Little bits

This morning I had a request from a small boy for jeans, I suspect because his big brother was wearing some. I had an old pair that I started mending a couple of months ago, when he decided they would be terrible, so I pulled them out again and finished the patches. He remembered that I'd promised elephants, so I had to dig out the elephant fabric but I also found some red with spots and tools (left over from his sun hat - he was a bit worried that I'd cut his hat up when he saw it!)

A photo posted by Sonya (@stringherder) on Jan 17, 2016 at 3:27pm PST

I was pleasantly surprised by a box arriving on my doorstep this afternoon, all the way from Switzerland! A delicious, delicious box full of yarn and chocolate, thanks to Robynn! I have only had a little look through, but I feel thoroughly spoilt. I will spread it all out and have a good look/play/sample tomorrow during preschool, as it's not something I really want Help with. I already have ideas for some of the yarn, and if it works I may have to hunt down more of at least some of it!

I have finally started on the border of my shawl, so in 18 more rows it will be done. I am about to start on ridiculous quantities of beading (something like 350 beads just in the edging - compared to 80ish in the rest of the shawl).

Sooooo tired

The last couple of nights have been exhausting, Anthony has been having some rough breathing, and today the doctor diagnosed him with bronchiolitis. Supposedly it is worst around day 2-3, so fingers crossed he is on the mend now.

Somehow this has resulted in me actually updating some knitting pattern related stuff. I'm not quite sure how that works, but when I need a break from tired menaces because I'm tired too then I put something on the TV (hooray for Bob the Builder!) and escape to do a bit of computer stuff. Yesterday I got the pattern it feels like I've been working on forever sent off for editing, and today I updated my knitting pattern page here and also updated the pattern listings at LoveKnitting. I hadn't bothered before, because (amongst other things) it didn't seem to be particularly effective for me, but I discovered after importing the newer patterns from ravelry that I actually sold a pattern there earlier this month! I guess it really is about being in the right place at the right time.

I have also just realised that I should add some links to other social media. I have started playing on Instagram, and to a lesser extent Twitter. Links should go directly to my feed, otherwise I am StringHerder in both places. (Twitter mostly gets links from instagram, or chat with friends). If you're out there and I haven't found you yet, let me know!

The obligatory summing up

I have been reading a lot of blogs where people sum up what they did in the last year, so I thought I'd try to see what I have been up to. It feels like it has been a big year.

Right at the beginning of the year we flew halfway around the world. I'm pretty sure that counts as big.
There has been some diet experimenting for the 2 year old in the first half of the year, the end result was back to where we started with no gluten, dairy, or soy. We are all getting better at dealing with it now though.
We spent a few months looking at houses, and actually managed to buy a new house and settle our insurance claim on the old house. This was definitely huge (final settlement was more than 4 years after our old place was no longer livable).

I've just looked at my projects on Ravelry, and am surprised to see how many things I finished in the last year - 5 shawls, 7 pairs of socks, and a hat, jumper, singlet and pair of slippers for the kids. I hadn't realised I had knitted 5 shawls! I only managed to write up one pattern though, I'm hoping to do better with that in 2016.

I also finished embroidering my Christmas stocking, and managed to get all the stockings sewn together in time for Christmas, and also made A's birth sampler (still need to find a framer for that, I think the one I've used before no longer exists - and anyway, he is no longer just down the road).


The sampler is a modified version of the July birthstone sampler from the Sweetheart Tree. I added in 20 rows in the middle to give space for the name and date (the same number of rows I added to E's one). This meant I also had to rechart the flowers and beads in that area, and I'm pretty happy with the end result.

Finishing the stockings and sampler meant that I could pull out my HAED, Enchanted flute. I am reminded just how insane this project is, but I have managed to fill in all the gaps on two pages so far (out of 24).

As you can see, it's maybe 1/8th done. I don't think it will be finished any time soon, and I am already planning to work on something smaller for a bit after I finish the next page.

