The Bluestocking - holding the line and losing the thread

[lcakethereforeIam]

All women welcome, pull up a pygmy hog, the bargerbil will serve you a drink, the flying squirrels will bring you something to read and the goats will do...I'm not entirely sure.

There may be more than the usual amount of chaos as we transition to the new thread.

I think you've earned it, Swashy.

Thanks @Magpiecomplex

Thanks @

Love the pirate bear, and the (more than) very generous gin.

Regarding a snack, pickled courgettes seem to be going down well on the Peggie threads although opinons on celery soup are a mixed ❤️

@Swashbuckled I am virtually careening, recaulking. Holystoning, varnishing and redoing the brightwork on the galleon. Do you need any help with the heads?

I've probably mentioned this before, but I used to work with a young woman who had a habit of opening a bag of pickled onion monster munch and then adding pickled onions, because they weren't pickled oniony enough for her.

She didn't even have the excuse of being pregnant.

I’m not going to offer to help with the heads at this time of night, but I could definitely lend a hand with that gin.

She might possibly have found a natural means of contraception there, sounds like an anti aphrodisiac to me.

Yes please, Jane’s; I’m grateful for all the help I can get. If you want to take the heads, they’re all yours! Thanks loads.

Okay, gerbils; a sharing dish of picked courgettes, and a bag of pickled onion monster much with added pickled onions. Just shake the bag then do the share long-side-rip thing.

And some more of that gin, please, beautiful gerbils.

Not done an image for a while…

It’s so lovely to see you here, Swash!

I do recommend hard labour as a mechanism for focusing on something else. It’s better than mindfulness because you concentrate on not bashing a thumb, or cutting through a hand. The other thoughts have to stay away and stop plaguing the brain, which is often a relief.

I’ve been learning intarsia knitting. So far no holes! Though I’m still confused about which thread goes over the other one. It’s not terrible. I find weaving in the ends after each colour block really helps stop all the strands getting in the way.

That's bad, Myrtle. I haven't read of it happening to others, but perhaps I've not been looking in those groups.

Re Ravelry generally: it was started by a married couple, Jessica and Casey. Casey is/was the coder and wrote the first code in October 2006. Casey is now Cassidy and uses female pronouns. I joined in 2007 so my memory is hazy as to when this happened, but not recently.

That may be useful background if anyone is wondering about the wall-to-wall Pride. There was a generous selection of Pride flags people could add to their Ravatars (avatars, pictures which appear next to all your posts) but that was for June and they are not available now.

I never see the home page, which announced this: once I sign in it takes me straight to my "boards" ie the groups I belong to. The home page is unchanged, Pride is still there, but as the time it was updated before June was at the end of February, so I don't think anything should be read into that.

Edit: my first sentence was in reply to @MyrtleLion 's comment on being spammed after joining Ravelry. I thought I had clicked "Quote", but it seems not.

@Swashbuckled I am really good at cleaning and polishing, so am happy to help.

Physical work is definitely good. I need to start doing conservation volunteering - mostly ‘mindful destruction’ of Himalayan balsam and brambles. But (re)construction of the second galleon sounds better, a very positive thing to be doing.

knitting etc are reckoned to be good too, of course. I think I’ve mentioned before that my grandpa took it up as a sort of therapy (partly to quit smoking) after the horrors of WWI, and won prizes for some of his work.

Had to google intarsia knitting @MyrtleLion. I am impressed! Lots of fine motor skills going on there. What are you knitting…as in what will it be when you’ve finished?

You know, I actually punched the air when you said that, as if you were popping down tomorrow 🤣.

But, seriously, any day’s fine. Whenever suits, and I’m very grateful

Digging is good physical labour. I’ve done a bit of digging in my time. And root removed is very rewarding, when it works (although brambles are buggers). And the earth always smells good.

That's good intarsia, @MyrtleLion .

