Just in the nick of time!

Tuesday morning I spent doing the final sewing up and got finished by lunchtime.  My husband's birthday was yesterday (Wednesday).

He loves the cardigan.

Next project a belt for my son's 24th birthday in November.  I need to get on with that as it has to be mailed to the UK.

No rest for the wicked!

The countdown is on!

I have the the back, fronts and sleeves all done for my husband's cardigan.  His birthday is Wednesday.  I will tackle the neckband and front bands over the weekend and try and get it all sewn up.  Have to get the buttons for it on Monday along with a birthday card so fingers crossed all will be done in time.

As a birthday treat my stepson from NJ is flying in and taking him to the second game of the Basketball World Series in Kansas City. They lived many years in KC so it will be very emotional for them.  I declined to go as I really don't know a lot about baseball and I don't hail from KC. They can have the quality father and son time together and enjoy the game without having to explain it me on a ball by ball basis.  I will have a chill night and watch a chic flick.

Hopefully he will get to wear the cardigan as it will cool right down at night.

Well, flippin' heck!

It took me two sessions to complete a sleeve.  Getting set up always takes me a while as I put everything away after each session and cover my machines etc. etc.  So I knitted one sleeve up to the shaping in one session and finished it off in the second.  I was really happy how it turned out.  I got the patterning correct so it was central, followed the instructions (which I write out so I can tick off as I go) and it all went fine.  Then when I got it off the machine I could see that I had forgotten to to put the right side punchcard lever to 'L' to make it elongated.  I really need to get a light somehow on the actual knitting.  I am using navy wool and the back of the desk is dark wood so you can barely see it as it is growing. I think I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I could have seen it.

Methinks one of those newfangled LED lights which attach magnetically is in order.  I can attach it behind the knitting and it will light it up......hopefully.  I have one somewhere in the workshop.  Off to find it before I start on the sleeves again.

Have to unwind the done one first though as I don't have enough yarn to finish without doing that.

Had a disastrous morning in the kitchen too so I think I will put off any knitting until tomorrow.

Just a quick post and a question

I have started on the long promised cardigan for my husband.  The back is done.  Fronts and sleeves to follow........

I have to say I am impressed with how the SK155 bulky machine functions.  It is a lot easier to correct a mistake than the SK700 4.5mm machine. It, of course, knits quicker too.  All that said, I personally prefer garments knitted at ths finer guage so will continue to use the SK700 too.  (it is my fave!)

I do have a question if anyone knows the answer.  When you do tuck stitch can you put the little orange thingies on the knitting bed to stop the pattern and start it again like you an with lace knitting?

I would like to have a few stitches at each side that doesn't knit in tuck stitch, just stockinette but not sure if it is possible.

Thanks in advance.

October already!

Where has the year gone?  It seems like my life is just flying by but I don't feel like I am achieving much.

The Knitware program is working fine on the old computer I bought.  Nothing much else works on it as I said in my previous post it seems to missing a lot of the Windows components but as it's sole purpose was to run the Knitware program on it, it is doing what I want it to.

I purchased a license for the sweaters program.  Here in the US it cost $32.95.  I also purchased a disc with the Knitware programs on to keep as backup.  That was $10.  I have yet to try it as the newly acquired XP computer's CD drive doesn't work.  I bought a plug and play DVD/CD/RW drive on ebay.  It was ridiculously cheap. It works for CD's but I couldn't download my Office program using it so not sure if it's the new drive or the missing Windows components.  Not going to mess with it though as the Knitware program is working.  I can save the patterns in 'Notepad' which does work, then put them on a flash drive and load then onto my main PC and modify and print them etc.

So that is all I have done in the knitting department this past couple of weeks. We have been busy outside trying to get the outside work all wrapped up for winter.  Not sure if it will ever come though as the heat is dragging on and on this year. They keep promising a cooling down but it doesn't happen!

We did finish the two belts though for the eldest two son's birthdays.  We tried something new on the second belt.  I had an old leather belt I had bought way back when from a garage sale and we liked it's design.  We modified it quite a bit and were happy with the outcome but some credit must go to the original belt maker.

Slight technical hitch with the finished photos of the first belt as we somehow dropped the tablet that we took them on.  It is away for repair right now and we hope we can retrieve them when it comes back.

