highlandheffalump

YOP10 Week 8/52 – FO socks and lampshade landscapes

Crochet

I have ordered some yarn! For a mini lap sized Havana.

My test lap blanket will include:

  • Cascade 20 – 100% wool yarn
  • Paintbox Aran – 50% wool/50% acrylic
  • Paintbox – 100% acrylic (already in my stash from the Minion dungerees, which was the wrong colour).

Here’s my thinking…make this mini blanket use it daily and then see how each of yarns perform. Then when I buy the big volume for my full sized Havana I will know I’m going to be happy with whichever fibre of yarn I choose! Excuses excuses. Environmentally I am still thinking 100% wool, but acrylic is tempting on a number of different factors, including price.

Felting

Well it’s been an exciting week! On Tuesday a local Gallery has accepted my lampshades, fairies and some ornaments to sell. The terms are the same as the shop I had previously been selling at, so I’m really pleased. Whilst the owner was listing the fairies someone bought 2! Then on Thursday I was asked me to make some more lampshades, as she’d sold 2 and had another lady picking one. So, I have started prepping some new ones. 4 x 25cm and 5 x 20cm.

25cm seascapes
25cm sea/landscape, will have sheep added later
Seascape
Bracken and hills, sheep will be added later
The hills have some purple heather, sheep will be added later
Another seascape with pebbles on the beach
Merino and sari silk waste
Close up of the merino and sari silk

I have updated my lampshades page with more details about the shades and fibres.

As the gallery already has quite a lot of local scarf suppliers, this week I have also set up an Etsy shop to sell those. I won’t be making any more scarves for the time being. At the moment my sales are limited to the UK but I may extend to postage abroad if there is interest. My previous blog post has some more details and I have updated my blog pages with links to my Etsy shop and details of the gallery.

In the evenings I will start making some fairies again too.

Knitting

I finished my socks and wore them on Wednesday! (So apologies for the dirty socks photo!) These are the first pair I’ve done with different colours and I didn’t realise I should have turned the heel with that 2nd colour as well. They are comfortable, and I don’t seem to feel where the ends are woven in. I wash my hand-knit socks in the washing machine and I’m a wee bit anxious the toes will fall off, is this irrational or possible?

Look how well they match these shoes!

With a tiny amount of the contrasting sock yarn I knit a mini jumper! How cute is this!! I thought I’d have a little play around with mosaic knitting, thus the weird pattern like a viaduct 😂

I’ve made a decision to cut down on my knitting time, and instead concentrate on felting things to sell, knitting or weaving presents and just knit some smaller projects from my YOP list. But not cast on a new jumper or cardigan for a while. I get obsessed with one project and I’m very driven to finish it as soon as I can, so a big garment will be a distraction.

I have started on the Hat Vent 2019 pattern by Jodi from the Grocery Girls podcast. I’ve made 1.5 so far, using homespun. I’ll show a photo when I have some more done.

Sewing

Aldi had an online offer, a couple of weeks ago, for a dressmakers mannequin. This week I was looking at some handmade clothes in handwoven cloth and I decided to see if Aldi still had them in stock, they did so I’ve ordered one. I don’t believe even 2nd hand I’d get such a good price so I’d kick myself if I’d missed the chance. It is adjustable upto a size UK12/14 (US8/10), so should also motivate me to not get any bigger!

Spinning

I need to get myself organised with setting up a BritSpin team for the Guild, registration is now open but I keep forgetting to sit down and write it up and send it out to the members.

Other News

The government have an initiative, during August, if you eat inside a participating restaurant on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday then you get 50% off your bill upto £10 per person. So on Wednesday evening we went to a nearby hotel (that now allows dogs in the bar) for dinner and I have to say my anxiety at eating inside just ruined the meal. Well to be honest the food wasn’t great either. I don’t mind eating outside but inside felt totally different and not enjoyable. The staff weren’t wearing masks or visors and they were clustered together at the bar chatting at one point. I don’t mind going in takeaways or shops because everyone is masked. My introverted nature just reached a new level and it will be a long time before I am back inside a restaurant eating.

