It's Crochet, Knit & Natter 9: So Many Projects, So Little Time. (Oh well - I almost made it rhyme!)

[Fairislefandango]

A thread for woolly crafters of all types and levels.
Previous thread here

Sorry I’ve been absent, there’s been a lot going on. I’ve started my new job last week and DD started nursery. She got sent home from nursery already earlier this week! My new job is great though and they were so accommodating about me working around her. I’m enjoying my new job, they all seem really nice and I keep trying to work out what the catch is! It’s a small team and I have lunch with my colleagues when I’m in so I’m not being able to use my lunch break on office days to crochet but I did get some time crocheting on the train earlier in the week.

I finished a blanket for my friend for her wedding and I’ve got a baby blanket to finish for my friend who is due soon. I’ve started a shawl to wear when it gets cooler and I’m working from home. I’ve tried to make DH a jumper but I just can’t get the tension right at the minute so I’ve shelved that again for a while. I’m massively behind on Day Tripper CAL I’m making for my mum and my temperature blanket. If that wasn’t enough WIPs someone at our dogs hobby was given a crochet sloth but they aren’t crocheters, so I’m doing it for them. It’s using Bernat blanket wool and it’s quite hard on the hands so I’m not enjoying it.

Sorry you’ve had some bad news about your health @sophs29. Hopefully you can some real advice and support soon and not just “cut down on cheese and chocolate”.

Oh no @InTheNightWeWillWish I hope you DD wasn't sent home for anything serious! After my DS's first week he was so ill! Prior to that he'd never been poorly!
You have so many WIPs 😱 I don't know how you do it!
So glad your new jobs going well too!

@sophs29 she did seem poorly but it fortunately only lasted about a day. It’s so hard because they just pick everything up at nursery but there’s a lot of germ sharing there! I need several WIPs depending on where my brain is at. I think if I only had one WIP and I reached a hurdle with that one it would be too easy to stop altogether whereas with multiple WIPs I can keep crocheting until my brain is ready to tackle the hurdle.

Glad she's ok now @InTheNightWeWillWish ☺️
Maybe that's what I should do, I only ever have one on the go and once I get bored or busy I just give up completely! Saying that, I did start that jumper I linked in one of these threads ages ago, but I just can't get motivated to start it again because I'm out of the zone iyswim!

Glad your DD is better @InTheNightWeWillWish

I've got so many WIPs. My pink scarf is stressing me out. I got 3 rows from the end and realised i wasn't going to have enough yarn. The pattern warned that this might happen. So I frogged 1p rows to omit the ones it said to omit. Redid the 7 rows, was almost at the end of rows 7 and realised I'd missed 3 stitches on the row below. Frogged and re-did 2 rows. Did a couple more. I'm 2 rows from the end and not sure I'm going to have enough yarn still! Even if I do I'm not even sure I like the bloody thing.

I've been asked to make a nativity set for Church, spent £26 on the pattern! And think I've seriously under estimated how much yarn I'll need. So probably will end up with no profit. But oh well. It is beautiful!

Then I decided to go to church on Sunday. I don't go often, but attend the midweek service weekly. We sang the National Anthem at the end. Felt OK, until we got half way through (only sang the first verse). I ended up in tears. Nothing to do with the Queen. But singing "God save the King" when Kingsley's nickname was King/The King. Grief is a weird old thing.

Then another friend died today. She was 95, but I'm very sad.
DS2 is refusing to go to school. He's so anxious and no one will help.

I'm so sick of shit.

In more positive news I've joined duolingo. I'm learning Irish. So far I'm not very good

Thanks @sophs29 mum is out of the woods and recovery can start properly now. We knew there was a serious problem but trying to get A&E to act was hugely frustrating. I ended up having to get a wheelchair and wheel her in and insist I stay with her while they were trying to turn me away. I know A&E is jammed but the time before without me there she was put in the same category as a man who’d strained his knee then sent home. So please trust your instincts and insist x

@CrochetBug ah I’m sorry, grief catches you out in strange ways and moments and I’m sorry to hear about your DS and your friend, you’ve been having a rough time of it

Your new nativity pattern must be pretty comprehensive to cost that
I managed to get a two week free trial twice for Duolingo which gave you infinite hearts which helped with the being terrible. I also tried Irish, considering I see it when out and about you’d think I’d be better, but nope

Your new job sounds fantastic @InTheNightWeWillWish! I’m so pleased for you if that’s not a weird thing to say to someone on the internet!

