Tuesday 23 August 2011

More Monkeys

In the tweaking, expanding and editing phase now. I proofread best on hardcopy, so printed out what I've got done and sat with a pen and my socks. Got to the end of the draft and realized I'd only got the toe left of sock two, so I took a wee break and finished off my socks!

Monkeys, ten pattern repeats and Regia sock yarn on 2.5mm needles. Did a slipstitch heel instead of the stockinette suggested by the pattern. They're in good time, too - it looks like our crappy summer is now over and turning into an even crappier autumn. At least I have lovely red socks!

Monday 15 August 2011

We interrupt this craziness to bring you a FO!

As I suspected, yarning has rather fallen by the wayside during dissertation-writing. I've been doing the odd round of a Monkey sock here and there (and am nearly to the heel of the second sock), but mostly it's all writing all the time. Yesterday evening I had a wee incident with a chapter that was not fun. Rather than continue to get worked up, I decided to do some crafting for mental health.

My first skeins of handspun have been lurking in the stash waiting for me to find something to do with them. I tried out a hat, but I'm never going to wear a thick-and-thin neon pink beanie. I have some taste. So I frogged it.

Last night I didn't want pattern or thinking, so I got out a 6.5mm crochet hook and went to town. Chained a couple of stitches and started making a big flat circle with the vague intention of turning it into a basket. Well, once I realized how much fabric I was getting for my yarn, I decided to keep going and make a small rug.

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It's about 14 inches in diameter, and used up every scrap of my oldest handspun. And mum wants it for her bedroom in her new house. Yarn out, mum happy. Everyone's a winner!