By Stephie, on Sunday 29th January, 2012 at 15:30 pm
I’m trying to block out how badly the marathon training’s gone this last week (more on that in the next post) by focussing on some other more positive things. Like this jumper for instance. It’s well on it’s way to being finished now, so hopefully Linda will get to wear her Lund before the winter’s out. I had my doubts, the way things were going. As you might remember I’ve never designed a jumper before, so it’s been a whole new learning process. I’ve enjoyed it immensely, but it does tax the brain! Well, mine anyway.
I’ve begun blocking out the pieces I’ve finished by steaming (not pressing) on both sides, which has worked well over the Fair Isle sections. The picture below shows my first ‘pinning out’, which I redid a couple of times to get it square (as it clearly isn’t below!). I’m pleased to say it does actually match the measurements of a jumper I was given for size, woohoo!
Pinned out
I found the best place I had for blocking out was a nice thick rug on the floor, where I could leave it for a couple of hours after steaming. I was a bit worried the cat might decide it would be a nice place for her to sit and get cosy, but I needn’t have bothered: she decided it was far more helpful to sit on the plans and patterns on the table than it was to get off her furry backside to annoy me.
Helpful? No.
Maybe it’s because it’s the start of the new year, maybe it’s because the weather’s cold and wet and I don’t want to go outside, or maybe it’s just guilt, but at the moment I have a real desire to finish off the 999 unfinished projects I feel like I’m drowning in. I’m really having to sit on my hands every time a new idea pops into my head (frequently), so this jumper will be a major bridge crossed when it gets ticked off the list in the next few days or so. Can’t wait!
How about you? Are you trying to finish anything up or does the new year mean the start of new things for you?
By Stephie, on Sunday 22nd January, 2012 at 02:06 am
I’ve spent the last couple of posts griping so I thought I’d lighten the mood a bit and show you another gift I made for a lovely friend this Christmas (hope she won’t mind me showing you). I got a bit carried away with the wallet idea and loved making them, so Janie got one too! I thought it could be used for travel or keeping notebooks for her copious knitting projects, but she hasn’t told me what she’s put in it yet
A big tie to keep it all together
The patterned fabric is a Japanese linen that I got at The Makery in Bath in the summer. The striped linen is from my stash, bought locally.
Lots of pockets inside for all her bits and bobs
I love the weight of the linen, it was quite heavy so it didn’t need much in the way of stiffening with interfacing.
The pockets are big enough for notebooks or passports...or both!
And it was all finished off with a little bit of love. And some decorative buttons!
Yes, I got very enthused by the wallets. So enthused I even made myself one, but it’s not for travel. You’ll have to keep guessing because I’ve still got to take photos of it!
By Stephie, on Tuesday 3rd January, 2012 at 11:00 am
I said I’d show you some of the things I made for gifts this year, so I thought I’d randomly start with this one: a wallet in a gorgeous Liberty Tana Lawn fabric. It was for Kim’s daddy, we even put some stamps in so that he doesn’t forget to send us a postcard when he’s off on his holidays
By Stephie, on Monday 2nd January, 2012 at 10:27 am
My sister is 35 today.
A birthday rose for Victoria
There’s nothing like your little sister reaching a sort of milestone to make you feel really ancient is there?! Even so, I still hope she has a great day
By Stephie, on Monday 2nd January, 2012 at 02:31 am
I was lucky enough to receive four books this Christmas and I’m excited by them all! They’re a very eclectic mix, to say the least, but hopefully you’ll find at least one of them a good read too
I’ve decided to try and read more of the books I have stacking up this coming year (they’re mostly novels in the stack) and share them with you. Call it a resolution if you like. Another one of those R words is to try not to be so late for just about everything I do. I hadn’t realised quite how bad I’d got…until a friend (B!) (who’s own lateness can always be counted on) commented that she’d see me half an hour later than I said I’d meet her. I was on time. For once. Anyway, I digress. I’ve made a few comments on all the books I received, but as I get more into them I’ll try and give you a fuller description/opinion (I’m not a book reviewer, but I know what I like!!!!!!!! Say the equivalent to me about an art work and I’ll shoot you, ha, ha!)
