I like making things: First post of the year

Saturday, January 15, 2022

First post of the year

Today we are getting our first real snow. We have had some cold weather but not much precipitation up until now.

We have followed the NFL quite closely this season and are enjoying it immensely. Today the play offs are starting. Our team is the Kansas City Chiefs, they play tomorrow.

I undid the arran cardigan I was knitting. It was too complicated. I just need something a bit simpler so I am making a hoodie in three colours for my great grandson. He is nearly 10 months old now. How time flies!

I got my newest sewing machine out last week to try the new variegated thread I got for Christmas. I also got a spool case and sorted out my threads and put them in the case. Sometimes I just enjoy a little play with my machines.

I bought a refurb robo vac after Christmas with some gift money. My vacuum cleaner is pretty worn out so it was either buy another upright one or try a robo one. We call it 'the cleaning lady'. Our problem is we have a lot of furniture so it doesn't have too many straight runs so it changes direction a lot but it is amusing to watch and it does a good job. It gets under furniture much better than I can with the upright. I have not connected it to the internet yet so I can't talk to it and tell it to start remotely. I am not confident yet to leave it unsupervised!

So still plodding along here and isolating in the boonies. I do not think life will get back to how it was before covid any time soon.

4 comments:

QuestJanuary 30, 2022 at 6:15 PM
Hello! I found your blog via Weaver and I wanted to say Hi, I'm a fellow Brit living in California. I love reading about others' creativity LOL My mum had a knitting machine and we were fascinated with it as kids. My mum only got as far as making blankets LOL We lived on a farm at the time in Hertfordshire and there were way too many other things going on what with the dairy herd and all, but the knitting machine lives on in my memory :) Best wishes to you.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Carol- Beads and BirdsFebruary 12, 2022 at 11:12 AM
I don't think I know anyone else who is as adept as you at fixing sewing machines. When I was young my mother told me I break everything I touch. I think it put a subconscience fear in me because I am not too great using electronics out of fear of messing them up. I have been stitching scraps and using up old thread. I'm going to look for thread holders like you have. Mine are from the 70s and the lids don't really stay on. I love all the knitted items you make. I crochet but knitting beyond knit and purl have eluded me. I always thought I would learn to knit but at 70 I think it's better to spend time doing what I already know and enjoy. I read about your water issues. Corey has land up the road where he keeps Scottish Highland Cows. He paid a guy to tell him the best place to put a well. The well guy was up here drilling for a few months and added us to his list of properties to work on. Before he got to us he had to leave. $20,000!! We had trouble with our house well too. When it went out we could get buckets from the creek on our property to at least flush the toilet. All of our shower fixtures are new and have been manufactured to limit flow. Terrible idea!! I'm caught up with what you have been up to now.
xx, Carol
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

As in the words of Thumper: If you can't say 'nuffin nice don't say 'nuffin at all.

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.

Pages

Saturday, January 15, 2022

First post of the year

4 comments: