All Stitched Up

Finally the boy's sweater are stitched up but as you can see from the photos not yet blocked out. It seems to take me hours to stitch anything together. Drop shouldered sweaters are easy to make but I mess about for ages lining up the sleeves and making sure that both sides are level. I always sew my sleeves in flat before sewing the side seams for this reason. I have seen too many lob sided bunched sleeves, when I had the wool shop, that haunt me whenever I have to stitch anything together.

The wool that I used was James C Brett's Rio Double Knitting Shade RT 23 which although mostly acrylic has 20% wool which gives it that woolly look and feel.The colour has come out a bit pinky looking on the photos but is actually beige with a dull green and pale chocolate mingle.The pattern that I used is a Sirdar Snuggly 3735 which I think looks quite a boyish design despite Sirdar putting embroidered lazy daisies in the middle of the diamonds a touch which I didn't think the boy's mum would appreciate. The pattern also has a cardigan and some baggy trousers again adorned with lazy daisies. The reason that I knitted both sweaters in the same colour was an economic one as I can make 2 sweaters from 300 grams whereas if I made them in different colours I would need 200 grams for each sweater.

There is still snow outside although the sun is bravely trying to shine but there is not enough warmth today to melt the snow so once again I will be staying indoors. I will try to decide my next project to start tonight. I think it will be a crochet one but time will tell when I look at my patterns and my stash and see what inspires me tonight.

Zap Tingle - What Was That?

Today I decided to practise being domesticated and decided to give the kitchen floor a good mopping and not just the customary swipe with a wet mop that it usually gets. I inherited a Hoover electric floor scrubber/carpet cleaner from my mother so I guess that you could call it vintage. Admittedly I store it in the garage but it has always served me well whenever I have blown the dust off it although I must admit that one of the brushes doesn't clip in properly. Anyway I digress as I am wont to do most times. I was merrily scrubbing away today when I noticed the brush had worked a bit loose, I leaned down to click it back into place and leaned on the radiator for support. Not a very bright thing to do with an elderly electrical appliance whilst it is still switched on. Zip, Zap I got such a shock from the radiator that I almost felt my hair curl. My scrubber must have a short somewhere but as the handle and everything is covered with rubber I hadn't felt it until I grabbed the metal radiator and earthed it. The last time I had a jolt like that was in intensive care when the paddles hit my chest many years ago.

I think I shall feel energised for the rest of the afternoon now. Nothing like a quick jolt to kick start the heart and nerve endings. I think that it's time that I retired my old scrubber and stuck to the less elderly scrubber (me) By the way I didn't have a heart attack years ago I had a virus that attacked my heart and gave me a racing heart beat and so they shocked it to restart it in a normal rhythm. They were very concerned afterwards until I recovered enough to tell them that I was born with arrhythmia and my heartbeat sometimes dances the Tango and occasionally misses a beat. I love watching the faces of the nurses when they take my pulse before I have chance to explain. Naughty of me I know!

I am still knitting the long chunky jacket and I am on the last stretch of the right front. I have another couple of inches to knit and then I have to block it before stitching the jacket up and picking up and knitting the front bands. Last night I was watching Piers Morgan interview Ronnie Corbett on TV so I decided to have a break and knit something easier. I have started a baby sweater but I think it is going to be too big for Finlay but a bit small for Charlie. Never mind I am sure that Finlay will grow into it before the winter is over.

Time for a cup of coffee or have I had enough stimulation for one day?