I have a couple of the early stages pictures of the first one and a couple of the second finished one.  These were taken with my trusty old digital camera.

A week of ups and downs

This past week has been a bit of a weird one.  We had three days where we were out most of the day for various hospital appointments.  Two days were totally taken up with hospital things for my husband, the other day was for me for a routine mammogram screening (which was negative for abnormalities, thankfully).  I had to go to the bank to move some money to pay bills while in town that day and my husband suggested we pop into the pawn shop opposite to see if they had an old 32 bit XP computer so I could download and run the Knitware program.

Amazingly, they did have an old XP computer.  The guy was very helpful, he set it up to check it was working.  It did start up but we couldn't ascertain if it was 32 bit or not.  It was marked at $95 which was way too much for an out of date computer.  I offered him $40 and said I would take a chance that it was 32 bit.  He accepted so I carried it out of the store.  That was one of the ups.

I had chance in the afternoon to set it up in my knitting room to test it, it didn't have a wireless card in it so I had to trail a long chord through the bedroom and bathroom, down the stairs into the living room to connect to the router.  It connected to the internet just fine but it didn't have an antivirus program installed.  In fact, it only had the operating system installed so I suspect that someone had reloaded the operating system to clear off what was on the computer.  That was fine as it was a nice clean computer for me to use.  Another up.  I also ascertained it was a 32 bit, an up for sure!!

I tried to download an antivirus program.  It downloaded OK but I couldn't open it.  The first down.

It seems some components of the operating system are missing.  Second down.

I downloaded all the system updates but I still couldn't install the antivirus program.  Third down.

I found the Knitware program and it's instructions on the internet on the 32 bit.  I came downstairs to my regular computer and pulled up the program and printed the instructions.  I went back to the 32 bit and downloaded the program onto it.  I tried the program and it worked.  Holy rumoli!  A definite up!!!

To start I am running the trial version.  I made a pattern and wanted to print it. Our internet is complicated, we have two internet providers and two routers. (We live in the middle of nowhere so only get limited highspeed dsl so we have a satellite dish to get internet too to supplement the other.  The printer is connected to the other system.  No problem thinks I, I can cut and paste it into a document.

I tried to install our very old Office software from disk but the DVD door wouldn't open on the 32 bit.  A down for sure!

The computer did have Notepad as part of the operating system so I was able to paste it into that, copy it onto a flash drive and bring it down and print it up on my original computer.  An up.

So at the very least I can make a pattern on the 32 bit and transfer it to my other computer and print it.  So all in all a worthwhile endeavour.

Next on the agenda is to try and get it to run on my Windows 7 Home premium computer.  The instructions state that it can be done if it has first been downloaded onto a 32 bit computer.  That will be next week's challenge.

During all of this we have been making a belt for one of the son's birthdays this coming week.  We have just about got it done, just need to put on the buckle and make the holes tomorrow when the staining and finishing has completely dried. It was not with out it's ups and downs either.

The down was I couldn't find a set of stamps I wanted to use.  I am meticulous about putting up my leather tools so I couldn't understand why I couldn't find them.  I searched all the obvious places and then the silly ones.  Still couldn't find it and  was beginning to think I was getting senile.  A definite down!!!

I kept going back to the tool chest drawers as that is where it should have been. Eventually, common sense prevailed and I knew they had to be there so the obvious thing was that they had fallen down the back of the drawer.  I got my flashlight , pulled out the bottom drawer and lo and behold, there they were. Phew!  An up for sure.

Another up is that when I did the tooling for the belt it came out really well.  I was very happy with it.

There have been a few more ups and downs this week too but that is enough for one post.

Will update on the progress of getting Knitware onto the Windows 7 64 bit computer.  I intend to pay for the program regardless of whether or not I can get it to run on Windows 7 64 bit as I think it is a wonderful program.  Once you have a key to enter it opens up features like saving patterns and people's details.

For anyone who doesn't know about the Knitware program here is a link.  I have been trying on and off for nearly two years to get this progam working. The secret is the 32 bit machine and I never had access to one until now.  They have also updated the instructions to make it much easier to understand.  It is an old program written for old computers and they have found various ways to get it to run on newer computers.

http://www.greatknitdesigns.com/

Husband's cardigan is a go!!!