Awww @CrochetBug - that all sounds really tough The nativity set sounds amazing though - looking forward to seeing some pics of that!

Work is pretty full-on here. Two full days on the trot with no frees and an after school meeting. Really excited about going on the German exchange in November though- the letter went out to kids yesterday! It will be a pleasure, as the kids at my school are so lovely and well-behaved!

Oh @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound that sounds so stressful but she's lucky to have you!

@CrochetBug I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, and grief is a horrible thing, allow yourself a good old cry though! I am like the others and can't wait to see the nativity take shape ☺️

@Fairislefandango the german exchange sounds brilliant! It's so good you have lovely children to teach too!

It's so good you have lovely children to teach too!

I know - I feel very lucky! After the last few years doing supply, often with very difficult classes, I kind of have to pinch myself sometimes!

I don't have lots of time for crafting atm, but I'm managing to do a bit of my sleeve scarf a few evenings a week, and I just spun a little more of my hand-carded alpaca this evening, having not spun for what seems like ages!

Sympathies to all of you who are having problems with the health or well-being of family members. It's looking as though my mum might have the beginnings of maybe Alzheimers, so I'm pretty worried about her and my dad. I'm 4 hours away from them too.

I’m sorry to hear about your mum @Fairislefandango that’s really tough on you all

I’m glad it’s going so well in work though. Your school sounds brilliant and I’m impressed you’ve had any time for spinning at all! I haven’t done any since the guild meeting I got to, but I’d started spinning a gradient called rosy apples on Shetland and it’s just lovely.

Thanks @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound .I was meant to be joining my local guild... I must get around to that!

@CrochetBug I'm sorry about your friend. I hop you're doing ok.

I hope your mum's recovery is going well @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound

And I'm sorry to hear about your mum @Fairislefandango . What a worrying time for you.

Although I am hardly knitting, I'm looking for a yarn recommendation. I keep seeing lovely slouchy vneck jumpers in fluffy chunky wool but I won't pay the asking price as I'm sure they're pretty easy to knot. I'm looking for a natural or mainly natural wool, chunky but light and a bit fluffy. I want the stitches to look a bit open rather than very solid. Also dirt cheap, of course. Any ideas?

How do you feel about mohair @MerylSqueak? A lot of those slouchy soft looking patterns seem to be two stands of mohair held together. Drops sky is a good and less itchy alternative though.

Mum is doing well thanks 😊 we’ve got her home and she’s already much stronger than she was so we’re seeing good progress.

@Fairislefandango you should definitely join! There was a lady on holiday in NI and she came to our meeting, she was from a sheepy area of England (sorry, minds gone blank on the name!) from one of the English guilds and it sounded like there was a fascinating mix of people and talents.

Thanks @MerylSqueak , I'm ok. I've cried a bit the last few days and I'm not sure if its for the Queen, my friend or something else. Drops Melody looks nice and fluffy, but it's not machine washable.

Glad your mum is getting better @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound

@Fairislefandango I hope your mum is OK.

Mum and I went to London on Thursday but decided not to join "the queue" so just wandered and saw the flowers in Green Park. Then on Saturday evening mum and my brother/sil/her mum decided they really wanted to go. So ds1 and I did too. We left the house just after 8pm on Saturday night and got home at about 1.30pm on Sunday. SILs Mum uses a wheelchair and we kept getting 'fast tracked' even though the accessible queue was closed! I'm so glad we went, although I'm in pain today.

In yarny news I didn't have enough to finish my pink scarf, even after omitting 3 rows. So I've put it away and will find something to make. I started my nativity set for Church. I've massively underestimated how much yarn I'll need.

@MerylSqueak Drops have a free pattern to go with their Melody yarn which sounds like what you’re after. Search for River Hill Sweater on Ravelry.

Argh - my school has an Ofsted inspection tomorrow and Thursday. I'm glad in a way to get it over with so early in my time there, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking!

I'm going to need to do some major knitting to get over it! I have yoga on Thursday evenings, so that willbe a good way to recover too!

Thank you for the yarn suggestions. Drops all the way as usual! I'll have a look for that pattern. Thanks @QuiltedBear

Ooo nerve wracking @Fairislefandango fingers crossed for you. At least all your lesson plans are shiny and new.

Yay for Drops!

Right - I'm having to miss yoga due to inconveniently-timed child-ferrying commitments tonight, so I am definitely going to treat myself to a bit of knitting time!

