The Bluestocking, where the short days shorten and the oaks are brown

[MarieDeGournay]

Welcome all, regulars and newcomers, to the Bluestocking Women's Pub, a place of refuge and inspiration and camaraderie and silliness, where all alcoholic drinks are non-intoxicating, cakes contain no gluten, sugar or calories, but still taste yummy, and the attentive staff are small but very professional rodents wearing snazzy little outfits.

Other roles - such as acting as foot stools, looking decorative in the garden, or just being impossibly cute when you need something impossibly cute to go awwww at - are filled by a team of miniature pigs, quokkas, wombats, etc etc.

If real life is difficult, you can bring your troubles to the Bluestocking and a comfy chair will be found for you at a roaring fire, a miniature pig will settle down happily to support your tired feet, and a gerbil will serve you promptly with a comforting drink - very large G&Ts or massive mugs of hot chocolate with extra cream and marshmallows are popular choices [don't forget: no calories in the Bluestocking].

Close, Errol, it’s KnottyAndPistey.

Since you ask so nicely….

Here’s a small one, a Debbie Abrahams Baby Blanket, called
Love You To The Moon and Back.

The centre square has the baby’s name and date of birth, so I’ve drawn over those.

What a lot of beautiful squares, @MyrtleLion .

I don’t have an eye for design, so will leave commenting on how to arrange them to those who do. The individual squares don’t need borders, they will all be fine.

That's gorgeous! 😍Do you mean that one was knitted in strips & then sewn together?

I just measured my strips. They're 9" wide by about 40" long & all in stocking stitch, hence the curling. However, pressing them has helped & so has sewing in some of the ends - that seems to have invigorated the edge a bit. So I might just get away with it.

I've just gone back through the previous page & realised I'd missed one complete post & a link in another post. Ignore my question.

Do you mean that one was knitted in strips & then sewn together?

Yes, then stitches picked up round the edges to make a border.

And you put edging stitches down both sides of each strip?

@ifIwerenotanandroid I’ve just measured my strips. They're 9" wide by about 40" long & all in stocking stitch, hence the curling. However, pressing them has helped & so has sewing in some of the ends - that seems to have invigorated the edge a bit. So I might just get away with it.

No ‘getting away with it’. It will be lovely. Sew them together, put on a border, you’ll have a beautiful result.

I’m not sure what you mean. I join the strips together, then when all 7 strips are joined I put a border around the whole thing.

This is a picture of picking up stitches to make a border on my latest Woolly Hugs blanket. This one wasn’t knitted in strips, though. I put stitch markers at the end of each square to make sure I’m picking up the same number of stitches per square.

(I do have blankets with borders around each square, but that’s unusual. 😄)

Goodness hoe blooming annoying! Hope they were able to rustle you up some supper by that time and you hadn’t missed it assuming you be going into theatre?

That is gorgeous! Lovely colours and such pretty square designs! 😍

I ate last night, and their allergens menu was confusing and wrong. Sorted it out in the end, bit I didn't need the stress.

No surgery today.

Need a sad emoji. Hope they can give you a meaningful update on when surgery will now take place. The dead time and waiting around without a clear treatment path/timeframe is so frustrating!

Oh poor Myrtle! I hope today is either a day of rest, since the surgery isn't happening, or a day when anything they do is useful and moves your recovery along💐

Thank you. I'm hoping I can read the submissions from Jane Russell KC in Sandie Peggie's case. Over 200 pages though.

And the Walrus all by himself has booked the car in to be fixed in a couple of weeks. See, men can do life admin when they put their minds to it.

Myrtle, I'm so sorry you're going through all this.

200 pages of Jane Russell ... you are brave Myrtle!😀

I've had no interweb since early yesterday afternoon, which meant I painted my nails for the first time in years! Possibly I used the same bottle of varnish that I used the last time I painted them! It had dried in the bottle and I've been using nail varnish thinner to bring it back. It got as good as new just in time for me to use it. I didn't do the best job but not bad for the first try in an age.

I'm sorry you're being faffed about by the hospital @MyrtleLion I hope something has been sorted out for you by now.

Or maybe will ensure an afternoon nap?

That is gorgeous, @AsWithGlad!

I have the yarn to make another lacy baby blanket - I enjoyed knitting it, so I’m going to do another, and maybe give it to a Woolly Hugs online craft sale.

Full of admiration for all the lovely knitting. It is not in my skill set unfortunately. It is a dank old day here so I am making a pan of soup. The recipe is 'bottom of the fridge veggies' 🍅🍆🌶

Thank you, @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius . I look forward to seeing pictures of your next lacy baby blanket, perhaps in the WH Craft sale.

That soup sounds very healthy. I hope you enjoy it.

I am going to add the ingredients for lentil soup to this weekend’s shopping - it is definitely chilly enough for soup here.

You’d think hospital catering sections would deal with allergen menus multiple times a day, it’s rubbish if they get it wrong.

I hope you have a better day today, Myrtle. Surgery tomorrow, possibly?