I have everything I need to complete this project.  I have a pattern (thanks Suzy), the yarn and the machine is oiled and ready complete with new sponge bar. Now I just have to find the time.  I am pumped to get on with this.  Tomorrow and Friday are no go's as we have to go to the hospital those days for some tests and chemo for my husband.  The other days are pretty tight too as now the weather has cooled we are trying to catch up on the mowing but I am bound and determined to make a start on it this week.

I am also trying to get the Knitware program set up on my computer.  This is a great program and I so really want it.  We have 6 computers in our house and all are 64bit.  5 of them run Windows 7 Home or Home Premium.  One is older and runs Windows XP but it is still 64bit.

Knitware can run on Windows 7 but it first has to be loaded onto a 32 bit computer then copied onto a flash drive.  Then it has to be taken off the flash drive onto the 64bit computer and a BDE platform downloaded to run it on.

Still hunting for a 32bit computer to download the program onto.  I am hoping to find one to purchase or someone locally who has one who can download it for me.

I have been wanting to get this done for about 2 years now and never accomplished it.  I read the instructions a gazillion times this last time and I am pretty sure I know what needs to be done now.  Time to get my butt in gear and find that much needed 32 bit computer.

Excited to be ready to knit the cardigan, will update with progress.

Thoughts on making hot pads on the knitting machine

My Mum in law used to knit hot pads.  All her life she was a wonderful seamstress, knitter and crocheter.  She made the most delicate of doilies, knitted and crocheted many, many afghans and blankets and made most of her own clothes.  She was a marvel.  In her latter years she couldn't manage the finer work so she made hot pads and little doilies.  She spent the last 5 years of her life in a nearby nursing home where we could visit her every day and she would always have a supply of hot pads and doilies to hand out.  She was very prolific.

This is her hand knitted hot pad pattern:-

She used two strands of worsted weight (Double knitting) yarn

All done in garter stitch

Cast on 3 sts
K 1 row
K1 inc 1 st in next st, K to end of row
Continue increasing at beginning of every row until 40 sts
K 1 row
k2, K2 tog, K to end
Continue decreasing at beg of eack row until 3 sts
K 1 row
Cast off

I only ever hand knitted one, that was a couple of Christmases ago. I vowed never again as it seemed to take forever knitting in garter stitch.  I told my neighbour she now owned the one and only hot pad I would ever hand knit lol.

When I try it on my SK155 bulky machine I plan to use Bulky #5 yarn as my machine will knit that and just move two sts out by one needle at the beginning of the increase rows and likewise move two stitches in one needle on the decrease rows.

Here are some my Mum in law made, still in daily use but I thought I would give them a go for Christmas stocking stuffers.  Maybe try some striped ones instead of the variegated which she favoured.  

Trying to get back to my knitting machines

I follow a lot of knitting blogs.  One, in particular, is a great inspiration to me.  It is Suzy Ranner's blog.  "My knitting machines and me".  It is listed on the side of my blog with a link to it. Suzy's videos have been such a help to me and she lists lots of patterns.  She was also a big help when my lace carriage wouldn't work.

I think about knitting all the time.  I want to be knitting all the time but alas life throws us some curve balls and for me it just isn't possible right now.

I am really lucky.  We have a spare bedroom that doubles as a knitting and sewing room for me.  I have my sewing machine table set up in it and a desk with two knitting machines set up on opposite sides.  My Studio SK700 standard machine with SRP 60 ribber and my Studio SK155 (battered but usable) bulky machine.  (See previous posts for all the gory details on how it arrived all battered).

So what is my problem you might wonder.  Well, this room is upstairs.  My husband has a chronic auto immune neurological disease and although he isn't bed bound he can't really be left alone too long.  He is still undergoing the chemo regimine in a bid to stop it progressing.  He spends most of his time downstairs or outside or in the workshop and I need to be close at hand.  He is bound and determined to be productive as long as he can and I commend and admire him for that.  My job is to take care of him and make sure he doesn't injure himself in his endeavours so for the time being his interests are also my interests and we spend most of our time together.

When I go upstairs to 'my room' I get lost in another world.  I need time to concentrate and do my knitting without being disturbed.  That sounds a bit selfish I know but that's how I am. I could be up there all day oblivious to anything else. But that said, I am trying to be more flexible and not be so absorbed.  I am trying to find a way to work machine knitting back into my life without  spending hours at a time holed up in my room. I now do my research downstairs, I sort and wind my yarn downstairs, I read my manuals downstairs.  I even knitted a couple of hand knitted things for the grand kids whilst watching TV downstairs.