My short term memory has also hit an all time low. I’d give you some examples from this week…if I could remember them!! You are probably thinking it can’t be that bad as I’ve written these blog posts each week…truth be told I draft them over the week and publish on Sundays. Any tips for improving short term memory are welcomed.

Oh and is anyone else experiencing crazy high numbers of moths this year? All my yarn, fibre and jumpers and cardigans are already in sealed bags inside drawers with moth repellent. I opened the bathroom cabinet earlier and one was sleeping on my shower cap! A friend on the north coast of Scotland has said she’s seen lots this year too. Wrap up your wool folks…this is 2020…tails of moth eaten wool is the last thing we need!

This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group’s 10th year, but my 3rd year participating. To avoid confusion I am labelling my posts as YOP10. If you would like to find more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry or you’d like to join in, please follow the link for details. The YOP year runs from July to June.

34 comments

  1. First I would like to say that I am so happy for you that your felted items are selling so well!

    When it comes to the environmental sustainability of yarns I really have not done enough research but I do wonder how acrylic and wool compare when you think about the fact that the acrylic doesn’t need space to grow (deforestation) and that sort of thing. Although if the sheep are being grown for meat then the wool would go to waste anyway as they need to be shorn for health reasons. So I don’t know I just wonder how all the different parts would compare. Also, I think that single-use plastic is terrible but my one consolation with acrylic blankets etc is that they are usually used for many many many years. I still have a little acrylic baby blanket that my gran knitted for me when i was a baby. I don’t fit it any more but my cat Jack sleeps on it now.

    Your socks look lovely! Do let us know how you find the short ones. I am always worried that they will slip down. I have been washing my and my husband’s hand-knit socks in the machine on the wool cycle for 4 years now and they all seem perfectly fine 😀 I certainly have not lost any toes 😀

    Husband and I also had a look at that whole eating inside thing but I just can’t bring myself to do it! I even get really uncomfortable / a little bit angry when I go to the grocery shop and I see people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly. I get upset because it is my understanding that the mask does not protect the wearer it protects others from the wearer. So here I am being a concerned citizen wearing a mask to protect other people from me… and others can’t seem to do the same.

    I wish you much continued success in your selling endeavours even if it, unfortunately, means less amazing knitting and spinning pictures for us to ogle.

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    • Hi, that is the exact battle I’m having in my head at the moment. On one hand it seems hypocritical for me to use wool at all when I’ve not eaten meat for 31 years, and I do have concern re: sheep and their impact too…but then if there weren’t sheep at all we’d need more tractors to cut the grass in the fields and hills and that means more fossil fuels, back and forth I go. I watched a programme about the tiny fibres from acrylic blankets getting in babies, children’s and adults lungs and that put me off, plus what gets washed down the drain when you wash it ends up in the oceans and drinking water…although if it was found at a dangerous level then something would be done and of course there’s plastic in all our stomachs from foods anyway. Around and around I go.

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  3. oh Liz, what a heck of an update you have this week! First off, many congratulations on making it to the gallery – your work is amazing so no surprises there, and it should give you just a bit of the exposure you deserve!

    On wool: I think wool is one of the most sustainable fibres, so let me bat for that one. You can find it relatively inexpensive too: your cascade retails at about £6-7 for 100g, but WYS Jacobs Aran goes for less that £6, and ok, it is not died, but guerneseywool sell cones for £36 for 500g, see here: https://www.guernseywool.co.uk/Prices.html
    But sure, you can’t beat acrylic on price – the problem with acrylic is that, as you know, whenever you wash it microparticles get into the water/waste/sea.

    Enough of that! I will be kicking myself for having missed on the Aldi offer – and love your socks, and how you stiled them matchy-matchy with the shoes!