I was pretty much untouched by Ofsted - an inspector popped in to my form registration for about 3 mins (we were watching a videoed assembly) and that was it! No lesson observations.

I feel like I've not got much to contribute in the way of WIPs posts atm, beyond 'knitted another 3cm of my endless sleeve'

I’m sorry to see that everyone is having such a hard time at the minute. We’re battling bug after bug. It’s tough.

@Fairislefandango sorry about your mum. My family are also 4 hours away and the stress when something does go wrong is just higher because you also have to get there and you can’t just pop round. Good news on avoiding ofsted though!

I’m trying desperately to finish the sloth kit. I really want to like the kit. The sloth looks cute and I lost the pattern and so the kit creators sent me a new one really quickly. Their customer service is great. But this is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever made. Without sounding too big-headed, I think I’m at the higher end of intermediate level or maybe low level advanced. Intermediate patterns don’t really phase me. This pattern is apparently beginner-intermediate. It’s not. I’ve frogged it so many times. The bernat baby blanket yarn was so hard on my hands. I’ve checked and double checked my tension, which is perfect, and yet I don’t have enough yarn on anything. I’ve had to omit a round in the head because there wouldn’t be enough yarn to sew up (there still might not be but the head looked weird with another round missing). There wasn’t enough black yarn for the eyes and nostrils and I’m playing yarn chicken as I sew up the face and hands. Then the features don’t fit on the face. I’ve left the face the right size and it fits nicely on the head but you can’t fit the facial features on the face. I used a smaller hook and it still didn’t fit so I’ve just had to make the features up as best I can. I absolutely fucking hate it. Fortunately the owner of the sloth is 8 so is quite looking forward to stuffing the sloth and has Nannie visiting who will sew up the sloth. At least I don’t need to do that. I’m doing a bit of sewing to get the face on and secure my ends (because I’m not having this bastard come undone or come back to me for repair). If I’d bought this as a kit to try as a beginner I would have definitely given up crochet.

I've been following the thread from afar. Today is the last day on holiday we're 8 hours behind the UK so it's mid afternoon and am just lying in the shade by the pool. No woolly stuff here! I did go in a yarn shop when we were in Seattle but everything was far too expensive to actually buy.

DD2 has asked me to go to the knitting and sewing show at Alexandra Palace with her so that will be something to look forward to when I'm back at work.

That sounds like an epic battle with the sloth @InTheNightWeWillWish !

I hope all the bugs clear away quickly for everyone else.

Oo envy @StillNiceCardigan . Both the pool and the wool show sound wonderful.

Oh @InTheNightWeWillWish painful but almost funny. Defeated by a beginner's sloth. I had similar with a beginner seeing kit for little felt animals for DD. She was in tears it was so tricky. I did them in the end but it really needed to be done under a microscope.

@InTheNightWeWillWish I have some Bernat blanket in black - happy to send on to you if that would help. (I have other colours too but mostly brights - suspect too garish to help flesh out that sloth!)

I'm not feeling the crochet love right now. I'm making a dinosaur and the head starts off with crocheting round a chain which took me 3 attempts before I ended up with the right number of stitches at the end of the third round. Then further on, the pattern makes a note of possibly having to adjust the position of the decreases in a row relative to the front of the head which I couldn't really understand at the time but now I've completed 5 more rows I see that I need to frog it and start again. Not sure if I can manage to frog it to the right place or whether I need to go right back to the start.

Sympathies with the sloth @InTheNightWeWillWish - I remember doing battle with a sloth pattern and trying to get the face markings and eyes right. Still wasn't entirely happy with it at the end but was beyond caring by the third or fourth attempt.

@QuiltedBear thank you for the offer. The black was actually just DK but they wanted me to use two strands and the amount provided was meant to make two eyes, nostrils and mouth detail. 🙄 I used single strand and managed to get two eyes. It’s not gone without nostrils or mouth detail (not that I liked the mouth detail anyway) because digging out some black DK from my stash just to do some nostrils was just a gripe too far!

@tizwozliz urgh thats annoying. How are you to know where to decrease for the shape of the head if the pattern doesn’t say?

I’ve done as much of bastard sloth as I hope I’m doing. It’s gone off to be stuffed by the 8 year old owner and hopefully sewn up by the 8 year old grandma. It’s smile is a bit creepy but it’s features fit on its face and it mostly looks sloth like.