I don't think it matters which yarn goes on top and which underneath, although people do advise putting the new yarn on top.
Try watching Debbie Abrahams here or from about 4 minutes 30 seconds.

It does matter in stranded knitting/fairisle, but again "Freddie on a galloping horse" wouldn't be able to tell - sorry, this is a knitter's way of saying small mistakes won't show, or it won't make that much difference.

From the video I learned, when you've knitted the first stitch in a new colour, stop and pull separately on both yarns to tighten the stitches.

You are being good to cut your ends and weave them in as you go. If I'm going to use them again a few rows later in approximately the same place I just carry them up - see here or for that. The video shows the yarns being carried up the edge of the work but it's the same method if it's at a border.

If I'm doing a 3 row stripe, so the yarn would be at the opposite edge, I change the pattern and do a 2 or 4 row stripe.

(I can't add anything about ancestry, and can only get on MN after about 10:30pm at the moment, so I'm going back to something I do know a little about.)

Hard labour is great - gets the endorphins going & gives you such a feeling of achievement once it's over. I think my best time was when the fencers told me they would come a few days early & DH was at work, so I singlehandedly cut down & cleared a couple of trees that were in the way. Couldn't do it now, because my knees are totally knacked & my appt for them is next year. Hey ho.

I don't really do gin, so I'll have an enormous glass of Baileys please, gerbils (it'll take several of you to carry it).

Here you go @ifIwerenotanandroid

I'm knitting blanket squares.

I learned to knit as a teenager but I was rubbish, though my mum was brilliant.

When the call went out to make you a blanket, I thought I would give it another go, decades after I first learned. I wanted to be part of supporting you through your bereavement. I was very eager and I trawled through my craft supplies (left over from having monthly craft kits during the pandemic) and found some acrylic wool. I actually used bamboo skewers to knit with while I was waiting for merino wool and needles to arrive.

I knitted you four squares and learned a lot from doing that. My mum gave me some tips she learned from my great-grandmother and it turns out I’m quite fast, and knitting really helps me feel soothed. I might have ADHD, and this keeps my mind and hands busy.

I think android suggested making a Little Hug for premature babies, which is another project run by Woolly Hugs, and the squares can be in acrylic wool, so I just kept going. I have made one Little Hug of 9 squares, and I have since knitted another 25 or so squares in different knit and purl patterns. My stepdaughter was born at 25 weeks over 30 years ago, and my DH said little things that show others cared about her when her life was in the balance really helped. It feels like I’m doing something useful and that others will really value. Though I have made some black squares, so I do hope there are some goth parents who might appreciate a bit of black in their blanket.

I have now found a new project called an Anthology Blanket which has patterns for 30 different stitched squares and instructions on making them into blankets. And in two weeks’ time I’m going to be sat on a sofa for at least two months with my leg in a cast following surgery. Knitting might be the only productive thing I can do (and still get to watch telly).

I am running out of wool and 14 balls will arrive on Friday or Saturday, so I decided in the meantime to try and use up the remnants of the different colours I’ve already used, and learn a new skill. I thought changing colours would be really easy, but it’s really not!

I know Bear’s loss is a tragedy, and I cannot imagine how hard it is for you and Dr Swash, but a lot of good has come from it, and hopefully some tiny babies will also benefit from the Bluestocking magic.

This is really helpful, AsWithGlad, thank you so much!

Oooh yeah, that's the one! Cheers, Swashy!

I don't think I suggested Little Hugs, Myrtle, though I did send in some I made previously. I was just amazed at your progress: one minute you were learning on BBQ skewers, next time I saw a post from you it was real yarn & needles & perfect squares, then textures, then a little blanket, then thinking about garments & now intarsia. I mean, steady on, old girl! 😂

Are you thinking about decorating the galleon yet, Swashy? What do you fancy, or are you going for saleable neutrals?

I second @ifIwerenotanandroid 's comments about your knitting progress, Myrtle. It's impressive.

Thank you for appreciating the videos, too.