Who Wants A Baggy Jumper Anyway?

Back in January I showed you a pattern for a rather comfy jumper, perfect for lockdown.  I thought I might be able to get it finished for Miss Tialys the Younger’s birthday on 24th February.

This was the pattern

This was how far I’d got with it when I wrote the blog

and this is how far I’ve got with it now.

Yes, yes, I know it’s exactly the same photo enlarged but the sad truth is that really is about where I’ve got to again  having had to start from scratch on more than one occasion.  At one point, I had knit up almost the whole thing, excluding one sleeve, knowing there were two or three mistakes but thinking they wouldn’t show.  How wrong I was.

Fisherman’s Rib.  It seems like a simple enough stitch to do – a variation of k1, p1 rib in that you knit into the stitch below (k1b) instead of the usual knit stitch – and it is!  The problems come if you should make a mistake by not putting the needle in the wrong bit of the knit stitch or, heaven forbid, drop a stitch altogether.

Not having the heart to take one of my own before ripping it all out, I’ve tried to find a photo of ‘a mistake in Fisherman’s Rib’ to show you the horror but couldn’t, even though the fact there are many, many tips, tricks and YouTube videos showing you how to put them right means I’m not the only one making them.  I tried unknitting (or tinking, or frogging) then I tried unravelling rows and picking the stitches back up again but I couldn’t get them back on the needle the right way round.  I thought I had succeeded at one point so carried on knitting but it left an obvious line through the back of the jumper and I knew I’d never be satisfied if I left it there.  Nightmare.

In the end I undid it all right back to zero and was just going to leave it.  I don’t like giving up though so I thought I’d try one more time and use a lifeline.  For the non-knitters amongst you – and heaven knows why you’d have read this far as the pants would surely have been bored right off you by now – that means threading a piece of wool through a row so that, if a mistake occurs later on, you don’t have to rip out the whole piece but only as far down as the lifeline.  Obviously, as you progress with a few inches of faultless knitting, you take out the lifeline and move it up to create a new one.

Needless to say, since inserting a lifeline I haven’t made a mistake but there’s still a long way to go and it’s last chance saloon for this jumper because, although I really like the effect of that raised rib, and I’ve been able to use stash yarn, life’s too short to grapple with it repeatedly when I could be getting on with something else.

Anyway, the 24th of February came and went with no jumper for Miss T. the Younger.

However, I’d spotted on a blog somewhere, something else I fancied having a go at so I abandoned the needles for a hook, found some double knitting yarn in the remains of my stash and made these instead which, as she’s just moved into a new flat, served as a little house warming gift too.

Ahh! I’d forgotten the more ‘instant fix’ joys of crochet.

If you are a knitter, have you ever tried Fisherman’s Rib and, if so, did you manage to get to the end of a project without tearing your hair out?

If you are not a knitter, I apologise for the non-quilting/dressmaking/general crafting/gardening/animal based content of this post and, be assured, I will be back to one or other of those subjects -or something else altogether – before too long.

In the meantime, and as compensation, here’s another couple of woolly jumpers.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

 

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Dr. Tialys’s Research Into Remedies for Hand Pain ……..

………Possibly Due to Repetitive Strain Injury (mostly of the knitting/crochet/sewing kind) or Possibly Not.

 

Unfortunately I have still not found the diplomas, certificates and whatevers that qualify me as a medical doctor – but I’m sure I took the hippocratic oath some time in the past – or was it all a dream?

However, pressing on regardless – though only gently as I have had a hurty hand – I tried out some remedies to see if anything would help before I have to go and sit in a germ ridden waiting room at a Doctor’s surgery where actual certificates are displayed, money has to be handed over and tests are prescribed.

These are my findings – in order of testing, not effectiveness.

 1. The Potions

An anti-inflammatory taken at night when the pain first started which helped me get a bit of sleep.   Normally, a glass of wine would have done this job for me but, in a cruel twist of fate, I’m doing Dry January so this remedy was denied to me.

 

2.  The Lotions

Useless on this occasion.

 

3.  The Ice

This seemed to work although that might be because I froze my hand so effectively it was not capable of feeling anything anyway.  Also, I didn’t wrap the ice up well enough on one occasion and gave myself freezer burn thus making the cure worse than the ailment.  Use with caution.

4.  The Wrist Support

A useful aid to impress people at Zumba/Pilates classes where I don’t mention knitting but let people imagine me hurtling down the mountains on skis, falling off my carbon steel bike,  jogging on slippy ground, etc. (none of which I actually do)  – but  not that comfortable and too bulky to do anything much whilst wearing it.

 

5.  The Copper Magnetic Bracelet

Well, anything’s worth a try isn’t it?  It’s quite pretty too.

 

6.  The Cat  Hand Massage Ball

My zumba/pilates teacher recommended rolling a small ball (my one is a cat toy) between the palms of your hands for a couple of minutes every morning.  Apparently it ‘gets the fluid moving’.  You can also use it under your feet but I don’t recommend that first thing in the morning unless you are fully awake.  Ask me how I know.

 

7. The Handeze Glove

This was recommended by a fellow blogger and, despite looking slightly creepy, seems to be doing a good job.  It’s very comfortable and discreet and doesn’t impede you at all whilst sewing/knitting/crochet but, because of that, I keep forgetting I’ve got it on and start washing my hands or cleaning out the oven wearing it.  (well, o.k., not cleaning out the oven because I can’t remember the last time I did that and, anyway, it’s supposed to clean itself although I can’t say it does a very good job).

It’s probably worth wearing as a preventative measure in future and I might buy one for my other hand too.

 

8.  The Rest and Relaxation

Be like Leon

I can report that my hand is actually feeling a lot better.  I am getting the occasional twinge but not the constant discomfort I was having before.  Of course, having tried all the above remedies, I have no idea which one actually works but I would say the last one is probably the most important.  Don’t overdo things in the first place and don’t try to force yourself through a pain barrier – crafting is not aerobics.

So, I managed to get another octagon made for my Eastern Jewels blanket but, heeding my own advice, I took a few short sessions to do it rather than one long one.  Patience is not really one of my virtues though so we’ll see how long I can stick to this new and different cautious approach.

 

important note;  In case you are labouring under any illusion – which I doubt – I am, and never was, a real Doctor of any description.

 

 

More Than Just A Scarf

When keeping warm, there’s no reason not to do it in style.  Today’s Saturday Selection is an incredible creation by Irregular  Expressions.

I knit and have dabbled in crochet but I do need a pattern.  I have always fancied designing my own knitted creations but I’m not sure whether I would have ever come up with something this amazing.  Have a look at some of the other creations in this lovely shop.