Knyttwytch's Crafts and Stuff

Eeep!

Okay not been posting, also not much has been happening crafting wise! The shrug is taking longer than I thought to knit

This is it at 26" and I need to get to 38" in total (and I would really like to wear it this Summer ... err always assuming we get a Summer here in the UK!), I am wondering whether to take a break and do something else off my year list (oh and that looks like this as of today)

1. Read 218 books (81/218)
2. Read the Sheila Connolly Orchard series (11.5/11.5) - done
3. Do 13 new recipes (13/13) - done
4. Go to Clinique for a make up lesson
5. Finish red on Winnie the Pooh
6. Finish brown on Winnie the Pooh
7. Finish lavender on Winnie the Pooh
8. Finish pale pink on Winnie the Pooh
9. Finish yellow on Winnie the Pooh
10. Cut out patchwork bag
11. Stitch 1st section of patchwork bag
12. Knit shrug - in progress
13. Pick up and do the shawl collar on purple sweater
14. Knit 13 sampler squares (3/13)
15. Wear make-up at least 13 times (3/13)
16. Work on Shawlette
17. Knit a hat - done
18. Knit a scarf

 

1. Finish red on Winnie the Pooh
2. Finish brown on Winnie the Pooh
3. Finish lavender on Winnie the Pooh
4. Finish pale pink on Winnie the Pooh
5. Finish yellow on Winnie the Pooh
6. Cut out patchwork bag
7. Stitch 1st section of patchwork bag
8. Knit shrug - in progress
9. Pick up and do the shawl collar on purple sweater
10. Knit a sampler square
11. Knit a sampler square
12. Knit a sampler square
13. Knit a sampler square
14. Knit a sampler square - done
15. Knit a sampler square
16. Knit a sampler square
17. Knit a sampler square - done
18. Knit a sampler square
19. Knit a sampler square
20. Knit a sampler square
21. Knit a sampler square - done
22. Knit a sampler square
23. Work on Shawlette
24. Knit a hat - done
25. Knit a scarf

As you can see reading IS happening (I am well ahead of the game on that) and the new recipes - also done well on that, but as I say crafting .... err not so much! Hmm maybe I should challenge myself to get half of the remaining inches done by this time next week? So 6" to get done, an inch a day - that should be doable I hope!

Two snoozing Cairn Terriers, they had their fur hand stripped earlier this week so they look nice and smart again :D

Start of 2018

Not a bad start if I say so myself! I had decided to "shake up" my crafting a bit by listing 24 different things I want to get done (seen in a previous post but I will post again here)

1. Finish red on Winnie the Pooh
2. Finish brown on Winnie the Pooh
3. Finish lavender on Winnie the Pooh
4. Finish pale pink on Winnie the Pooh
5. Finish yellow on Winnie the Pooh
6. Cut out patchwork bag
7. Stitch 1st section of patchwork bag
8. Knit shrug
9. Pick up and do the shawl collar on purple sweater
10. Knit a sampler square
11. Knit a sampler square
12. Knit a sampler square
13. Knit a sampler square
14. Knit a sampler square
15. Knit a sampler square
16. Knit a sampler square
17. Knit a sampler square
18. Knit a sampler square
19. Knit a sampler square
20. Knit a sampler square
21. Knit a sampler square
22. Knit a sampler square
23. Work on Shawlette
24. Knit a scarf

I used a random number generator and it came up with 14 (so a nice easy start!) and so I promptly cast on and did the first sampler square in ages!

So having finished it I re-did the number generator and got 21 - so another square tomorrow! I am currently working my way through my first book of the year (I need to read just over 4 books a week to hit my target).

Meanwhile a gratuitous dog photo :D

Painting the Forth Bridge with a Toothbrush!

sigh only 2 weeks and I am back to where I started :( I really do need to keep on top of this as you can see it really does look a tip again - the next pictures are after I had a go at it

desk still needs a LOT more work to get it reasonable!

Slight improvement but I really want the top of this pretty well clear so I can use it to rest my Kindle on whilst it is charging!

This isn't too bad, but I do need to put away some of the bags that aren't in daily use.

Finally the dogs!

I think I am hibernating!

This was Friday, I took a photo of the front of the house as I headed out to the local pub for lunch (by the way out house ends at the bricked up entrance way)

48 hours later and this is the back garden

Lots of doggy paw prints and a covered dog water bowl, and the snow is even staying on the washing line! As crutches and snow are not the best combination in the world I am staying inside where it is warm and toasty, lots of mugs of tea and probably my Kindle, this being the UK though I doubt it will last for long - I hope not at any rate I am supposed to be meeting a friend for lunch on Tuesday!

Getting there slow but sure

A slow nibble away at the tip otherwise known as the living room! But the main thing is that most of the stuff is now in the filing cabinet (one more box to go through)

My knitting bag is currently on top of two of the three going to the charity shop this weekend.

The coffee table is still dire! But I have done some of the shredding (a heck on a lot more to go though sadly, but I have emptied the shredder so I can do more tomorrow)

Dr Wytch bottled the wine so the demi john is now empty at least even if it is still on there.

I know it is sort of the same thing but this one has Toby (and a bit of Hamish) in it :)

Then the sofa (ah yes the sofa!) again this hasn't really changed much (oops)

The Ham known as Hamish got in this shot as well!

