Need More Kitties in Your Life?

Is your home too small to get more cats? Do you want some, but can not? Do you have allergies that prevent you from living with a cat (or two)?

Neko Atsume is for you*.

This is a brilliant Japanese game of cats. You put out food, toys, cushy things to sit on, and the cats may come visit. Or not. They may be virtual but they do behave very much like real cats. And like with real cats, you can take photos of your virtual ones and stick them to an album.

It is the most laid back and stress-free game I have ever played. Can't put out food before it runs out? No worries, the kitties visit someone else and will come back once there is food again. It is delightful, simple, adorable, and so very true to life.

* This is not an ad, I do not get any compensation for this recommendation. It is only from one cat-besotted person to another. Get it on your preferred smart-device. You won't regret it.

Read More

Sew More, Thimble

The plan was to sew a tailor's ham this weekend. Well, best laid plans and all... To begin with, I had errands on Friday, then I hemmed and washed some fabric for the first trousers on Saturday. The first piece I hemmed without a thimble and no matter how I tried to avoid pushing the needle with my middle finger, I ended up with a sore finger anyway.

I've come to the conclusion that the thimble is quite essential in hand sewing and I didn't have one that was suitable. I went online and tried to find one that was the right style and size again, but no luck. And as it happens when I start researching something, it leads to other interesting things. Since I'm still interested in medieval tailoring, I sort of got sidetracked by the medieval thimbles. I found a few sites that had posted their sewing kits, some were for sale, some were just SCA people who listed the contents of theirs.

One of them showed his leather thimble. Leather... Leather! It hit me — I have scraps that I could use to make one! So, I made one. I chose to make it in the style of the tailor's ring thimble, not the Japanese ring or glove finger style. Just in case one day I'll be lucky enough to actually find a bronze ring thimble that fits, I wanted to be ready to use it.

I took a scrap of vegetable tanned 2mm leather, cut it smaller than my finger, wetted it, pierced the holes, and laced it with waxed linen thread. The gap is there on purpose; leather stretches over time and I wanted to accommodate that. This way I can lace it tighter as it stretches. This is also why the stitches are on the outside, not inside. The slanted edges are there because the scrap I had was triangular, but it worked out really well because that's where my finger bends and it fits perfectly into the bend.

When it had dried out some, I tried it without the dimples and the needle kept slipping. Back under water it went for a minute or so, and when it was soft enough, I poked the dimples in with a large gauge knitting needle. This time I let it dry on my finger, occasionally reminding the dimples that they are supposed to be there. To test it, I hemmed another piece of fabric. Oh boy! It's as if I'd never held a needle before. The thimble got in the way, the needle kept slipping, and sometimes I missed the thimble altogether and poked my finger again.

It got better as I went along, but I have realised that I must do the exercises that were shown in the video I linked in my previous post. It'll take time and effort to unlearn decades of bad habits, but I love hand sewing and I don't want my finger to be sore any more.

To give my finger a break, I moved on to making the pattern for the tailor's ham and sausage. I used these instructions to draft the patterns. Drafting the patterns went well, but when it came the time to lay out the fabric and test the placement, this happened:

Every. Time. In the end, I just gave up. It was getting dark and I was getting frustrated, so I decided to leave it be and work on my Leftie instead.

I wore it to work this morning and it is just right. I love the shape, the pinstripes and the leaves, the colour, and the size. It's just right to wear under a jacket in our spring weather. It's big enough to fill the gap between the collar and the neck, but not so big that it prevents the jacket from zipping up. Also, if I need to regulate the temperature while on a bus or metro, I can just slip it off. Taking off a tight cowl is not something I want to do in public.

The pattern itself was fun to knit, mindless and interesting at the same time. I have other patterns by the designer, Martina Behm, and I definitely want to knit a few more of her garter asymmetric shawlettes. Perhaps even a few more Lefties, they are gorgeous and fun.

Read More

Of Cold Sheep and Knitting Mojo

At the end of last year I lost my knitting mojo. I did knit gloves for Mum as she requested for her Christmas gift, but nothing else.

These gloves are inspired by the gloves in the latest Knitty. I loved the stitch pattern, but not the fit, so I used my own basic glove pattern and applied the stitch pattern to it. Mum was happy with them, so they are a success.