I do love hand knitting but it seems a bit senseless to knit by hand when I have three knitting machines.

I love my Studio 700 standard machine and ribber, it really is my favourite machine.  I personally prefer garments knitted with finer yarn but I have a boatload of thicker yarn inherited from my mother in law so I need to use the bulky.

My husband wants an Arran cardigan.  I could hand knit it but it would take me forever.  I am not good at finishing large items and he wears XXL.  I have been looking for a tuck stitch pattern that resembles Arran.  My bulky came with some hand punched cards.  I believe they include the 5 original patterns that came with the machine plus some others.  I found another pattern I liked so I punched it out too.

I knitted a swatch yesterday of the one I punched out but it wasn't as nice as I hoped.  When I was sorting yarn I found a swatch I did some time ago on the bulky and on looking at it again I think it will be just fine. (see photo below).  I believe it is one of the cards that came with the machine and I did it on elongated.  (The problem is that I can only vaguely remember doing it!!!!!)  So at this point it is only speculation. (Getting old isn't all it's cracked up to be lol).

So I will find the time over the next few days to try and replicate it.  I will have to use slightly thicker yarn as I don't have enough of the yarn it was done in to make a whole sweater.  I am hoping that won't be a problem.  (The yarn I do have enough of is the same colour as this but is thinner so I will be using two strands).

I used the same two strands yesterday on my punched tuck stitch card and it knitted quite tight.  It was too tight in my opinion. I didn't do it elongated though. The sample I found (pictured above) which used just a single strand of the other (slightly thicker) yarn is much looser and probably a tad loose.  I am hoping the two strands of thinner yarn will be just right.  Fingers crossed on that!

I can see from the swatch that I didn't start it off on the right row.  The hand punched cards have Row 1 higher up than the originals I think so I will start it a couple of rows lower.

Also I am going to use the garter bar I bought to turn the knitting around when I have done the mock rib and latched it up and knitted one row. The purl side of the tuck stitch will be the right side so by turning the ribbing around before starting the tuck stitch the smooth edge of the mock rib will be the same side as the tuck stitch pattern.

Now I have to find a pattern for this cardigan.  I really want to be able to use the Knitware software but it just will not work on my computer even using the fixes they recommend.  Our computers are all 64bit and this software is for 32bit.  I have yet to find an old computer to be able to use it on.  So the search is on for a man's cardigan  for a bulky 9mm machine.  I have sweater patterns but no cardigan one as yet.

My thanks go out to Suzy again and her blog.  She is such an inspiration to me. Please keep on knitting and blogging Suzy!

My Christmas decoration prototype and a new phone cover

I bought a set of Tandy Christmas stamps on sale.  Christmas has and hopefully always will be a special time for me.  (Yes! even at the tender age of 66 I still look forward to Christmas every year.)

What to do with these stamps was the next question?

I was trying them out so thought I would try and make a Christmas scene using them.  This was just on a test piece of leather.  The stamping is terrible, over impressed most of them and double stamped one.  aarrgghh!!! But it was only practice.

Even my husband commented that it wasn't my best work and he is rarely ever critical.

I was bound and determined though to salvage something out of it so I trimmed it down and wondered if it could be made into a Christmas tree decoration.  I stained the leather lightly leaving the indentations unstained so as to show up.  I added some glue glitter to write the current year on the back and put some glitter along the edges.  I trimmed it with some Christmas ribbon and made a loop for hanging it using some leather lace I had bought on sale along with the stamps.

Some of the stamps are disproportionate in size to each other.  For example see Santa on top of the roof!

I would never give it to anyone because it is so flawed but it will hang  on our Christmas tree this year and for many years to come.  I will work on my technique and come up with some other ideas.  I do like the idea of making family members and friends a leather Christmas tree decoration that they can keep.

I lost my cell phone case so had to make another.  The 'T' motif sewn on the front was a practice piece I had done for the centres of some coasters I had made last Christmas.  (Can you tell I hate to waste anything?)

So these are my latest projects.

Looking forward to working on some more decorations. Maybe star shaped or bell shaped.

The sweater is done

I finished the little hand knit sweater for our newest grandson Matthew.