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    • Thanks for that tip. My wool arrived today, I haven’t done a stitch yet as I’ve been working on lampshades all day, but I am looking forward to starting on my Havana and the colours are lovely. I did look at WYS but they had limited colours. I could dye the wool myself for it, so that isn’t a problem. The thing as well with wool as it is pretty much self cleaning. I think I’m 95% sold on wool so far, but will make the mini one and then make a decision. Did you check Aldi’s website? Maybe they still have them?

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  6. I am so happy your items are selling so well. Your work is amazing. It deserves to be in many homes. As for wool vs acrylic for blankets. Where I live, acrylic is much more cost effective as 90% of our wool has to be shipped in from overseas. There are very few sheep farms around. I think we have more alpaca farms than sheep. I actually prefer a cotton based yarn. It suits our weather so much better. Not to mention I live in a state that has a lot of cotton farms.

    Your socks and shoes together had me chuckling. They totally match each other. The socks will not fall apart when you wash them. Be brave, my friend.

    I wonder if part of you short term memory issue is not from being isolated for so long. I think we are going to see many problems from people being on ‘lockdown’. Depression is already showing up in quite an alarming rate.

    Hubby and I have eaten in a restaurant 3 times total since we opened up. It was a very pleasant experience for us. All servers wore masks as did the hosts and bartenders. The best part was the delicious Italian food. So sorry to hear your experience was not pleasant at all.

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    • Thanks Marsha. My friend has given me some places where the staff were masked and they felt safe and the food was good so perhaps I’ll be braver. Its within seconds that I have forgotten something, a problem when commenting on blogs.

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  7. Thanks for sharing so much today. I am especially interesting in fleece felting. It is something I dabbled in recently. Regarding short-term memory improvements, I have only a few thoughts: 1. Are you getting enough sleep? Lack of sleep is sometimes overlooked as a cause of health issues. 2. Are you juggling too many things at once? So-called multi-tasking is notorious for causing forgetfulness. 3. A mindful practice with breathing exercises is helpful. I do yoga twice per week.

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    • We were doing yoga every day but we have got a bit lazy recently and I have been going to bed later because I can’t seem to get into a book before bed. I’ll have an earlier night tonight and do yoga tomorrow and get back in the habit. Commenting on blogs is proving a challenge.. I keep having to check back at what I saw. Hopeless.

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  8. Oh goodness, I went and looked at your lampshades and they’re gorgeous! I’m not surprised people are snapping them up! I’m sorry you had a disappointing restaurant experience, but I find I’m much the same. Whenever I’m inside a building with lots of people, even if some of them are wearing masks, my anxiety just spikes. And I can’t imagine you’ll lose a toe of your sock, but certainly keep us posted if you do! The socks look great.

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  9. Oh my goodness those lampshades are amazing works of art. They could be just framed as they are. Beautiful. I have yet to eat in any restaurant, in or out or ordering. I just feel better and safer and more in control at home with my hubby and our tasty home cooked meals. It is an interesting promotion the government is doing though to help restaurants survive but it is sad to hear the staff were not more safety oriented.

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  10. Congratulations on your new selling ventures! Already successful! I love your socks and how did you get them to match your shoes? Your teeny tiny sweater is so cute! I think a mini Havana is a great idea. I got so excited when you said you ordered from Aldi online! But alas it is only in the UK. I don’t have an Aldi anywhere near me and I so wish I did!
    I rarely go out to eat except when I go to the doctor but I don’t do that now either. That’s crazy that the employees weren’t wearing masks….do they not want customers? A blogger I know posted she thinks it’s all a hoax to keep Trump from being re-elected. Yes, the entire world is in on it too! LOL! Some people don’t have the sense they were born with. I wash my socks in the washer but I have a top loader. I did lose one toe but I don’t think it was the washer! LOL! I lay them out to dry on a towel and they dry overnight. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. Have a good week and stay well!