I suspect that the reason for loss of knitting mojo was partly thanks to Cold Sheep. In January last year I made a commitment not to buy any yarn for at least six months, and I didn't. I did buy some red for the Red and Black Jailbird in August, and then a skein of sock yarn in October and that was it until December. The trouble was that my style is changing and the yarn I have is not it any more. (Pink! WTF, brain? I've never liked pink. Ever. So, why buy pink yarn?!) Cold Sheep was supposed to help me take stock of what I have and help me fall in love with it again.

That didn't happen. Instead, I stopped knitting. This year I have made no such commitment, but I'm trying to be more mindful of the yarn I do buy. So far I have made purchases that I like and have plan for. Except one. That Regia North Pole ice blue/green/white yarn is absolutely gorgeous, but also something that I know I won't wear. When I bought it I had a vague plan to knit a shawlette/big cowl and give it away to someone. Now I'm starting to think I should have left it behind. Yes, I'd still like to knit with it because it's a fabulous colourway, but who should I knit it for? I have no idea.

While I was visiting my family over the holidays, Mum took me to a new (to us) yarn store and not Cold Sheeping this year, I made a few purchases. Yarn for a spring/autumn shawlette (black), pair of winter mitts for layering over thin gloves (burgundy), pair of spring/autumn mitts (red), pair of winter gloves (burgundy). You see the theme here? The yarn that I want to knit into stuff for me is either red or black. Red and black that were lacking from my stash, or marked for another projects, or only scraps.

At the end of last year I was sent to a customer outside Stockholm a lot and once when I stayed overnight I took a window shopping walk in the city. I discovered a yarn store and bought that gorgeous Regia yarn, but also two balls of wine red alpaca yarn. I'd planned to make mitts for layering out of the alpaca, but I found a better yarn for that in Estonia.

The alpaca became a hat instead and with it I've got the first goal from my list completed. I have worn it already and it's just as warm for winter as I wanted it to be. It's also the colour that I want to wear.

The layering mitts came out just as I wanted them and are also the colour I'm happy to wear. Sona insists on photobombing everything, I've given up on trying to remove him or trying to angle the shot so that he's not in it.

This is how the mitts look layered over my gloves. I wanted something cushy and simple and textured. I also wanted to use up the whole 50 g skein, but I stopped knitting when the mitts were the right length. There is no point in creating something I'm not happy with and thus won't wear, is there?

Winter essentials taken care of, I picked up the Red and Black Jailbird again, but it's very slow going, so not much visible progress there. There's still only one sleeve and it's taking for-ev-er. Why did I pick sock yarn to knit a jacket with? Why? I am contemplating knitting a sweater out of Cascade 220 first, just so that I'd have a hope of having something warm this winter.

Read More

Sona and the Chair

What does it say about my decorating style when the chair matches the cat's eyes?

Completely accidental, but it was a fun little detail I noticed today. It was a curious day. Began with mist so thick the sun hardly shone though and ended with one of the sunniest days this month.

Read More

Heat Wave

You know it's hot when a cat voluntarily lies next to the fan blowing cool air.

We've been having some record breaking temperatures here, today it was about 31 degrees Celsius in the shade. The heat wave is predicted to last a while and I am so not looking forward to going back to work next week. I had to go out and buy that fan on Wednesday in 29C heat. Ugh. It was worth it, though.

Having windows facing South has its perks, this is not one of it. I don't have a thermometer on the window, so I don't know how hot the facade has gotten during the day, but I'd guesstimate between 50 and 60 degrees Celsius, if not more. There are no trees for shade, no wind, no clouds, just open sky and blazing sun.

Keeping windows firmly shut (the aluminium frames have been hot to touch on the inside), the shades on, and the fan going has kept things tolerable. I've been opening the windows at night to pull in the cool air, that has helped too. I just hope it'll be over soon and temperatures will fall to reasonable numbers again.

Read More

More Finished Objects

I'm finishing off projects and knitting from stash in preparation of this year's Tour de Fleece.

First, Fraternal Socks. They came out exactly as I wanted them to. Very pleased with this project.

A stripy tube. Another cowl, this time not for me. I don't know whose it is yet, but I hope it'll find it's owner one day.

Read More

Vacation!

There will be some knitting, some spinning, visiting family, and much relaxing á la Sona.

Read More

Of Projects and Bags

Over the weekend I hand sewed a cushion insert for my crochet pillow and a project bag. (I completely forgot to take a photo of the cushion while I was taking photos this weekend.) Blue fabric with a silver floral print for the bag came from my stash and the grey print lining is one of the fat quarters I bought for project bags last week. Sewing this bag by hand has confirmed again that hand sewing this kind of cotton fabric sucks, but still sucks less than sewing with a machine.