I have managed to get a bit of sewing done (some shirts and underpants for the boys, a couple of skirts and tops for me). Sometime soon I should take some photos of my nice new sewing room, which now has lots of shelf space. It is fabulous! My new sewing machine is still going nicely although I probably should swap it out for the old one again sometime. The old one is definitely better quality, but it does lack in stretch stitches!
I made some blinds for our west-facing kitchen (it had no window coverings at all, which was a bit of a problem around dinner-making time).


And this year? I have lots of sewing and knitting plans, as well as dealing with life as it happens. I've just realised that my 4 year old will be turning 5 and starting school in September, so I guess there is at least one big thing on the cards!

Looooong time

I have a reminder set up to tell me when I haven't blogged for a while, and apparently it has been 45 years and 50 weeks since I last posted. I'm somewhat sceptical.

Life has been very busy over the last few months, and is finally settling down a bit now, just in time for Christmas/summer holiday madness. Since July we have:

• bought a house
• been pregnant
• had a miscarriage
• moved house
• had 2 months of no phone or internet
• got the boys settled into their new preschool and playcentre
• organised a bunch of renovations

(When I write it in a list like that it doesn't look like all that much, but I guess some/most of those are biggies.) With any luck we shouldn't need to do anything else major any time soon.

As part of the moving process, I managed to break my sewing machine.  It was on my sewing desk, we moved the desk, and the cord caught on something and snapped the bracket that mounted the motor.  Thanks to my brother-in-law I now have a new bracket, but it triggered the purchase of a backup machine.  I got the better of the two Brother machines that the local Warehouse had, and it has been going very nicely so far.  There are definitely a few things that I didn't realise were features until I didn't have them (variable foot pressure, for one!), but for how much the new machine cost I'm not going to complain - and it is nice having some stretch stitches to play with too.

I have got a craft room set up now, and have made a board that is now covered in knitted swatches, it's nice being able to look at them for ideas!

Things that have been happening

Rather a lot, really! We are well into house shopping mode now, which is taking a fair bit of time and energy, fingers crossed we're not too far off done now though. (We are planning to go to an auction this week, and have picked out a few other options if that doesn't go our way).

There is now a 2 year old in the house, who is incredibly good at saying no to everything, and he has stopped napping. It took a while, but the lack of naps now means he goes to bed by 8 instead of staying up past when I want to be asleep! Occasionally he even sleeps past 6am, but that can never be relied on, except to know that it won't happen when you most need it! He has been having a few gut-related issues over the last few months, so we have just moved him back to being gluten free (as well as the no dairy or soy). He had his first gluten free bread today, and he seemed pretty happy with it, which is a relief. At some point I will start experimenting with gluten free baking, assuming this actually helps resolve the things that aren't quite right.

I think I've done some knitting and sewing since I last posted, but with everything else that has been going on I've lost track of what I was doing then! I have definitely been doing some spinning recently, joining in with the Tour de Fleece. I have also made progress on my Christmas stocking, I have now finished the cross stitching around the heel, so just the rest of the foot and toe, then most of the backstitching left. With any luck that means I should have enough time to finish and sew up three stockings before Christmas.

My most recent knitting was a hat for little Mr 2, from some handspun (mostly spun in the TdF two years ago, just before he was born). He hasn't been convinced to wear it yet, of course, but I will keep working on it. It used just under half my skein, the rest is destined to be a little matching scarf.

A photo posted by Sonya (@stringherder) on Jul 14, 2015 at 8:28pm PDT

(I did manage to get the hat on to check for size before finishing it off, proof shown here. Note the knitting needles poking out on top of his head...)

In a sneaky naptime moment

Somehow I have managed to get two small children asleep at the same time, so I am trying to do too many things at once to make the most of it. (It's not actually entirely surprising, apparently having a ride in the pram after walking a mile, playing for a couple of hours, and visiting the library is somewhat sleep-inducing. Thankfully!).

