Friday 24 February 2012

Oh, the weather again!!!

The wind today will have been gusting up to 50mph but the sun has been peeking out most of the time so it has remained bright with plenty blue sky. It's not cold either, well, by our standards anyway.

I would love to run out and get a photo for you all but the men are coming around to do the windows so I'm staying in to supply the coffee and make sure that it's done to a suitable standard - in other words, top notch, which I'm sure it will be.

I'll sit and do my knitting  and keep an eye on them :))

Thursday 23 February 2012

Would you believe it?

Would you believe it,, I've not had the needles out yet, today!!!

They are coming around to put in new windows today and I really don't want to look like a complete prat. After all, I spend enough time looking like an incomplete one so I'll wait until they've done their job and buzzed off.

Then I'll get the kettle on, the tea brewed and by teatime I'll have knitted the Shetland/Norway link and there'll be a yard or two left over for a pair of woolly underpants.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

I didn't quite finish the jumper

Yesterday, I didn't quite finish the jumper. It wasn't lack of effort, I put in a lot of time - at least, oh, twenty, twenty-five minutes but it wasn't finished.

I blame the wool. It was too thin. Thin and awkward and spiteful too. Not only that but it was the wrong colour, how was I supposed to finish the job when it was the wrong colour.

I'm going to sit back with a cup of coffee and suss out just what to do next, that's what I'm going to do.

It's not that long ago that a lot of men used to knit, especially up here in Shetland so I'm going back in time and I will learn how to knit, firstly because I see it as a very historic skill to have and secondly, a very rewarding skill. It provides you with all the clothing, covers, whatever, in the colour that you like and if I do it for myself there's a good chance that it might fit.

Nothing is guaranteed right enough, but I can only try.

I just hope the sheep carry on providing!!!

Tuesday 21 February 2012

The jumper's nearly done!!!

Haha, that's the first knit row done, lucky I measured the length of my arms or they might have ended up a bit short. The knitting I mean, nothing to do with my arm.

Did you like the track I did my knitting to, the neighbours were staring in the window again so I turned it up in case they couldn't hear it.

This time it's Neil Young and "Old Man", maybe he's talking about me again!!!


Tapping my feet and singing along!!!

I put this on so that I could tap my feet and sing along as I learnt more about the knitting. I think most of the day will be spent doing this. By eight o'clock this evening I'll have knitted the Scotland/ England border and maybe done a pair of socks as well!!!


Casting on conquered, at last!!!

I went mooching around yesterday evening and found another video on youtube about casting on so I went through with it and won. Phew, at last!!!

It wasn't perfect though, I wasn't satisfied with the method so I've been out looking and found How to knit: Casting on video It uses two needles but looks almost simple enough for me to cope with and if I'm right then I'll follow this lady on to teach me a knit stitch too.

That'll be the jumper almost finished :))

Monday 20 February 2012

It's not what I remember!!!

When I was a wee boy, I remember that my mother showed me how to knit. She was almost always knitting something and I wanted to be able to do that as well so she showed me and off I went, knitting away. After a week or so I lost interest and never went back.

Unfortunately, my mother is no longer with us and I have forgotten how to knit entirely so it is a full-scale learn again situation. Since my last post, when I expected to have no problems at all, reality has struck and I have been struggling to get - nowhere.

I'm not giving in though. I will conquer it, perhaps not as quickly as initially expected but I will succeed.

Don't hold your breath though.

Sound daft? It's guaranteed!!!

Does anyone remember that a few days ago I commented on learning to knit? Well, the yarn and the pins arrived this morning so there's not much excuse now, no reason to dodge the column and all that.

I've found a couple of short films on youtube,  How to knit - The basics and How to knit - Casting on so I think that I'll have a good look at them, the first one is about six minutes and the second is around three minutes and after watching them I expect to be able to knit a new garden or something.

If I never mention anything about knitting again then I'm sure that you can work out why.

Please, no gales of laughter outside my front door, it'll stop the neighbours getting a decent nights sleep :))