I like making things: March 2020

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Weekly update

I am going to try and update weekly if I can discipline myself. All still good here thankfully.

We are still able to get most of what we need delivered by the county so that is good.

Beautiful warmer day today. We are able to go outside because there are no other properties within at least a half a mile.

My husband has COPD and he is coughing more lately but he is not running a temperature or showing any signs of infection. He should get treatment for his autoimmune disease but all elective procedures are cancelled until further notice.

Stay safe and isolated everyone out there.
XXXXX

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

All is OK thus far

Just to let you know things are good here right now. Our local County organised grocery deliveries from the local store for anyone living in their area who needed it especially seniors and people with pre existing conditions. We qualify on both counts. We order and pay the grocery store and the county delivers.

Hoping everyone out there is doing OK and getting all they need.

Take care everyone and be safe.
XXXXX

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Still around, just not making anything right now

It has been a weird couple of months here. All is well so far with my husband's heart, it has stayed in regular rhythm and he feels better for that. Now he is waiting for another Infusion to help combat the auto immune disease he has. The only problem with that is it wipes out his immune system as it kills off all his existing antibodies. (The little boogers attack his nervous system and weaken him so they have to go). But the Corona virus is looming large all over the world so that is a problem because if he gets infected he has no resistance. Sort of caught between a rock and a hard place. They re-populate over time hence the ongoing infusions. His choice to make on whether to go ahead this time or wait. Waiting for it to get approved and scheduled before making the final decision.

To keep himself busy he is resurrecting some novels he wrote about 30 years ago. A lengthy task. He is hoping to self publish on Kindle Publishing. I am helping him which is taking up a lot of my time. That is the reason for the lack of posts.

Spring is trying to make an appearance here in the boonies, bulbs are popping up everywhere and I thought I saw a hint of leaves budding on the trees.

Hope all is well in your worlds.

Glad you stopped by

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.