. I crocheted with cotton while I chuckled along to the radio.

Another walk along the canal, but in a different direction this time, to look for some geocaches. We chatted to a local character who has noticed many people wandering up the nearby lane off the canal to peer into the underground, looking for caches. The we helped a woman with a swing bridge as her husband passed under on their hired narrow boat. In return for answering my quick-fire narrow boat related questions we heard all about her son’s recent graduation and future career plans. Funnily they were from the area of Yorkshire where we should have been for the weekend.

Quite stunning tree fungus. I imagine there’s a troupe of fairies who live around this ivy clad tree.

You may coat the ground with concrete and with gravel, but we shall not be deterred from flowering.

All those heads ready to sprinkle their seed for more poppies next year. I must remember to walk here again.

It’s unclear, but through a gap in the hedge next to the canal I spotted a white sofa and glass coffee table. It looks like an outside shoot for an interiors magazine.

The lambs and sheep were going bananas in the field opposite. What a din!

Ah, there are a shepherd and his lad shearing them.

“Rachel, if you carry on stroking her too much she’ll follow us all the way home.” It’s so hard though, she’s a very young cat with friendly curious eyes, and a funny way of leaping in front of you for more love.