I have finished a full skein on my Grandma’s blanket. This time I was able to estimate how much yarn was left a little better so I only have a small bundle, rather than enough to make a ball.
I also laid out the blanket as it stands, and I can’t immediately tell where Grandma stopped and I picked it up, so that is a relief.
I think I will take a picture after I finish each skein, just to have progress notes.
I’ve added a notch to the whorl of my student spindle. I make these from a 5/8” hardwood dowel, a cup hook, and a toy wooden wheel. Using a belt sander, I shape the ends of the dowel slightly; the top to accommodate the screw-in cup hook and whorl, and the bottom to make a point so it can be used also as a bottom whorl spindle. I read that beginners should also look for a spindle with a notch in the whorl to help hold the spun yarn in place. That is easy enough to add with two quick cuts with a small saw and some progressive sanding starting with 120 grit and working down to 400 grit. I had to test the new feature, as you do, so spun up some Shetland wool. The notch lines up to the back of the hook to help prevent the yarn from spinning around the whorl. I am past that learning hurtle, but I can see how this might help a beginner, so I’ll continue to add the notch.
Last minute Valentine’s hack! To tie up some goodies in a bag, when you don’t have a pre-made bag, but you do have some fabric and some ribbon. This is like a hobo bag, but fancy, as the resulting tied fabric looks like a flower. I used a square of chiffon fabric and sealed the edges by passing them by the flame of a candle to melt them. If your sewing machine is up and running you could also hem the fabric, but the slightly melted edge works for this flower form. You could also use a pre-hemmed square of fabric. To tie the bag shut, I used about two feet of ribbon. I put the chocolates in the middle, gathered the ends together, then tucked the corners back under. I have made a short video on how to here.
I set out to clean my house and the first thing I decided to do was re-stain and refinish the love seats. ‘Cause that makes sense, right? Then I ran out of stain half-way through one cushion and had to run to the leather store. (I am only allowed to go in if I am on a tight deadline and have a specific list, otherwise I order online. That is a very expensive rabbit hole.)
I did get back in time to finish staining, put on a protective finish coat, and have enough time for it to dry before the family came home. (Poor dogs had to be locked up for awhile, but it was nap time anyway.)
The seat looks so much better. Maybe everyone will be in awe of the loveliness and not see the dust bunnies frolicking on the floor? Or the cob webs gracing the ceilings? I really did miss the “how to clean” memo, but I should have “I can fix that” emblazoned on a t-shirt.
My grandma wrote down on her pattern how long it took her to knit a row on the blanket. She recorded one time for a back row, which is just knit and purl stitches, and a second time for the front row, which takes longer because of the cables.
So I timed myself doing a back row, and was pleasantly surprised that I did it in 10 minutes. Perhaps my knitting is not as abysmally slow as I feared. Or Grandma did her times on a larger blanket. Hm.
Critters and Craft 