Sunday 10 July 2016

52 Days to Go

I checked the countdown clock this morning on the Harrow Fair website.  7 weeks and 3 days to go.  That translates to 52 days remaining to knit.

I then updated my progress report.  I have completed 29 entries.  These are actually completed and in the dresser drawer.  Fully completed and not just some imagined finish on my part.  There are 3 projects in progress and 11 items not even started.  One of these is the new category for Lapghan.  That is a big project and I am not sure I can get to it.  To finish on time I have to average a completed project every 3.7 days.  That is without going to work, eating, sleeping or doing laundry.  Stay tuned to see if I stay sane.

I do have some completed projects to show you.


The pillow is stuffed.  A bit wimpy but stuffed.  If there is time at the end, I may add more to fill it out some more but for now it is stuffed and done.  I am using quilt batting for stuffing.  I bought a queen size piece for a quilt I started but have still not finished.  The batting went into the spare room closet on the floor.  My dogs dug into it to hide during thunder storms so I had a quilt bat with a gaping hole in the middle.  Now it is stuffing.

For weeks now I have been claiming that Luella was done.  I am no longer deceiving myself.  This baby is blocked, done and in the drawer.





If you are wondering what blocking wires I used in the top photo - stainless steel tig welding rods.

The finished projects are piling up.  


The slippers are done.  The above photo is the unblocked pair.  They are blocking now.  So done.  The pattern is Posie Toes.  The yarn is 2 ply fine from MacAuslands Woollen Mill on Prince Edward Island.

I tried to enlist Hubby's help.  I could not remember which trip to PEI included a visit to the mill.  Was it the time his bike broke down or the time the bikes were in a flood?  His answer, "We had two trips?"  I went to my scrapbooks for the down east trips.  It was 2008 and it was the trip where Hubby's bike broke down right after the visit to the mill.  I followed the tow truck to Charlottetown.  The bike was dropped off at the dealership and then I followed the taxi to our accommodation.  We picked up the bike the following morning.  It was a minor problem.  It rained overnight and the parking lot flooded.

I talk about this trip to PEI a lot.  But mainly for the rain.  We were on the road for 12 days and on 10 of them it rained.  Some days all day.  Some days just a bit.  It rained so much that my brake light filled with water and I had to visit a Harley dealership to get it dried out.  Despite the rain it was also one of the most fun trips Hubby and I took.  It was one of the few times I took a camera.  The more it rained the more pictures I took.

I went through my photo archives and found these for your enjoyment.  Here we are in New Brunswick at the Irving station.  I think this was our third day of rain.


Hubby getting towed from Summerside to Charlottetown.


The flood.




It must have been sunny when we went to the mill.  No pictures.

Getting back to the slippers...  I wanted to use a yarn with lots of body for the slippers.  I wanted the yarn to be hard-wearing.  All my DK yarns are too wimpy. Most were purchased with baby outfits in mind.  So I chose this MacAuslands yarn from the stash.  2 ply fine sounded like a DK right?  When I make something small like slippers and I don't have a particular recipient in mind I don't normally pay too much attention to gauge.  Surely there is someone they will fit.

I made the women's medium size. I have big feet but these were way too big for me.   Hubby is getting a pair of slippers.  I did ask if he wanted the flowers that the pattern calls for.  Apparently not.
Shopping bag complete.




This pattern is the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty, Summer 2007.  I have been wanting to make this pattern for some time now.  I was sure I purchased linen yarn on sale at the Little Red Mitten on one of the excursions with Maltesecross.  I remembered clearly that I thought it would make a lovely bag - this one in fact.  I spent several weeks recently trying to find it.  It was not in my inventory.  I checked likely places where I might have put it.  I was just about to go out and buy more  when I found it while looking for something else.  Apparently I have a lot more yarn than listed in my inventory system.  The yarn is Louet Euroflax 100% Wet Spun Linen.  The colour is champagne.

The pattern calls ribbon handles.  I checked my sewing supplies.  I had some suitable bits of ribbon but noting that made this project pop.  I headed over to Sewcraft and the lovely Karen helped me out.  I think she said it was her second day working at the store.  We settled on the cord and the slider for the bag closure.  Black worked best with the bag.  So I wanted a ribbon that would tie everything together.  We checked out the ribbons.  Nothing really worked well.  The black webbing was okay but just too boring.  I was ready to leave when Karen suggested fabric instead.  We picked out some black fabric with a lovely pattern of dots and dashes in a colour so close to the yarn you might think the manufacturer had my bag in mind.  Karen you did well.

I added some fabric to the inside of the handles where they attach to the bag for extra strength.  After all the handles are only as good as the strength of the attachment to the bag.  I am hoping that the reinforcement will take the stress off the knitting where the handle is attached.  Kind of like adding a small button to the inside to secure the outside button.

I am so pleased with this bag.  The handles do tie everything together.

The vest is almost dry.   It should not take long.  The house is hot since the air-conditioner broke down yesterday.  The repairman comes on Monday.



I have started a new project.  This is Bellis.   I can't find a link for the pattern for you.  However, the designer is Malin Nilsson from Hillevi Handmade.  The pattern is available on Ravelry.   Here is a link to her blog.  The pattern comes in English and Swedish.  The yarn used  Truffles from the SRK Collection  - 80% wool and 20% cashmere.   Knitting with this yarn is a joy.  I just wish I had air-conditioning to fully appreciate the feel as it flows through my fingers.  I can't find a link to this yarn so I suspect that it is now discontinued.  This makes sense.   I purchased the yarn in Heather's basement.  Heather is selling the remaining inventory from her mother's store which closed a few years ago.  When I go, I simply move inventory from her house to mine but at a great bargain.


I wanted a triangle scarf for a lovely black jacket I have.  The collar is fake fur in grey, red and black.  I think this will set the jacket off nicely and extend the season for wearing it.  I will have to make up a pair of fingerless gloves with elements from the scarf to complete the adults winter set category.  That is three items in three days.  Can I do it?

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