Happy May Day Everyone.
I’m practising my new camera skills. I have started a free on line course called A Year With My Camera by Emma Davies. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
Lot
Starting my Viking Jumper
Well by the time my needles arrived I had knitted a Hiking Reindeer Cowl (pattern from TwistedYarn) and finished off the ends from the picture part of JJ’s jumper
So I have started my jumper(pattern picture above). The body is knitted, picture above shows where the front is to be steeked for the neck opening, and I have finally started the first sleeve. I thought I understood what I had to do on the first time of reading through. Second time reading I came across a few vagaries and so I decided to draw it out and annotate. The pattern was originally written in Norwegian and was then translated into English and this is where the problems lay. The sleeve starts in rows to allow for an opening with a button fastening and then is worked in rounds but the pattern forgets to tell you to join.
Anyway I am now up to the pattern and it looks ok for now. Please excuse the pet hairs, Frankie is inseistent about sitting with me at the moment, he usually sits with Paul.
Lottie
Preparations
I’m getting ready to start my Vikings of Norway knitting pattern. I’ve printed out the pattern looked at my boxes of needles and found I’ve no 3.5mm double ended needles. Needless to say a order has now been put in for new needles.
Until they arrive I will just have to case on something else……. Something small maybe a hat of some description or will I just make myself sew up JJs Thomas the Tank Engine jumper?
Lottie
Crochet two
I can look at a written knitting pattern and understand what the pattern will look like. I have always thought it was like being fluent in a foreign language.
Before I started my Poldark blanket I thought that all crochet was made up of double (dc) and treble (trc) crochet in English terminology or single (SC), double (dc) in American terminology and that my biggest problem would be keep in my mind which terminology was being used in the pattern. I know differently. Looking at the pattern I found it full of terms I have never used before, bpdc (back post double crochet) and fptc2tog (frontpost treble crochet 2 together) among them. It was like looking at a foreign language very similar to one that you know being able to pick out some words you know but others you can only guess at. At some of the stages it provided pictures of the results of these stitches but not how to do them so I turned to the internet and especially to youtube to find out out to do the stitches.
My next search is how to do foundation double crochet
Happy hooking!
First Attempt
I going to start this edition off with a moan. Why didn’t the little Canon camera we bought to take on our holiday last year come with a download lead? I know it is meant to work by bluetooth but the only thing it seems to want to pick up is the printer not the computers. It is luck that I have a download lead for my Canon 450D or we would have been stuck. This morning I have finally bitten the bullet and ordered another cable from Amazon.
Well I have tried working with oil pastels. I was not impressed with my first attempt, I couldn’t get the hang of blending the colours together.
Second attempt was a little bit better.
I think it was the abstractness of the design I was actually struggling with so my third attempt was something different. What do you think? Please leave comments.
Crochet Time
Crochet is not my forte I must admit. I have always preferred to knit but about 18 months ago I bought a pack of wool to crochet a Ross Poldark blanket. In the pack are shades of blue, grey and brown. I made a half-hearted attempt to start it when I bought it but since then it has vegetated in the wardrobe cupboard. This week I told myself it needed to be finished and that I am to complete at least one round a day. It has helped that the eldest granddaughter has decided to crochet an owl keyring and as she learns the stitches to make her owl I have been working on the blanket.
Anyway week at the end of week one and I am now on round 16 of the centre square. Hopefully will get the centre square of 24 rounds finished next week then will come the challenge of crocheting in rows.
Enigma
Within the family we have always know that Grandad Jim (William James) lived in Cornwall but was sent to live with his Uncle Dyer. The story went Grandad Jim was sent in one direction and his sister was sent in the other. Alas this part of the story was untrue, his twin sister Caroline Ann died of complications due to Scartlet Fever.
We have found Granddad Jim, his father John and his mother sometimes called Ursula Jane, sometimes Jane and sometimes Ursula Jane. John was born in Knowstone in 1823. His birth was difficult to trace has there were three John’s all cousins born within years of each other in the same area of Devon.
But we are left with the enigma of what was John doing in Cornwall?
The 1861 census shows him at home in Knowstone with his parents and two of his brothers.
The 1871 census shows him living in Cornwall with his niece acting as housekeeper and that he was a widower. Was his status a mistake?
When he marries Ursula Jane the marriage certificate also shows John’s status as widower.
Between 1861 and 1871 there are big events in John’s life, his father James died (1867), he married, became a widower and moved to Cornwall. Is there any connect between any of these facts?
New Beginnings
When I worked in the office in January my password would be based on the name of the Roman god Janus, the god January was named after. Janus was the god of beginnings and was often depicted having two faces, one for looking forward and one for looking back.
This year I have decided will be a year of new beginnings. Last year started on a high and although we had two amazing holidays nothing else seemed to work out right and so with the turning of the year I have decided to start anew. I feel more buoyant than I have felt for a while and so I am starting the year as I mean to go on beginning with taking a Reiki course.
I have decided that there has to be something new in all that I take on, so when I take up my knitting it will be a new type of wool – Viking Of Norway Sportsragg, and a new technique – steeking.
Now I need to find something new I want to try with my artwork. This has given me something new to read about as I research artists and techniques. Oil pastels are first on my list to try. I love my soft pastels but have never had much success with oils pastels.I have seen a youtube video from Strathmore Artist Papers creating an Abstract composition and think this is where I will start.
Reading, once I have finished the book I am reading I will be trying a author I have never read before – M K Hume. The book is King Arthur Dragon’s Child.
I am planning on returning to my Family Tree research and this time I will make hardcopies of all the documents I find as I have found that when I login now I can’t access the documents only the transcripts – I guess that is a lesson learnt.
My husband has complained too long about my many photos being on the computer. This year I am planning on producing years books containing the best photos. Goodness knows how many albums it will take. And my camera will come off automatic mode and onto manual.
Candles and more
Yesterday I looked for a Frankincense and Myrrh candle and couldn’t find one so this morning I decided to try to make my own. Cleaned out the candle jar, got down the big bag of wax that I bought a few weeks and found the box of essential oils. The next job was to open the bottle of myrrh. Could I open the bottle? Finally held the top in hot water. I could hear the myrrh in the lid cracking as it released. Wax is now melted and essential oils added. Need to wait for it to set before trying it out.
I love the smell of Frankincense and Myrrh and enjoy their richness at this time of year. I have known about their uses in aromatherapy for awhile but I found an article on facebook the other day that hinted at using frankincense in the treatment of cancer.
I love Christmas and all the preparations. Saturday we strolled around Gloucester Cathedral as they were preparing for a concert and yesterday afternoon we walked around Tewkesbury Abbey where the choir was practising for a carol concert. The building was dimly lit and there was a misty look down through the nave.
Talking about carols I saw this video on facebook a modern twist on the Christmas story with the Tabernacle Choir singing one of my favourite carols.
Lot
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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