Grumble Piece

Helen (Sheep Happens) was talking about a piece of knitting that is making her grumble. I have one of those too. It's the pain-in-the arse "Matros" jumper that I'm knitting for Thomas, the BF's nephew.

The pattern, really isn't difficult, but I miscounted stitches, was talking and having a glass of wine when I cast it on this time. (Oh, yes, I've made this one before and it was a doddle. "Ha!" to quote the great Edna Crabapple). Well, I was 6cm into the damned thing when I realised I had made a cock-up. The whole lot was frogged (see earlier pix of the resulting spaghetti) and undeterred (why? you stupid woman!) I optimistically cast on again...

... on the wrong sized needles...

So the lovely crisp ribbing didn't happen. And, I wasn't in the mood to frog. I perservered with much muttering. Anyone who remembers Dick Dastardly's side-kick Muttley will be able to imagine it. I'm now 9cm into the bloody thing and it's really annoying me, but if I stop, it won't get done - 'cos I'll ignore it.

There's some more Christmas socks to be cast on and some beautiful "DB Rialto" sitting in a drawer upstairs and I'm doing battle with my grumble-piece.



Meanwhile, over on the Dark Side... (machine sewing for those who haven't been keeping up) my next piece of work is a machine sewn sample curtain for class on Monday night. I've been doing battle with the Emperor (my new Aldi sewing machine).

Instruction manuals, rightly or wrongly, are definitely written for those who understand the machinery before they use them. I spent 45 minutes getting the machine set up before I could even start sewing. Then I realised that the sewing foot doesn't have a guide to hold it straight. Yours truly needs rulers for everything.

I also needed to practice folding so that I could get my seams sewn on the correct side of the material - i.e. the back. Oh yes, I really am that basic.

Anyway... seam attempt one.... and I learnt what size stitches my machine makes so that was useful. Then it was on to target practice to get the right bit of material caught in the stitch. (I wonder if stealth fighter pilots have to practice machine sewing first - it would be good practice, and a lot less dangerous to everyone else).



Anyway, attempt number two resulted in me sewing a fold into the material. This is not a Good Thing.

Attempt three was better, though the stitches were too big.



Attempt number four was better still with smaller stitches, and I was tempted to have a bash at the sample curtain but decided not to, because:

1. I'd have to change the sewing foot and it took me 20minutes to work out which foot was which the first time.

2. I'd have to iron... and if crochet and sewing are Dark Arts, ironing is the Darkest of the Dark Arts. So, no thankyou.

Before, all of this took place, the BF and I actually left the house this morning. This is Highly Unusual on Saturdays where we don't have to go visiting or are receiving visitors. So what did we do? Take a nice walk in the countryside. Nope, we went to the Trafford Centre.

Both of us hate shopping with a passion you could only dream of. We hate crowds, we hate shops, we hate the hard sell, and at this time of year, we hate the early Christmas decorations. It's only November! It's Bonfire Night on Monday, but there were hordes of tiny tots around the singing Christmas Tree today.

Is it really any wonder that people take drugs?

:-)

At the best of times, the only way the BF will countenance a shopping expedition is when there are more than the requisite three holes in his boxer shorts or he's down to his last pair of trousers, by which point an expedition is essential.

We were lucky today. In and out in two hours and despite foolishly leaving the house before we had checked whether United were playing at home, we didn't get caught up in any traffic. Furthermore, I had some birthday book tokens to spend. Although I went with the intention of buying knitting books I got side-tracked.



"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen", by Paul Torday - recommended to me by another Paul; "The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko - vampires and magic; "A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon (I loved "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time") and another fantastically titled Robert Rankin: "The Toyminator" which is the sequel to "The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse".