I like making things: What I've been up to the past three weeks.

Monday, November 17, 2014

What I've been up to the past three weeks.

Well, I made the belt for my son's birthday but in my haste to mail it off to him in England I forgot to take photos! (a recurring theme I'm sorry to say). I have asked him to take a couple and email them to me. Time will tell on that one lol, he is a busy young man.

My husband wanted a hat and neck warmer for when he is outside so I made him these on the Studio 700 using the ribber. Straight forward

1 x 1 rib. He can pull the neck warmer up to just under his eyes so his face keeps nice and warm when he is outside.

So after making the above he wanted some mittens but with one finger for his index finger so he could work in them out in the shop. Well, that one got me stumped as I didn't want to hand knit them and was clueless as to how to do them on the machine. Then I had a brain wave!!!!!

I made a black tube on the machine in 1 x 1 rib and using the same yarn as for the hat and neck warmer. I gathered the top and sewed it up and left two holes so he could wear black magic gloves underneath and poke his thumb and finger through the holes. Voila! mittens with an index finger and thumb made very simply. The magic gloves even have special tips so that he can use his cell phone and tablet wearing them. Magic gloves are so cheap here, only $2 a pair for the ones with the special tips and two pairs of the normal ones for $1.50. Why on earth would I knit them when I can buy them that cheaply? With the extra tube layer if it gets too cold he can just bring his thumb and finger inside the mitten. We are having bitterly cold weather right now, well below freezing so the hat, gloves and neck warmer are getting well used.

I have also done some sewing but that is for another post, perhaps tomorrow........

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I started this blog in 2011: Ever since my Mum taught me to knit at the age of about six or seven I have made things. Back then it was doll clothes. I was also inspired by Mrs Levitt an elderly lady who had a sewing room in a conservatory type room on the back of her house. I would sit and watch her in awe as she sewed.

When I was a child living in England the school system was such that you started at 5 years, did two years in Infant School, then four years in Primary School then five to seven years in Secondary School, depending on whether you chose to stay on after fifth form to get qualifications to go to University. I can't remember much of the Infant school other than making the standard square doily thingy from fabric that had holes in it so you could embroider patterns into it. A bit like the modern day cross stitch fabric but with bigger holes and spaces to make it easy for small hands to use. I also remember with great joy getting a toy sewing machine one Christmas which sewed only chain stitch but I did make doll clothes on it and that was before I started Primary school. I do have very vivid recollections of Primary school and having sewing and knitting lessons. In Primary school I knitted gloves and made a dress from scratch hand sewing it all.

Secondary school continued on with sewing by which time I had progressed to using full sized sewing machines and was making more intricate skirts and dresses. My parents bought me a proper sewing machine when I was thirteen. I used that same machine right up until I emigrated to Canada at age forty six years.

I have always had a fascination for sewing machines and knitting machines. I bought my first knitting machine at around age twenty one from an ad in a newspaper for twelve pounds. I had absolutely no idea what one was just that I wanted one. I trundled on the bus to the address in the advert and handed over my twelve pounds having absolutely no idea what I had really bought. Fortunately it came with a manual. It was an aged Knitmaster, very basic and I loved it. I wore it out. Next was a Brother push button one which I didn't keep because it was at a time in my life when things were difficult. Later on in my life, around forty, when things were better I bought a brand new Brother punchard machine with a ribber attachment. I loved it and made many things. Life took a different turn, I moved countries twice and along the way, regrettably I sold it.

Now, through the universe's blessing I now have another machine. It is a vintage one because they stopped making them early 90's but works perfectly and I love it. So I decided to make this blog to document my knitting progress and include sewing projects.

In 2013: we embarked on a new hobby, leather-work. My husband got started with it and it drew me in. It is something we can do together. We have a workshop so have plenty of room to work. We added another workbench for me to work on in 2013. We already had one but we were tripping over each other both trying to work at it. We only make things we want to make. It is strictly a hobby. We made some things for our good neighbours who help us out a lot. I am also working on Christmas presents. So this blog now incorporates the leather-work. Knitting and sewing will always be my first love though.

Fast forward to 2023 and now age almost 75 years. I have seven sewing machines, four knitting machines, several ribber attachments and a garter carriage for one of the machines. I am blessed beyond words, but I know that I have more than enough machines to keep me going in my lifetime so I don’t think I will be adding to my collection any time soon……….unless a nice embroidery machine manifests itself very cheaply.

I am a Brit living in the USA, sometimes I spell like a Brit and sometimes like an American. Sometimes I use slang and even make grammatical errors. I blog for the pleasure of it and to record my endeavours in the event that my memory fades, as I am sure it will with more age. I will be able to look back and remind myself of the things I have made along the way. So please forgive my mistakes when reading about my life making things here in the hinterlands and I hope you get as much enjoyment from my blog as I do from reading the blogs I follow.

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Monday, November 17, 2014

What I've been up to the past three weeks.

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