I have started work on typing up my next shawl design. I have knit one prototype, but it is for the ravelry shawl exchange and I haven't sent it yet, so no photos. I want to change a few things to make it a bit closer to my original vision, so I will be knitting another one soon, in a completely different yarn. And then maybe another one in a heavier yarn...

I have also been participating in sock madness, and am nearly halfway through the second sock of the pair for this round. Unfortunately my hand is starting to complain a bit about too much sock knitting in too short a timeframe, so these may be my last socks for a while.

On the sewing front, I have just cut out a long sleeved shirt for the monkey, cut down from an old one. This is my first attempt at upcycling in this way - I have preserved the button bands and sleeve plackets, shortened the cuffs, and will work out how to use the collar mostly as-is when I get that far. I think with the effort I have put into doing all those things it would actually have been easier to do them all from scratch, but never mind. I have also just made some size 3 overalls, from a self drafted pattern. The basic block was roughly copied from a Burda pyjamas pattern, and tweaked a fair bit. There are a few changes I need to make, but I'm pretty happy for a first attempt, and there will be more in the future.

We bought a marble run in the weekend, and some junior meccano (bigger, with plastic screws). They have been a great hit so far, apart from the rule about having to pack up one before the other can come out!

Photos of everything to come. Eventually. Well, maybe not the toys...

What am I working on today?

Sock madness has started over on ravelry, so for the next week and a half I will be trying to finish a pair of socks. I cast on Monday night, and am not too far from starting the heel flap, so with any luck I will manage. This is the third year I have participated, in the past two years I didn't get past the first round. 

Yarn is hand dyed sock yarn from Creative Yarns in Tauranga, bought on holiday about 3 years ago.

I have also cut out two pairs of winter pyjamas for The Monkey, they've been added to my pile of stuff to sew as and when I get to them.

Seagull square

In making this square I learnt that sewing while tired is not a clever idea. I think I managed to invent a whole collection of new mistakes. As well sewing pieces with the wrong side out, and messing up placement so the patch didn't fully cover the area it needed to, I also managed to use the wrong colour a few times despite having the pattern clearly marked.

I gave up for that day after sewing a piece on the wrong way for the third time (wrong side up, out by 90°, any wrong way you can think of). I came back to it the next day to discover that actually I had it right after all!

Now I need to print out the some more birds and trace them, to see what I'm in for next. (I'm tracing the patterns onto lunch paper, because it is a bit thinner to sew through, and I didn't want to be worrying about printer ink on my iron).

Back on the wagon: WIP Wednesday

I can't remember if I've shared any photos of the latest stocking project, but I have been slowly plodding away at it since the end of last year.  I'm finding it a bit difficult at time taking what I have finished and where the gaps that need to be filled in are, so I'm currently doing some of the backstitch as I go. That way I know that if it's backstitched then I have checked that all the gaps are meant to be there!

More sewing (and a bit of knitting)

I have been sewing some more over the last week, and actually come out with something wearable. I redrafted the top front piece of the Lekala top pattern, and ended up with this:


The fit is much better (and the fabric is also nicer). There is still room for improvement, in that the shape of the seam at between the top and bottom front pieces is a little off, and the pleats need to move towards the sides a little more, but overall I'm pretty happy with it.

I also experimented with another bra, from a heavy woven linen. The end result isn't really wearable, but it has highlighted issues I had with the fit (which were also present in the first one, but somewhat hidden by the nature of the knit fabrics). Overall I think I need the front to be wider, but with a smaller band size. My next plan is to use the same pattern for the cup, use the next sister size up (up a band size, down a cup size so the cup fits in) for the cradle, and then tweak the back band so that it fits as the next band size down would. I have no idea what fabrics I will use, I will see what I have on hand that seems appropriate and keep stealing hardware off old bras.

I have also been knitting away on my shawl for the Ravelry Worldwide Shawl Exchange, and am now about 2/3rds done. I have just finished the second chart, just the last section to go (around 40 long, long, rows). I have now reached the stage where I am oscillating between being excited to see how it will turn out, and being bored with the long rows - pretty normal for me when it comes to triangular shawls!