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  12. I love all of your projects! You are amazingly productive and creative. I am bowing down in awe here. I especially like the lampshades; so cute! My daughter-in-law and I once used all the wool left over from wool combing to make a felted horse blanket with some fun details added like butterflies. Now I have to go see what your technique is. I seem to remember that we had some trick with a random orbit sander to make the wool felt. 🙂
    As always after reading a post from you, I feel like I need to get going on spinning and maybe warping up the loom. Looks like I’ll have lots of time at home to get to all of this.
    I don’t think I would eat inside a restaurant with people not wearing masks. What a stressful undertaking. One of the stories of the civil unrest here in the States is that outside is pretty safe compared to indoors activities. Schools open here this week and the pressure is on for teachers to continue to report to work even if they are exposed. Just when you thought that the world couldn’t get any crazier.
    Stay safe!!

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    • I do my felting all by hand using a couple of rolls of bumpy shelf liner and then bamboo mat. I’ve never tried with a sander although I know bloggers who do. I’m accident prone so no way I’m making anything electrical near wet wool. Schools in Scotland went back last week, my friend is a teacher and she found it very stressful. I am glad I don’t have children, I wouldn’t want to make a decision about them going back to school.

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      • I think that we sandwiched the entire felt operation (the felt was contained on the lid of a big storage container) with a heavy plastic sheet between the wool and the sander which we used with a felt pad on. There were two of us, so the safety margin was better. 🙂 The schools here went back last week and I am so relieved to be retired and out of the classroom. In my opinion this is just insane. People are thinking of elementary schools, but I worked in a high school with packed hallways and cafeterias… no way will this work. Tonight teachers in Florida won a court decision that says that they are being forced into unsafe working conditions and schools can refuse to reopen if they feel there is too small a safety margin. I keep thinking that failing to acknowledge the situation is actually prolonging the pain and increasing the damage. Meanwhile, I’m still home… alone… with fabulous Hannah, 🙂

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  13. Ooh your socks match your shoes! I love tiny sweaters. I would knit them but I don’t know what I would do with them. Your feltwork is glorious. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your meal out. Just not worth the anxiety. Sounds like you had a good meal at home on Sunday though.

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    • I tried to put the mini jumper on a mini minion but his head was too big hahaha. It’s now just sat on the Kallax unit with my minions looking cute for the time being. I fancied getting some mini clothes pegs and having a washing line of them as a decoration.

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  14. Okay I knew you felted but somehow missed the part about lampshades. They are absolutely gorgeous. And it just so happens I was speaking to my mom about needing lampshades just yesterday. I shall start saving pennies!

    The socks came out lovely.

    I certainly understand your concern on eating indoors. It seems that our fearless leaders are so intent on helping the local economy [regardless of your locale] that common sense gets thrown out the window. I have been ruminating on how this period of time may create a generation or two of shut ins.

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  15. I love all your new felted lampshades, Liz, and enjoyed looking back at your previously finished ones. I, too, enjoyed seeing your shoe-matching socks. 🙂 Cute. And they look good on! FWIW, I don’t feel confident, yet, eating inside a restaurant. I feel better now that servers are no longer required to wear gloves (that totally skeeved me out when restaurants first opened here after our original lockdown), but I’m not at all comfortable about a server standing at my table, carrying on even the shortest converstion – even if wearing a mask. Not masked? Yikes.

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  16. Congratulations on your lampshades and fairies selling so well! It’s not surprising – they are gorgeous 🙂 Can’t wait to see your next creations! Your socks really do match your shoes perfectly!

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  17. Firstly, massive congratulations for selling things at the gallery again. I will check out your Etsy page.

    In regards to the blanket I understand what you mean with acrylic v wool. Wool is lovely but it will be very heavy and will be a nightmare to wash and dry. I love being able to chuck the blankets in the washer and dryer.
    Your little jumper is very cute.
    We went out for dinner on Tuesday using the eat out to help out scheme. We had a lovely meal but it wasn’t a very nice experience. Following the one way system, things being sterilised, and just being in the same room as quite a lot of people put me on edge. I ah e told the husband I don’t want to go again until everything g is back to normal. Sorry for the late comment it’s been one hell of a week.

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