I had plenty of fabric before, but it's all linen, silk and wool for medieval clothing, not suitable for project bags that I had in mind. I bought enough fabric and fat quarters to make more than one bag. I wanted one for socks, big enough for two at a time on dpns, and a few for spinning. I always have many ongoing projects, but only two project bags and I got tired of having to move the projects around each time I needed to grab one to work on outside the home.

This one came out teensy bit too small for two socks at a time, but I have more fabric and this size is perfect for spinning projects. The fat quarter lining is so smooth and slick, the yarn slips through so easily even when the drawstring is closed. That is an excellent quality for spinning project bags as well, the fibre is less likely to stick to the bag that way.

Every time I try to take pictures of something, Sona is there. He has become very skilled at blocking the light and photobombing. He has to inspect everything that's laid out and then hangs around to see how many scritches he can get before I lose my patience and relocate him to about half a metre away from the subject. He then observes me until he loses interest and leaves or I lay out something else to be photographed. Then the whole process repeats.

Read More

Finished GlamGoth Shawl

It is finished. Took me a while, not because it is complex, or demands undivided attention, but because it was the in-between project.

I am happy with the result, the pink is broken up by the black just as I wanted it to be. I've taken it to work to wear when the air conditioning there gets chilly. It is just the right size and does it's job admirably.

Read More

It Has Been a Year

It doesn't feel like a year has passed since I moved. A year. Already! But it has. A year ago last week, I moved, and then crashed and slept for three days. Sona was so scared of all the new that he crawled under the blanket with me and came out only to eat and use the litter box.

It is a year later and he is a lot more relaxed. He takes a keen interest in the bugs and birds flying outside, and he seems to enjoy his life. He even has started to snuggle up to me in the chair or even sleep on my lap a bit. And that makes me insanely happy.

Last summer I was so tired and so overwhelmed by all that needed to be done indoors that I didn't do anything at the balcony. This summer is different. At first, I decided upon what hardware to buy, and now I've started filling the boxes with flowers. I might have gone overboard a bit...

There are three big rectangular boxes, three rings with medium flower pots, and one big ring with a bucket. Then there is the cypress that survived the winter, a couple of grasses in mini pots, and a round lantern. Not to mention the black rattan chair (which takes up nearly half the balcony) and the little metal night table.

It feels like there's too much stuff on the balcony right now. It's hard to water the plants in the back box because the chair is in the way. Sadly the chair is way too big for my balcony and the rattan won't survive the winter. I am going to replace it with metal folding chairs with much smaller footprint. That way they can be folded and out of the way when they are not needed, and the metal will survive the winters.

I would also like to find something to put on the concrete. An outdoor rug or wood boards, or something. I love the grey colour, but it's so cold under bare feet. And then there is the bannister of colour that defies description. It needs to be covered with something somehow because painting it is not an option.

When I moved, I had no idea how much I'd love this place. It is just the right size for me, I love the layout, the bath, the extra nook in the kitchen, and the view. Every time I think of this place, I think of it as "perfect". And then I remember that the kitchen is horrible, the electricity cables are old, and that the entry floor is dreadful.

But all that, it doesn't matter. All that can be fixed, I just need to save up, rebuild, and restore. It will take years, and I'm fine with that. I have found my forever home.

Read More

Where Did May Go?

It's almost June! Whoa. Where did May go? There is so much happening at work that there is nearly nothing happening at home.

Finishing off some baby knits, being undecided about what to knit next, and spinning instead. I inventoried all my spinning fibre and put it on Ravely. I'd run out of the black, so I'd put this project aside for a while.

I spun up enough black to finish plying the first multicolour single.

Then began spinning some more black to ply with the second ball of multicolour single.

In another news, Sona has discovered sun spots, the birds are singing, and the leaves have exploded on trees. Summer is just around the corner.

Read More

Spinning, Knitting, and Sona.

Last Autumn two of my colleagues had babies and I promised to knit them an item out of my baby book. This Spring another colleague is about to have a baby and since I had some yarn left over from the blanket she asked for, I asked if she would like to have something new made from that yarn.

She remembered there being a matching hat and a scarf and asked for those. Previously she chose only the blanket, so now she got the complete set. She kinda jumped the queue because she's leaving this week and I wanted to finish her items before she left.

