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've been sorting out my older yarns & projects, finishing them off & donating them to animal rescues. This pleases DH no end, as I have far too much yarn.

But I... er... well, it was a bargain on ebay & it's arriving tomorrow. Now he's retired I can't hide my deliveries from him, so I had to confess yesterday. Apparently as long as I donate whatever I make & get it out of the house, he's OK with it. Compromise. That's what it's all about. 😁

Before I retired I had purchases sent to work - which was sensible as there wasn't anyone at home during the day to receive them.

Now we are both retired that option has disappeared.

Oh, the intarsia video is brilliant. A lot of them don’t show how to start with a new ball. They go through it too quickly. That video showed me exactly how AND told me how to pull the little tail back, which no other video had shown. If you look at my square, you’ll see a tail on the front of the work. (I’ll just pull that through with a tapestry needle, but it will never happen again!)

I also saw a video that said to twist the yarn on the stitch before the colour change even when you’re not adding a new ball. This one has clearly shown not to do that, and explained how to properly twist the yarns.

I don’t know why I’ve become so good, I was certainly frustrated at how rubbish I was at 13. Maybe I just needed to grow up.

And I have been knitting for about six hours a day almost every day for about six weeks.

Debbie Abrahams is good at explaining things, I find. There are lots of other videos if you scroll down that page, after the ones which are about this year's mystery blanket and cushion.

Myrtle, I'm another one impressed by your knitting. I still haven't worked out how to do intarsia, and I've done all sorts of other stuff.

And Swash, lovely to see you. I'd be very happy to help on the galleon - a bit of barnacle-scraping, perhaps, though I am a whizz with a paintbrush, pretty good at cutting in and all that.

I found when my DM died that keeping busy kept me going. I went back to work after about ten days. I was young and on my own, and the routine kept me sane. But I think fixing up a galleon would have been even better - physical labour is so good for the brain as well as the body.

@Swashbuckled - lovely to see you in the Bluestocking. I'm happy to join in with the galleon-cleaning, if I can be passed a load of things I can polish sitting down! Or I could knit some cannon-cosies, maybe?

I am finally back on track with my baby blanket - just the final lacy edging to knit, and that is fairly easy. I have done colourwork knitting, and intarsia - I knitted myself a shawl by the designer Kieran Foley - called the [[https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/renaissance-crescent - it was fun to knit, but by the end, each row had over 600 stitches in it - so it took me ages!!

It's lovely to have a proper chat with you, dear Swash, you've only been able to pop your head around the door to say hello, so it's grand that you're here to tell us about the galleon reno, take time to savour a ginormous gin and snacks

Not only will I pop around to help, I'll bring what you really need: Capability Capybara and her team, who have recently finished the roof on the model Bluestocking, and are keen to have a go on the galleon. Note they bring their own safety gear which might come in handy on the rigging..

The💙over the door of the Bluestocking is for you Swash

Woley that shawl is beautiful and amazing.

Marie definitely a big YES to Clara 'Capability' Capybara and daughters. They will make quick work of Swashy's spare galleon.

And when they've finished that, would they pop round to my ndn, whose renovations are endless, noisy, intrusive and often done outside of permitted hours. Thank you.

I wish we could really come and lend a hand, Swashy. For now, here’s some brews for all the real and virtual workers

Thats a truly gorgeous shawl, Woley. I have vague plans when I eventually retire of starting to listen to audiobooks and learning to knit again - there’s a mine of useful information on this thread alone. Including Myrtle’s accidental tip ‘I don’t know why I’ve become so good ….I’ve been knitting 6 hours a day for 6 week’ …

Excellent videos and instructions, thank you AsWithGlad! I found watching the video very calming even though I am not currently knitting, partly because I could understand everything she was explaining.

Stunning shawl, Woley. Way above my capacities.

@MyrtleLion that is a lovely explanation of your knitting story, and how it connects to Bear. Thank you so much ❤️.

@ifIwerenotanandroid I’ve been decorating too. Thought I’d repair and decorate one galleon room at a time so I didn’t feel so overwhelmed, and can work gradually through the ship.

@EdithStourton you have yourself a deal! I enjoy the precision type of painting; woodwork and intricate things. I hate painting walls and ceilings and find it daunting and miserable.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius I shall think of some sitting down jobs for you. Polishing would be good but I’m worried about the cannon cosies in wet weather. (Although that shawl is amazing!)

@MarieDeGournay thanks for recruiting the capybaras. There’s certainly some “buildy” type stuff that they can be cracking on with. Love the 💙.

@ErrolTheDragon thanks; you make a great cup of tea!

I also want to let you all know that Bear came home today (his ashes, in a beautiful marble urn). He is finally back home with me, where he belongs ❤️.

Your precious Bear home with you - no words - 💙xx

I'm so glad Bear is home.

Bear home again at last, so glad 💙

I have no particular renovation type skills to offer, Swashy, but I don't mind painting walls if Edith wants company. Alternatively, I'll be in the Bluestocking labs cooking up an eco-friendly antifouling agent for the galleon's hull.

I'm so glad you've finally got Bear back home with you @Swashbuckled

💙

The gerbils have been busy.
They wanted something to represent Dr Swash as well as Bear, but it was difficult to find anything at such a small scale, so I suggested some silver which is associated with medicine and healing, and I gave them three links from a silver chain to put on the left of the mantlepiece.

I've been ironing the sails. Tbh I'm not sure they need ironing but I heard something about the Navy and pressing so here we are. I tried taking them down to iron, it took me several hours to free myself from all the material. Getting a shit load of extension cables, and a bungee worked much better.

I'd vaguely heard about intarsia though prior to yesterday if asked I might have said it was a primate with enormous eyes. Who apparently could give Rosy a run for her money in the hug department.

Come to think of it they climb and jump exceedingly well and, being nocturnal, might be just the ticket for a nightwatch on a galleon.

I have a cannon cosy, in case it’s needed. It can be made in acrylic yarn, so it won’t shrink if it gets wet.

To ask my SIL not to being her 'thermos'. Don't even need to check that one. Bloody entitled people bringing their sodding thermoses, thermii...? What is the plural? I've got a kettle and loads of extension cables.

I have read pretty much all of the Master&Commander books and there is no mention ever of cannon cosies.
I can contribute some Pseudoalteromonas piscicida for the anti-fouling treatment, I'll have some under liquid N2, I'm sure.

Woley, I think your suggestion is the clear winner, though it's hard to top Magpie's 'eco-friendly antifouling agent'😂

I like that you've thought through the choice of yarn😂😂😂

With all of those different trades working on the galleon, we're going to need a gopher..

That's the cosiest cannon I've ever seen!