I wasn't sure how it would look finished as it seemed to be a tad wide but it looks OK and I am happy with it.

I chose an opening neckline as I knitted one before and the baby didn't like it being pulled over it's head.  Should be no problems with this one.

Still busy on workshop projects, really, really hoping to get back to my knitting machines this winter.

Knitting and leatherwork update

We have been working on taking down our salt water fish tank.  This is no easy task.  It is a 135 gallon tank on a stand and had a multitude of apparatus connected to it to keep it going plus a sump tank.  The tanks are both emptied and mostly cleaned up.  The equipment has all been disconnected, re-tested, cleaned up and stored.  The base and stand are in the process of being refinished where necessary and restained and revarnished.  The top cabinet as almost done. No easy process for us two oldies!

Meantime I am working on a hand knit sweater for the latest grandchild who is now 3 months old.  I am using a pattern I used for our first grandson.  This one seems to be much bigger for some obscure reason and wider.  I thought I was using the same type of yarn but maybe this one is a bit thicker.  I have the back and front done so far.

The neckband and the strips for the right shoulder opening are done too.

The front pattern close up

The back

I also had a brainwave about my leatherwork.  I am still very much a beginner with this hobby.  I love to do the stamping and make patterns etc.  It isn't as easy as it sounds though and I always have to practice before I start on an item.  Plus I like to try out different patterns first. This uses up valuable leather.  I do buy scraps for practice but it is still not that cheap plus the nearest leather store in 75 miles away so can't just pop around the corner to buy some.

The brainwave is to use some modelling clay.  I had a spare 1 lb brick of it we bought last year.  It is very versatile stuff.  It had been in our shop all winter and summer and was still nice and supple.  I put it in a big ziplock bag and rolled it out.

New brick of modelling clay rolled out in ziplock bag

Border pattern tried out

Background effect tried out

Done for the day, too darned hot in the workshop this afternoon! So in readiness for next time I folded it all in and re shaped it ready to roll out next time. (see below)

                                

This will be a lifesaver for me.  No more wasted leather!

The cardigan fits perfectly

We spent a long weekend with some of the family at the lake so got chance to give out the gifts we made for them.

For some obscure reason I only took photos of the cardigan.

Sparkly glitter buttons and McVitie's Milk Chocolate biscuits (cookies)

Friday was hospital day.  My husband is undergoing chemo therapy to help abate the auto immune disease that attacks his muscles and nerves and we were in Columbia at the VA hospital for him to have his infusion.  So far so good.  He has been having this treatment since mid December last year and the signs are all good.

But, I digress.  I went to do some of our weekly shopping and to find some buttons for the cardigan I knitted for our grand daughter.

I had pondered for a while on what colour buttons to put on this cardi because it is multi coloured.  Was I going to pick just one colour button or try a variety of colurs that are in the cardigan?  I was still unsure when I went on my search.  The Wal*mart in Columbia is bigger than our nearest one and has more options.  They had packets of multi coloured buttons, single coloured ones and different shaped ones.  Then I spotted them!.  Sparkly glitter buttons.  Perfect.  They would pick up all the colours.

Then as I wandered through the food aisles I found another treat.  English McVitie's Chocolate digestive biscuits.

Wow, double bonus.

So a good shopping day for me.

Here is the cardigan with the sparkly buttons.  The photos do not show how sparkly they really are but they give an idea.

                                               The treat of the day

Finished wristband/bracelets

Here are the finished wristbands/bracelets for the upcoming family visit.

The cardigan is finished....well almost!

I have knitted the cardigan for our grand daughte and sewn it all together.  I still need to get some buttons and sew them on but our closest store is 35 miles away so it will have to wait until our next shopping trip.

I tooled our grandson's belt.  We have to get a buckle for it, that's a different trip or an online purchase.  My husband stained it and I finished the sides and the back.  Will post another photo when it is finished.

 

 

I have tooled a couple of bracelets.  One for our daughter in law and one for the son. My husband will stain them and I will put in the snaps.  We will be seeing them in a couple of weeks so we need to get on and finish all these things.

 

This is just a plain bracelet we made, our son might prefer a plain one.

 

 

So that's it for now.  Doing this on our laptop to give it a try.  I am a bit old fashioned and like my desktop but the World Cup is on so I can watch it and do this if I use the laptop.