I've also been making the first promised jacket. The knitting itself went really fast, but putting it all together took for ever. It felt like sewing a million little fiddly bits, and it's still not done. I have to undo and re-sew the first shoe (again), sew the second shoe, put on buttons, then wash and dry everything. This is probably the only Donkey Jacket that I'll ever knit. It's insanely cute, though.

When all those little fiddly seams get to be too much, I've been spinning. Sona, of course, has to come and inspect the spindle every time I pull it out. I am so incredibly lucky that he leaves it alone after the quality control check.

He did try to entice me to play with him when I was taking pictures for my stash, but I did not bite. As it is right now, I can leave wool and WIPs in baskets uncovered, and he does not mangle them. He's got his toys and none of them are wool because I do not want to make wool = play association in his brain. The toys are either bought or cotton balls, so ball = play is there, but he leaves my balls alone for now and I want to keep it that way.

He seems to really thrive here as a single cat. He's so much more content, alert, happy, and playful than before. The last bit means that I have to get him a toy that we can play together. Lately he's been trying to invite me to play with him (usually right after I've gone to bed), and tossing the balls for him is not good enough any more.

Read More

Room

Before the holidays, I worked hard to clear up the last of the moving boxes. The only boxes left now are the fabric boxes. I had planned to sort the fabrics and put them into storage, but it didn't happen.

What happened during the holidays was that I took the time off to enjoy my home and to spend time with Sona. Knit, play WoW, and have a Leverage marathon.

I hung two glass spheres with strings of LED lights in them in front of the window as Christmas decorations. They look perfect at night, and are very pretty during the day. I think I'll try to find something similar for tea light candles for the rest of the year. I moved the fabric boxes away from the window and put the rattan chair for the balcony next to the window. Then I made a nest for Sona in the chair as a temporary solution until summer.

He likes that the height of his new nest is lower than the previous one on top of the boxes. Possibly because now he gets the warm air from radiator, not the cold air from the window. He hides under the duvet a lot less now. One thing is certain, even when I move that chair to the balcony for the summer, I'll make a new nest for him right there. That corner is his place now.

I'm not entirely certain that the placement of the chair is the best one, but until the fabric boxes are gone, it stays there. The little round table and the side chair, in addition to the big chair, fit in that corner perfectly. I'm very happy with the furniture that I've got now. It fills all my needs and looks so pretty.

One of the things that I wanted from IKEA was a thin mattress for the bed. Not to make it softer, but to make it easier to make the bed. I didn't want to wrap my bedsheet under the thick mattress, because I was afraid that the old frame would stain it. The top mattress is also latex, and works exactly as I wanted it to. I'd like to find a fitted sheet for the thick mattress, or a bed skirt. Or both. Possibly.

I rearranged the books a bit, packed the cookery books that I rarely use and took them to the basement, put the dining table under the shelves, and bought a little tree. My SiL and brother gave me this crochet angel for Christmas one year and it fits perfectly on it. I am trying to keep it alive for as long as I can.

Perfect. I love how it is turning out, and I am exited to start a new year here.

Read More

Sona

From time to time people ask how Sona is doing and how has he adapted to the new place. He is doing very well now, thank you.

He was quite freaked out in the beginning, poor thing. All the strange noises, strange light, strange smells... He hid under the blanket with me the first three days as I slept away my exhaustion. As time passed, he also calmed down more, and then he discovered that there's some fantastic stuff going on outside the window. Birds, people, bugs, leaves, sunlight. He likes to sit on the window sill and watch, or try to chase the birds that fly by.

I made him a nest next to the window, on top of two boxes of fabric, and he sleeps there during the evening and night. He still prefers to sleep under the bed in the daylight hours. Strange cat, he seems dislike direct sunlight as much as I do.

When I play at the iMac in the kitchen, he also comes there, so there's another stack of two boxes of fabric for him to be comfortable on. I'm not quite sure how to make him new and pretty nests, once I decide how to best store my fabrics, but I'll figure something out. Eventually.

He seems to be much happier here than in the old place. The sounds are not scary any more (except when someone rings a doorbell) and there are interesting things going on outside. He is a lot more relaxed now, and seems to enjoy his life. That makes me happy and relieved.

Read More

Sky

I can't get enough of the view out of my windows. I hadn't realized how much I really missed seeing the sky.

This is what I saw when I looked out my window for the past four and a half years. I had to dig really deep to actually find a photo with the view because it was so grey and uninspiring. All I could see was the building across the street, no sky, ever. Not even if I leaned out the window and really tried.

This is what I saw today. What a difference a little bit of blue makes...

Read More