Procrastination central

I know. This blog has languished neglected of late. My apologies, but looking after a household of invalids while rehearsing a variety concert is enough to keep anyone busy.

Recently: I learnt to make jam in the microwave, and made a small batch of strawberry jam by myself and assisted with a large batch of mulberry. Blueberry jam may be just around the corner.

6 mice are finished and another two are WIPs.

I plan to make a diagonally striped top very soon - I've figured out the alterations needed to the pattern and hopefully can get it one this week. It's a Kwik-sew pattern but I can't remember the number just now.

I also made mulberry muffins using a variant on the blueberry muffin recipe I worked out last year. Nice!

Pride and Prejumice

I've had a head cold which I am now very nearly over. It really knocked me sideways though, so I haven't been getting much done the last couple of weeks.

I have, however, started on a project to make Alan Dart mice to a Pride and Prejudice theme. Lizzy, Darcy and Jane are all underway and going well - I'm a bit puzzled about what to use for Bingley though. The patterns I'm using are:

Darcy - Mostly the Ringmaster from Cirque de Souris, but using hose legs rather than trouser legs, plus a neckband from Harvest Mice and an improvised cravat. He actually stands up rather well - much better than most of my other male mice.

Lizzy - Basic dress body but with the waist level raised two rows and a two-row garter stitch edging. I used the bonnet from Dickensian Mice, the skirt frill from the May Queen in May Day Mice, and the arms are based on Jill's from Nursery Rhyme Mice. Improvised reticule.

Jane - Dress same as Lizzy's. I used Little Bo-Peep's bonnet from Nursery Rhyme Mice and arms based on the May Queen in May Day Mice.

After that I'm planning on a couple of Oliver Twist mice - Fagin and the Artful Dodger. And a few ideas for an Hercule Poirot mouse have been floating around recently...

Other projects? Stuff that, I'm making mice.

Look up in the sky! It's a UFO! It's a WIP! It's... way too many projects

WIPs:
- Knitted Alpaca scarf - Still about halfway.
- Crocheted Scarf for Mum - A quarter of the way.
- About to begin tracing off shirt patterns for Mum and me, as we are both in DESPERATE NEED of tops. This has taken Total Priority over any other projects atm. Functional clothing is needed.
- Blue/green top - finished all sewing, but one side of the neck came out longer than the other, so a gathering thread needs to be put in.
- Navy skirt - still needs waistband finishing
- Light blue blouse - fronts and back cut out but not sleeves

 
Recently finished:
- Blue/green crochet hat - Made from Cleckheatons California 8 ply in Ocean.
- Grape wristwarmers - Made from the leftovers of the grape hat.


 
UFOs, temporarily abandoned while I think about the direction these projects are taking:
- Doll's Kimono - Made from Bendigo Classic 5 ply wool, in Butternut (a sort of apricot colour). Back and fronts done, tried on two dolls and it has come out way way WAY too long, also the wrong shape... yeah, stuff it.
- Slip-rib tunic - Decided to start over with a different pattern, as I like everything except the shape, which is, y'know, a pretty big problem.
- Navy jacket, White shirt, Wool skirt - all temporarily put aside.

Current activities

 In a rush, so just a quick run-down of what the current projects are:

Knitting:
- Alpaca scarf - Made from 3 balls of an alpaca boucle that's been floating around for a while, in a 3 by 3 rib stitch. About halfway.
- Doll's Kimono - Made from Bendigo Classic 5 ply wool, in Butternut (a sort of apricot colour). Back done and half one front.
- Doll's Welsh outfit - done
- Slip-rib tunic - UFO

Crochet:
- Scarf for Mum - Made from Bendigo Classic 2 ply wool in Cherry Red. About... 5 inches done.
- Doll's Welsh hat - done
- Blue/green hat - yet to start

Dressmaking:
- Navy skirt - still needs waistband finishing
- Navy jacket - cut out but not sewn
- Light blue blouse - fronts and back cut out but not sleeves
- White shirt - stuck at the collar which doesn't seem to fit the neck
- Blue/green top - cut out, marked and pinned
- Blue green skirt - done
- Wool skirt - still figuring out how to do the yoke

Recent baking:
- Butterscotch brownies
- Survival bikkies
- Lemon curd

Recovering

I've been taking things pretty easily for the last week, on account of not wanting to precipitate another bout of RSI (one was most definitely enough!). Also, I seem to be on a doll-clothes kick as far as knitting goes, and doing a lot of work with fine yarn and needles really doesn't help wrist tension. I've being trying to use ergonomic techniques for knitting - like using different hand positions for knit rows and purl rows - which work pretty well until you get to a rib section, and then you're basically stuffed. But basically, I'm recovered, and am trying to create a Welsh costume based on the patterns in the old Patons booklet I got the Russian doll costume out of: "Dolls Clothes Around the World".

I'm a bit annoyed with the dressmaking at the moment, as I've been trying out the patterns from the Surefit pattern making kits, and have made a pair of trousers that still don't fit despite having followed instructions. However, I've now got some interfacing that can apparently also be used for toile fitting - BEST idea ever if it works! - and will try again. I'm also going to try the blouse from the same kits and see if it fits any better.

Meanwhile my baby twin cousins are rapidly approaching their 2nd birthday, and of course I need to make their presents. These are going to be co-ordinated wall-hangings featuring their names and some nursery-rhymes, in the same style as the ones I did for my other little cousins when they were babies - made from cardboard and ribbons, the name is on one side and the nursery rhyme on the other. Hopefully I'll have enough time to get these done!

You can't knit forever...

After spending hours knitting on the one day, I had a slight ache in my right wrist, which by the next morning had developed into a full-blown case of RSI. Resting and recovering now, and it's feeling a lot better today, but I'm avoiding the knitting/crochet for a bit, and using the computer isn't too comfortable either.

Never knit when you're tense

I know. Sounds counter-intuitive, doesn't it?

Maybe I should rephrase, however.

Never begin knitting the second sleeve when you are more tense than when you knitted the first sleeve. Because you are likely to find yourself more tightly, and then when you measure it turns out you're getting a much firmer tension than you got on sleeve 1 (20 stitches to 4 inches as opposed to 18 stitches), and you are then going to need to pull out everything you've done on the second sleeve.

Yeah. Ask me how I know.

RL is not good just now...

...so I don't know how regularly I'll be able to update. I seem to be attending a lot of funerals just now.

However, the silver and gold skirts are done and sent off, so they're out of the way.

The vest is done and blocking, and I've started knitting the Slip-Rib Tunic from Patons 1210. Yarn is Zhivago in deep red colour.

Hope you are all well.