ADDING TO THE STASH

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Temptations…

My knitting mojo is suffering from angst! I have nearly completed 3 incubator blankets, 5 inches to go on the ladder blanket.

I am still working so have structure to my day but all of the fun activities I take my clients to are closed. We did attempt zumba via zoom yesterday which was not entirely successful. I jumped around to Europop anthems but my client was not keen!

I have found that I am better off at the moment – not putting as much petrol in my car, not buying coffee and not trawling wool shops. So I have treated myself to a couple of craft magazines. Now the problem with buying these is they are all wrapped up in plastic to protect the exciting free gift but this means you can’t flick through to see if you actually want to have a go at anything in the magazine…

Always drawn to the free gift!

I have bought a Mollie Makes which had a rainbow kit as a freebie. I was very excited unwrapping it but was sadly disappointed with the contents. A broad spectrum of crafts on offer but I probably won’t attempt any of them 😔

I have since bought a Let’s Knit which I have read from cover to cover. I feel inclined to do the monkey freebie and have taken an interest in the KAL. So much so I have priced the yarn on line and practiced the first 2 squares on wool from my stash. The windmill square is complete needs blocking but I think I missed a couple of rows!!! The lacy shell square has been thrown across the room and frogged twice, so nothing to show for that one!!! Probably just as well yarn shops are closed I might have rushed out and bought the wool to linger in my stash for months, possibly years 😂

Windmill square in blue!

I will reflect on the KAL. The benefit of doing it would be to learn how to do more lacy stitches but I might be unbearable to live with 😝 In the meantime I have started a beanie with a rather nice honeycomb brim and I have dug out some little Christmas card cross stitch kits. Variety is the spice of life so they say!!!

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

Published by knittingjane

email jane@woollywednesday.com

Published

37 thoughts on “ADDING TO THE STASH”

  1. I prefer learning new patterns when no one is about. Partly this helps my count, but also because I do not enjoy ripping out when I just spent an hour on so their comments are even less well received. Then to add to the frustration the yarn is all crimped from having been stitched before (and maybe several before) affecting my tension and…yup.
    The really complicated patterns often have two versions: the First Trial and the Finally Completed…

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    1. I agree Rachel but this is probably why I am becoming stuck in my ways, sticking to what I know! I like your idea of the first attempt and the completed – with lacy stitches I have lots of attempts and not always a completed attempt 🤔
      Take care xx

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    2. I have always tested a pattern out with a swatch – to get all the mistakes done before I start. I seem to have to let my hands get used to a pattern before I can do it with any sort of competence – even the patterns that I’ve written myself!

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  3. I have three recommendations for knitting lace. 1. Take an on-line class. I like the Eunny Jang class on Bluprint.com 2. If you are knitting from written-out row instructions and struggling, try knitting from a chart. 3. Place a stitch marker at the end of each pattern repeat. On the next row, when purling back, count the stitches between the markers, to make sure you have the right number.

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  4. I like looking at magazines when I find them but yes, they are often a disappointment. And we do get some UK ones here too, but like you I don’t like that they are wrapped in plastic. The “free gift” is often cheap and nasty anyway. And of course they are twice the price when they get to my side of the Atlantic!

    Zumba is definitely best enjoyed at the gym, with a good crowd, a lively teacher and loud music. I can see why the Zoom-ba (haha) doesn’t have quite the same excitement to it!

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  5. Nice windmill square. I too get frustrated if the magazines are in plastic – I like to flick through before I decide to buy. I ‘accidently’ subscribed to a crochet magazine last year – attracted by the massive yarn offer with the first magazine and subsequent 2 for a very cheap 3 month price, I then forgot to cease the subscription – therefore gained a magazine a month for a further 9 months. I have NEVER done anything from any of the magazines!
    Good luck with more online things with your clients – perhaps the first just was a ‘practice run’ ! I am joining in a free Fitsteps class on Friday – luckily I know the teacher and her style , she makes it fun – however it will be my first online one with her. Thinking I hope she doesn’t expect to see the all of me dancing around my lounge, just head shots!

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  7. You make the cutest things! I have tried to knit in the past (like when I was a teenager) but crochet has always been my “thing”. I don’t think I am coordinated enough to be a successful knitter😋

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  8. I also have a lot of different craft projects going on at the same time, specially a really easy one for when i just want to knit without thinking but several others with varying degrees of difficulty so i don’t get bored. Ive found out that if i get frustrated i just need to switch projects for a while

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  10. If they are going to now put all the magazines in plastic, they should have pictures of the patterns on the back cover page so you can see if you want to spend the money to buy it :). They may find if they don’t, people don’t buy them. I have found that being home so much now that I’m not going to watch a little one for a friend that see all the things I want online LOL. I didn’t want a new microwave but mine pooped out and so i had to order one because my local store didn’t have it in stock, sigh. I also ordered some lace wt yarn I will be sending back because it’s extremely coarse and it’s for a wedding shawl, I’ll have to find some merino wool for that I guess. I also broke down and bought the Knitter’s Pride Ginger Special Interchangeable Circular Set that has the 16″ cables with the shorter needles. It was on sale about $30 off at Webs so I bit the bullet and bought it. I’ll be putting that back in my car repair savings acct every month until it’s paid back LOL. But they will be well used :), wooden needles and Karbonz are my favorite needles. Happy knitting 🙂

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    1. Yes, online shopping is a bit like craft magazines in plastic. You don’t know what you’re getting! And there aren’t any returns until after lockdown over here which means you have to store the thing that you were looking forward to receiving and when it arrived it wasn’t what was expected😣
      Call me old fashioned but I do like to see what I am buying!

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      3. The magazine is Creative Knitting, they use to have it on the inside on the next to the last page but they moved it to the back cover, probably because they put it in plastic :).

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  11. I find most craft magazines a huge disappointment. They’re usually full of tat or down talking to children. I also found that they seem to go on rotation and repeat what others are doing and then repeat it all again after a couple of years. I prefer a good mooch around the Internet.

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    1. I am quite tactile so enjoy flicking through a magazine or book but you are right about the rotation thing. A magazine is a rare treat as most of them are so expensive, hence I get quite excited before opening – I obviously need to get out more!!!
      IT skills aren’t great but I have to admit they are improving under the current restrictions 😂

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  13. Sorry to hear you didn’t have a great experience with Virtual Zumba. You’re welcome to join my class on Wednesday’s at 7pm (GMT)/ 2pm (EST). You definitely won’t hear any Europop on my playlist!! 😂

    I’ve started a crossstitch too for the first time in many years. I’m enjoying knitting more though. Like you said, variety is the spice of life! That’s cool that you’re able to work on so many things at one time. 😊

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    1. I really enjoyed it but the man I was supporting (who has learning difficulties) didn’t. Screen was a bit small and he didn’t associate the guy doing Zumba as his teacher😕 but thank you for the offer. Definitely won’t miss the Europop!!! 💕

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  14. I used to be pulled in to buying knitting/crochet magazines because of the free goodies that came with them, until one day I realised I had a massive stack of magazines that I’d never made anything from and probably never would. Now I haven’t bought one for over a year 🙂

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