Anyhoo, what are you reading at the moment, anything you’d recommend? ‘Til next time, happy reading!
By Stephie, on Friday 23rd December, 2011 at 11:39 am
It’s almost the middle of the night again, but my brain just won’t switch off. I’m completely exhausted with trying to do too much with too little in not enough time. I hate myself for it and wonder when I’ll actually take a step back to look after myself a bit. I can’t remember the last time I had a decent meal: today I polished off 1 Christmas pudding (cold, nothing with it – not even a plate); 2 chocolate croissants eaten in the car; 1 Twirl and numerous other chunks of cooking chocolate and half baked biscuits; 2 muffins with marmalade (and no plate); 1 mug of hot chocolate; 1 bottle of Tango; 3 cups of coffee; and about half a carton of orange juice. That really was it, and I’d say that’s been pretty typical fayre over the last month. Or more. A gruesome list.
I can’t remember when I last had a good sleep either, rather than an ‘oh God I’m really not sure I’ve got time for this’ kind of sleep or the ‘I just can’t keep my eyes open any longer and may have to finally give up the fight’ sort of sleep. Yet my whole body is crying out for it.
Needless to say the house is an absolute disaster too. Dirty clothes and muddy running shoes are strewn all over my bedroom floor (who’d have guessed how bad an accumulation of dirty running gear can actually smell? Rank.), the clean duvet cover hasn’t been ironed and put back on the bed for two weeks, there’s Kim’s lego all over the floor (I even found it in the bread bin yesterday), towels on the bathroom floor, junk mail under the letterbox in the hall and washing up that’s spreading across the kitchen worktops like slime (oh for a dishwasher). Oddly enough (or not!) there’s also a mouse loose in one of the cupboards (the cat’s not been doing her job again…). I sit in the midst of it all, pretending I can’t see it and hoping to god no-one calls round unexpectedly.
Think calm thoughts!
Then there’s the guilt. Unanswered emails from friends and family prey on my mind (Robin, Christine, Janet and Keith, thank you – and I will reply as soon as I get a minute!); as yet unanswered calls and texts from friends stare at me sadly every time I pick up my phone. Christmas cards I forgot to post in time sit in a pile on the kitchen dresser, reminding me how bad I already feel…
I’m so tired I can’t think straight. And it’s becoming apparent that at some point along the way I also lost all ability to co-ordinate: I’ve knocked over 2 mugs of coffee (different occasions); 1 mug of hot chocolate (all over a beige carpet); cut a hole in a skirt; fell asleep writing in bed with an ink pen in my hand (read indelible black ink all over the new white Egyptian cotton sheet) and to cap it all, I sewed through my left index finger. With the sewing machine. (As painful as it sounds.) Oh, and this evening I ran out of petrol and had to call out the RAC…only to discover, to my shame, that I didn’t have the £10 on me to reimburse the RAC driver for the petrol he purchased “from his own money”.
Really, it’s not been a great week! And to make it worse I missed my 18 mile training run and a 7 mile tempo run. In all, I managed to actually run 6 miles last week and not many more this week (so far). I’ve also missed a few gym sessions. Missing these things has increased my stress 10-fold: I don’t have any time to lose in the training plan. None at all. I don’t even know if my plan will work, but I’m sure it would have better prospects if I didn’t miss key runs… Oh what the heck, it’s only 28 miles, I’ll walk it if I have to. (Who am I trying to kid?)
And the cause of all this chaos and exhaustion? Christmas. Long nights and early mornings sat at the sewing machine making presents, running backwards and forwards to the supermarket because I forgot this ingredient or that – it’s been all consuming. But as the pile of gifts I’ve made has grown, my satisfaction and pleasure have grown along with it. I can’t wait to give them to everyone and bring them a tiny bit of happiness too (hopefully!!!!). I’ve been in my element making things, sorting piles of fabric looking for little scraps that I hope will suit a particular person, finding just the right trimmings or coming up with just the right design. I haven’t felt this creative in a long while. The excitement fills me with happiness and possibilities and, after such a long period of illness, hope.
I’m still worried about those long runs though…
Wishing all my friends (including you lovely reader) and family a wonderful Christmas with special people and peace and happiness for the new year.
