Wednesday 29 May 2013

Some progress

There was a bunch of keys in the fridge this morning, not unusual as it's the first place my sons go when they
come in, and if they have their keys in their hand - well you can guess the rest.
Normally I put them in the wooden bowl by the front door, but because of my experiment, I haven't done that, I've left them in the fridge. I shall be watching, trying not to giggle, whilst my middle son tries to work that one out tomorrow!
I have finished the little banded beanie and started another in soft blue, and have just bought the yarn for a
jacket based on an old photo from the family album of a great uncle in a sailor suit. The album is a great source of ideas - there are children and adults from the late 19th century onwards - wearing some fantastic things.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

the start of an experiment

I cannot believe how much work I was able to get done yesterday, and I know why, I didn't have to keep stopping to find things - a wallet, clean t-shirt, right trainer, jacket etc.
I don't know if it's something to do with the male chromosome but my sons can't see for looking, the "lost"
article is often right next to them - as my grandmother used to say " if it had a mouth it would bite you ".
One of my sons has a friend with a six year-old sister and she is more aware of where his things are than he ever is!
So as I sat and knitted and sewed yesterday I came to a decision - I would try a little experiment - and stop finding their things.
It will be interesting to see if they adapt and improve their finding abilities. I doubt it very much and the house will probably be even more chaotic than usual, but you never know, miracles do happen!
On the knitting front, I have finished my day job knitting and have just started a little beanie to use up some oddments of yarn left over from a larger project,it's a lovely,soft cotton and cashmere mix, beautifully gentle
for delicate skin.I hope to finish it today, so might have a photo tomorrow.

Monday 27 May 2013

Peace and quiet

Today is a bank holiday Monday and I have the house to myself. I am completely alone - no teenage sons, no sons' friends, no friends dropping in, no relatives. I can't remember when I had so much peace and solitude, and what am I going to do with it? Knit of course!
Calm, quiet and peaceful.

Sunday 26 May 2013

Making progress - slowly

I have nearly finished my day job knitting, it is blocking and  has to be made up ( my least favourite part ).
Normally I would be photographing the work and discussing the yarn etc. but as it's someone else's work
I don't feel I can do that, it would be a breach of confidence.
On the plus side I have a pile of the softest organic, fairtrade,Egyptian cotton waiting for me to start on my Etsy things. I'm starting with 0-3months as it will take less time and yarn ( tight budget ). My head is full of ideas for more little garments, and that is probably where they will stay - I never write things down!
I think I get that from my Scottish grandmother, I remember sitting watching her knit fairisle, faster than most people knit plain knitting,and she never used a chart, it was all in her head.
She was still knitting for her great,great grandchildren when she died at the grand age of 105, I can't begin to
calculate the miles and miles of knitting she must have produced in all that time, it's mindboggling.
I discovered this www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/crafthackz in a group I belong to on Ravelry it might make you smile.
I saw these tulips in my local park and couldn't resist, they lifted my spirit, and shouted winter is over!

Thursday 23 May 2013

Hue and Ply



It's Thursday already, I don't know what happened to Wednesday!
I am still beavering away at my day job knitting as well as trying to do more on my Etsy projects. I still have to write my shop policies so that could be the next thing to tick off the list. Perhaps I should regard it as a piece of knitting - one stitch at a time - one step at a time.

I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of two yarn shops ( bliss! ) and visit regularly. One of the aspects of designing I love is colour, choosing and using it, and I can indulge this in these shops. The way the zingy colours jump off the shelf to greet me , and the muted shades relax, whilst the juicy berry hues tempt me, makes a trip to the shops a delight.

Do you have a favourite colour? Why is it a favourite, how does it make you feel, does it evoke memories?

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Happy 100th

The annual RHS Chelsea flower show in London is celebrating it's 100th anniversary, and as usual I am glued to the TV watching as much as possible. I love the innovative gardens from designers from all over the world, and the beautiful new flowers, especially now we have an HD TV.
The lunchtime coverage includes a few minutes about flower arranging, the expert takes you through step by step to create a little floral masterpiece, a couple of flowers and a handful of green bits and it's done.  I fall for it every time, they make it look so easy. Why then does my effort look at best like a limp lettuce with a droopy flower in the centre, at worst like something the cat has slept in?
One of life's mysteries!

Monday 20 May 2013

back to the day job

I have been called back to my main work - test knitter and tech editor for a handful of designers.
This means I have to suspend working on my Etsy things for a few days so I can reach my deadline. It's great to have work, it would be even better if I could grow a second pair of arms and do both at once.

I have been gathering more ideas.  Yesterday I went for a walk along the beach and noticed a short row of faded beach huts, waiting for their summer spruce up. I thought of a soft, cosy little hoodie in muted stripes, perhaps with a pouch pocket to keep hands warm or to hold treasures ( my sons always had dinosaurs or cars in their pockets ).

Well, back to the knitting. It's at times like this that I am grateful to my grandmothers, one Irish, the other Scottish who taught me to knit. They were professional knitters all their lives and taught me to knit with the right hand needle under my arm, apparently this is one of the fastest methods , I am certainly going to need speed now.

Sunday 19 May 2013

the needles are clicking

I have been looking through some old family photo albums and have found some inspiration for my first little designs. I loved the children in sailor suits so have come up with a red sailor jacket with white trim. The men, probably my great uncles, in cricket sweaters gave me the idea for this , a cricket style v-neck in a dusty rose and cream. Another thing that caught my attention was a 1950s coat, I am thinking a flared cardi jacket in white with soft grey edging. And that's just the first few pages, lots more photos to go, and I hope , lots more ideas.

WIP blocking

Friday 17 May 2013

After a steep learning curve, with a couple of blips, I have created my etsy shop banner and avatar.  As I'm on a very tight budget I decided to do it myself. I wanted something positive and uplifting so ended up with orange flowers which I thought at first were marigolds but now think they might be zinnias, I' not good with plants.

Monday 13 May 2013

starting

Well I've taken the plunge and started my journey with Etsy, I have chosen the name of my shop- Purliewhiteknits.  I am now thinking about the next step and frantically knitting a few little garments to list, I thought starting the Etsy process would help me focus and get my knitting done.
I am looking forward to the next steps on the way to becoming a fully active seller.