Favourite Knits

Grey skies are setting in and the brolly is going with me to work every day. It’s that time of year when I start thinking about things to make, pinning all sorts and rifling through my Ravelry favourites. The same part of me that avoids ordering the same dessert as my partner compels me to try new patterns every time I pick up sticks. Incidentally, this doesn’t extend to my baking. I made choc chip cookies yet again this weekend. If it ain’t broke, why fix it, right?

These three past knitting projects are my choc chip cookie patterns. I wear them to death. I have the mitts in three different colours. I want this snood in burgundy, and I figure I need another five of these cardis just to give this one a break from daily wear. So I’m going to embrace a good thing, resist my inclination for something new and shiny, and enjoy new colours in an old pattern. Whatever crafty project you get busy doing this season, remember there’s a lot to be said for an old faithful.

Stitching Plans

My sewing machine had to take a trip to the mender’s the very day after I bought loads of delicious-looking new fabrics. Sod’s law. It’s now returned home and is just waiting for some attention. Plans are apace, although I’d forgotten how fiddly the maths gets. Or maybe that’s just me..

In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying helping my mum-in-law venture in to patchwork. She’s a long-time stitcher of all sorts and we’ve had fun talking patterns and plans. We both have a case of the mañanas when it comes to actually cutting in to our stash. But, I’ve handed over the rotary cutter to Suzie, and my machine is back up and running, so we’ve both run out of excuses. Time to get stitching.

What To Do In The Event Of A Broken Sewing Machine

We’ve had grey skies, torrential rain, and even the odd shower of hail; weather best spent indoors, close to the fire. Without the pull of a sunny day, I can start stitching that new pile of fabric. Unfortunately, an encounter with Fantastic Mr Fox has put my machine out of action. Turns out stitching through fabric and hot glue is ill-advised. Who knew?! But, the sacrificial stitching did contribute to a pretty great costume for World Book Day, and Tom’s first appearance in the local press (he’s a proper local now.)

So, while my freshly cut patchwork pieces lie awaiting a repaired sewing machine, I’ve been busy doing other things. Knitting is pleasingly analogue- no need for a plug socket and the only breakdowns are human (knitting in the round is fiddly). This first mitten was on the needles for a long time; I’m hoping the second will go a little quicker, and start keeping my hands warm on these cold mornings. Tom’s been drawing galaxies for his class, and I’ve been reading under the covers. The only thing missing from this rainy day is some fresh baking. So I’m off to address that right now.

Stocking up on Swatches

If you take the train to Chichester and turn right, out of town, instead of left to the cathedral centre, you will eventually come across this unassuming warehouse. Travelling hours by boat and train to reach the eternal maker seems perhaps a little overly keen; that is, until you walk inside. After getting lost in its aisles of fabrics, rich colours just asking to be stroked, you’ll understand its cult following.

I found this place a year ago. The spoils of the previous trip have all been stitched in to bags, cushions and sundries, so a return trip was called for. And who more appropriate to go with than my mum, who started me on this crafty adventure back in childhood days of summer dresses, handmade dolls, and satin cushions (it shocks me now to recall how much I loved the colour pink!)

I had no specific project in mind so we filled our hands with bundles from their baskets of fat quarters and marvelled at the patterns: A deer wearing spectacles! A mustard yellow bird! A frog prince! All highly practical, of course.. So, I spent too much, as expected, and carried home a bag of brilliant colours. Now I have no excuse not to get stitching.

Play It Again

It’s hard to return to something that you used to be good at, and find that now it’s actually quite difficult! With memories of whizzing through my scales with ease as a teenager, I feel like I don’t recognise my own hands now, as they stumble and stick over every key. Tom gave me a piano for my 30th birthday last summer (I know!) and I’ve revelled in returning to something I’ve barely touched in ten years. When I sit at that stool, I think of nothing other than the notes I’m playing, and I’m rarely that focused!

I love to play, and my relatively good sight-reading skills make me a lazy player. But now that I have a piano in my home, it seems a waste to do little more than pick over easy tunes. Inspired by this book, I have decided to actually learn a piece properly: to do more than simply stumble through it, mumble something about difficult key signatures, and flick to another page. So, I am going to learn this piece; not to Lang Lang standards, but just enough to get through it smoothly. And if I tell you guys about it then I figure I’ll have even more reason to actually stick with it. Wish me luck!