Saturday 29 December 2007

Another late Christmas present finished


Today I gave my niece the black crochet waistcoat I hadn't managed to finish before Christmas. I was crocheting merrily away on Christmas day only to find I had mis-read the pattern (which I didn't take with me) and so had to re-do the 2 fronts and back from the armhole up to the neck. I finished it last night but as it is very low fastening I was a little unhappy with the bagging at the front. It's my own fault for not counting the double crochet stitches and making sure they were the same on both sides. I put a line of running stitches through the double crochet all the way around the band and that seems to have solved the problem. The close up of the stitch photo didn't turn out and I had already given Vic the waistcoat before I found that out.

Tonight I started a crochet chunky scarf using the remaining 3 balls of tweed yarn I had left over from my niece's jacket. I will have enough to make a reasonably long scarf but she will have to fringe it with a contrasting colour if she wants a fringe.


I am still slowly doing a few rows on the doubled hat. Another unfinished Christmas present. I won't be making another one of those as it really has taken me such a long time to get to about 4". I think having to unrip about 2" really put me off my stride and I never really got back into it after that. I will post it off to Chris once it is finished.


My other niece who lives in London wore her crochet wrap around cardigan to visit some friends and they liked my work and so I could possibly have some orders in the near future. I will never make a fortune out of my craft but it would be nice to earn a few pounds to eke out the coffers. I crochet to pass the time mostly and because I enjoy it but I own far more knit and crochet garments than I can ever wear so making for someone else is a far better option especially if I can get paid as well ! One of the requestees (is that a word?) for my craft lives in Paris France so Ooh La La I am going continental! I like working with the better quality yarns so I don't mind when my niece buys yarn for me to crochet or knit for her. My purse usually only buys acrylic unless I spot a sale bargain. I have given my nieces instructions I will just charge a set fee, depending on garment, if their friends buy the yarn then it is up to them how much they decide to spend on yarn. People who don't craft often have no idea just how much the raw materials cost so I would far rather they bought their own yarn rather than faint when I tell them a finished price.


I am still getting to grips with my PC but my terror is subsiding a bit. I am now getting a little more adventurous and trying to find out where programmes are etc. My niece installed the Microsoft Office and the new web cam for me today so it's all systems a go go once I work out where the system is.


I got rather wet taking the dog for a walk today. My new waterproof suit has certainly got a good christening these last few days as have my new birthday walking boots.


I put my 18 month old web cam (incompatible with new PC) and unused floppy disks on Free cycle and was inundated with requests. It never ceases to amaze me that people want things I would throw away. The guy who took my web cam also took another older web cam that worked but was missing the screw to hold it onto its base so it was rather like a rolling eyeball. I had tried to stick it to the base with Blu Tack but that meant you could not reposition it.

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