Another Knitting and leatherwork update

Well, the knitting project is now in it's third phase.  As I blogged previously the first attempt at a cardigan for our granddaughter failed as it was a top down pattern and I misunderstood the pattern and made a huge mistake......so I undid it.  I did all the knitting for the second attempt but when I sewed it together it was not what I wanted, so yep, it got unraveled too.  So I dug through all my patterns and found a traditional style children's cardigan so now I have knitted the back and the two fronts and am working on the sleeves for it.  We are meeting up with them at the end of the month so I am on track to get it done by then.  I knit at night when we sit down to watch the TV.

As for the leatherwork we finally finished the quiver.  This was our biggest project to date and the most challenging.  We had no pattern or quiver to copy from so we had to start from scratch with just an idea.  My husband knew what he wanted so we just improvised at every stage.  He is very happy with the finished product.

I also made a couple of bracelets for the grandkids for when we see them at the end of the month.

Now we just have a belt to make for the grandson.

Weather has been hot and wet these past couple of weeks so the mowing has ground to a halt.  We tried a couple of days ago and managed to get close to the house done but we both got our tractors stuck so we have given up trying to do anymore until it dries up a bit.


Maybe, one day, I'll get back to my knitting machines.

Knitting and leatherwork update and $50 well spent!

Since my last post I have hand knitted the top.  It's a new concept.  A square and a rectangle then stitched together in such a way that they make a vest (waistcoat for my English friends)  I have yet to stitch them together but the knitting is all done.

Nothing done on the machines lately but feeling good that I got some hand knitting done.

With the improvement in the weather we can now get out and work in the workshop.  It is quite big and way too costly to heat in the winter.

My husband has an autoimmune disease which attacks his muscles and nerves.  Just before Christmas they started him on a regimen of a chemo drug that they use to treat blood cancers.  They found it helps with his type of disease.  He is doing much better and has improved so much that he is doing projects again.  He is delighted as am I.

We have been working on better organizing the workshop and getting rid of excess 'stuff' and building an L shaped work bench with shelving for a new project he is looking to undertake. We also did some rewiring in the house and put in a water softener and a new toilet.

In between all that and trying to get one of our riding mowers working we have done a few leather projects.

We made a belt for our neighbour last year who helps us out a lot. He really likes it and wears it all the time.  This year he came up with a brass buckle that had sentimental value to him and asked if we could make a belt for it too.  We were happy to oblige as it was a way to say Thank You again to him.

It was a combined effort.  My husband cut the leather for the strap.  I did the patterning , he did the coloring and I did the finishing.

Then I made a couple of keyrings for my two brothers.  As ususal I forgot to take pictures when they were totally finished but here a couple of their work in progress.

Then we ventured onto our latest project and work in progress.  A quiver for my husband's crossbow arrows.

This has been quite a lengthy project which still has quite a bit to do to complete it.  Pictures at the stage we're at with final pictures to follow.

It is lined with shearling.  Again, a joint effort.  His design, my stitching and patterning  but his logo design based on his McTavish roots.

And now to the $50 well spent part.

Doing the patterning requires metal stamps and a mallet.  This process can be very iffy.  If the stamp moves you get a double imprint and it is difficult to get an even and good embedded imprint.  Sometimes, your fingers get pinched holding the stamp.  All in all not a satisfactory process not to mention the noise when you thump a stamp 20 or so times to get the imprint.

I had drooled over a stamp press in the Tandy catalogue but it is $600.  We don't have that sort of money to spend on a tool for our hobby so we just soldiered on with the mallets.  One day I was looking on ebay and looking through the leather tools, something I do quite often to get ideas for our leatherwork.  Someone was selling a metal plate and a rubber pad together with a press for $150.  Now it wasn't the Tandy press but the person had put together a video on how to use the press with the plate and rubber pad.  It was amazing to see how much easier it is to do the patterning with a press.

Then I did more research on presses and found that Harbor Freight sold the very same press for a lot less money and it was on sale for $50.

The guy on ebay also sold the metal plate and rubber pad without the press for $15 so I bought those from him and the press from Harbor Freight.

Here is my new press and my re-arranged work area.

My husband bolted it down for me which was very hard on him as he had to get underneath the bench to strengthen it but he is such a sweetheart, I just love him to bits.