Finally my desk

A little bit has gone but again not much (I did say it was a nibble at the tidying!)

Not so much clearing but to show how small our house is for some US and Australia based friends!

I was stood with my back to the front door!

 

Clutter city!

Yeesh the living room looks bad! I really do need to knuckle down and get stuff done in here (but with my pain levels at the moment that isn't really happening!)

By the side of the desk - I hope to get rid of the file boxes this weekend/start of next week so that should help a LOT,

my desk, needs a general sort out - that is something that can be done gradually over the next day or so,

the sofa again needs a gradual nibble away to get things into the right places - hopefully this can be done by the end of Friday,

the coffee table, probably looks worse than it is! Once I clear the shredding (under the very large ball of yarn) and do a general sort out that should be a lot better.  So basically it is the side of the desk and that I need help with - so hopefully the next photographs will be better (a lot better!)

Finally because I can - a gratuitous Cairn Terrier photograph.

I can tell I haven't been well

For the simple fact that around my desk it is a total and utter MESS! So yesterday I started to sort things out - slow and sure will be the key to this I think.  Anyhow the three starting photographs are as follows :-

The sofa

To the left of my desk (with the new filing cabinet)

and finally my desk itself

I have been chipping away at it but I am not 100% sure that there will be a huge difference in the current photographs!

First off the sofa again

The main thing is the box been emptied and flattened ready to go out to the recycling bin later in the week (that is the cardboard you can see at the back), the shortbread was a gift from our neighbours as we let them use our drive for a couple of weeks to erect scaffolding so they could safely get their roof replaced, but with both myself and Dr Wytch trying to lose weight this may end up either at the Doctor's surgery to say thank you for all the care they give me - or more likely to Dr Wytch's work where it will be well and truly appreciated :D

Next the left of the desk as it stands at the end (ish) of today

The red file box you can now see at the back next to the filing cabinet has been gone through, the items sorted out and re-filed in the aforementioned cabinet - that is now ready to go to the tip.  As well as that I have started working my way through the bottled water - so that has been taken out of the packaging and put ready for use (eventually I want to get to the stage of only having the water in front of the cabinet), also I have consolidated the pile of "stuff" that was at the front and on top of the cabinet - that bit is a work in progress though!

Finally the desk shudder

Hmm not the clearest photograph (and the battery was packing in so I can't really re-take it just yet!), basically though I have gone through the letter rack and cleared the catalogues from it the rest of the desk .... err very MUCH a work in progress! I may be able to get a bit more done tomorrow - but at the moment I am happyish with the general getting thereness of the whole thing.

Adding some snoozy Cairn Terriers (because I can lol) and I am hoping to get back to knitting before too much longer! So there maybe another post with some crafting before Yule (well a Wytch can hope can't she?!)

Slow but sure

As stated in the previous post I have been exhausted - beyond exhausted really! But I have started Vitamin B12 injections and they seem to be helping, so I managed to do a small amount of clearing today

By the desk before

By the desk after - I know it doesn't look much but I have cleared some stuff and sorted some filing out (just need to do it now!) and as well as this shredding has happened, some bits have gone to their correct places and some has gone out into the recycling.

Sofa before

and err well not much change! This is very much a work in progress but I hope to have both sections clear by the weekend.

Later I hope to stitch - maybe not later today but later this week and certainly next week - I WILL finish the Winnie The Pooh year, meanwhile maybe I should work more in clearing some books off my TBR list!

Oh and just to finish a gratuitous Hamish shot lol

Woo hoo! finished my sweater :D

All sewn up and ready to wear - it has taken me three months longer than I hoped for but it is finally done and I am rather pleased with the result!

Maybe not the best shot but it gives some idea of what it is like on (and it is very comfortable as well!), I have the Heather Sweater sewn up and just the collar to do so that could be the next one (oh and I have the cotton/linen mix which I want to make into a simple shrug - come to think of it that might be best next as that could be useful during the Summer whereas the Heather sweater is more Autumn/Winter weight).

My next challenge though is to complete the Medieval Dog needlepoint, I am beginning to see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel with that so I really want to crack on and get it done - closely followed by the Winnie the Pooh cross stitch (which is best worked on in the Summer months when the lighting is better and my hand works reasonably well!)

So 2.5 months to get the shrug done, the needlepoint done (and the Hare started!) and lots done on the cross stitch - wish me luck!

March already!

Hmm and I still haven't finished the comfy sweater! But after a couple of weeks of serious stress I knuckled back down to it yesterday and today and I am cracking on again.

This shows how long it will be as that is the completed side then

This is it as I started off again and finally

Close of play today - I reckon tomorrow I should be able to get up to the cast on for the sleeves/start of the pattern and if I work on it then I SHOULD have it ready to sew up early next week! 

After that is sewn up I want to concentrate on the needlepoint at home (until the better weather when my hand will be able to use the smaller needle for the cross stitch ... I hope!), although I will take the heather sweater to the pub and get the shawl collar done on that - and then I want to work on more of the knitted sampler squares.

So crafting plans are sorted out more or less, I need to try and get more stuff sorted in the house and some coats etc sorted out and out of the house! I need Dr Wytch's help with that though.

No I am NOT planning on drinking the 2nd from a pint glass! I am on a bit of a Malbec kick at the moment, fruity, rich and drinkable - works for me!

Finally Toby and Hamish because they are cute and I can!