mumblings

I can only describe locker hooking as a little like rug making. This is a sample made by the class teacher of what I was meant to achieve today.

I failed to bring the right materials so had to scrounge some fabric from the tutor. When I went to our local craft store, they looked at me like I was some kind of crazy woman when I asked if they kept locker hooking needles. They do see to be a special thing indeed as they are like a crochet hook with a needle eye on it.

The first thing we all had to do was snip the little sticky out plastic bits off so it was all even.

We then folded it down two squares worth. I did two sides to start with. If I was going to make something bigger, I’d have to fold down four or six squares.

Using some of the fabric which was cut into a 1/2 inch strip, I threaded some onto a bodkin needle.

Using the bodkin needle, we then secured the edging by going through all the loops

and folding down the other two corners as we went.

We sewed round until the whole outside was covered.

We then cut up a whole heap of 1/2 inch strips of fabric.
Note to self : make sure you have long strips!

Our class teacher drew on a leaf motif for us to follow with permanent marker pen.

We then got to locker hook! You need to have a piece of strong cotton thread which will anchor your stitches onto the canvas. This needs to be tied on and the thread goes through the eye of the needle.

You hold the fabric under the mesh and use the crochet hook bit to pull the fabric up to create a loop. Don’t do what I did and pull it too tight – I ended up unpicking it a few times after doing that.

Once a few stitches are created, you pull the thread through the stitches on the crochet hook to ‘lock’ them in.

I then followed the leaf motif round and round until I’d filled the leaf. As I didn’t have any more fabric, I decided to take my potholder home to finish. I’m now wondering where pao’s old shirts are

So now you know what locker hooking is! On my way home, I dropped into Badger’s Hill Farm (I have tried to bring my favourite people there but it is always closed when they arrived in the UK) to get some plants for the garden and said hello to Texas, the one-eyed bulldog.

I couldn’t believe it when I found the epitomy of Sirius in a shop today. But what to make with it? I’m thinking a simple blouse – any suggestions for something very easy that doesn’t take up lots of fabric as I only have 1.25 metres.

Can you see the resemblance?

I couldn’t post on Monday as Dreamhost were having issues so I couldn’t upload photos of my beautiful sewing project. I wanted to make a crochet hook roll in the same style as the DPN roll I have already so I had a good look at how it was constructed and got the good old Singer handcrank out.

I had some spotty aqua fabric set aside for it and had a good rummage in my ribbon stash to find something that would go with it. I hope I’m not the only person who saves ribbon from gifts etc to reuse

I cut out two long pieces – one shorter one for the pockets for the hooks and another long one for the case. I folded them both in half to make a stiff-ish case.

pao bought me these really cool wonderclips which are really good at holding things in place. They are a lot less sharp than pins and I am so pleased as I’ll be using them to hold together knitting projects. They are so much more expensive here so I’ll have to keep an eye out for a deal on them but they are really great.

A quick check to make sure my hook fits.

Sirius had to be persuaded to help (quite unlike him – we thought he was ill) and his helping was quite half-hearted.

I used the chalk pencils that Louise recommended to mark the lines for the sections. I had just under 4cm between sections.

After I sewed all the sections, I turned the whole thing inside out and sewed two of the three edges up and sewed most of the third side except for a little hole.

and sewed most of the third side

except for a little hole. I pulled it right-side out through the holes and carefully sewed up the hole by hand.

I measured out my ribbon and hand stitched that on.

Ta-da!

I am very pleased with it and I’m now plotting what to sew next!

pao and I went to catch the end of an exhibition of Turner artwork from his lectures at the weekend and I was more struck by these questions I saw on the wall and the answers that were given.

Oh my, this is a topic I could go on and on about.

1. I love knitting. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

2. I enjoy wearing the things I knit.

3. I love customizing patterns and adding and subtracting bits to make it special.

4. I like being warm so knitting is a natural activity for someone who likes to have two duvets, two blankets and a cat on the bed at night.

5. My doctor prescribed knitting as a good way of dealing with my ganglion cyst. I use mainly wooden needles these days as it improves matters. Also, knitting is a better alternative than the ‘hit it with a big Bible’ approach they used to use in the olden days.

6. Knitting relaxes me in tense situations and gives me something else to concentrate on.

7. Thanks to the encouragement of Chris seven or so years ago, I became an avid sock knitter and I can knit anywhere as my knitting project of choice is socks which smoosh down small. I have even knit through plays and also in the line at the supermarket and other places.

8. The yarn. I never knew about such glorious yarns that are available to the knitter. They are quite something and there is something magical and otherworldly about yarn shops especially yarn shops in the US. They make me come over all weak at the knees with the colour, variety, softness….

9. (Shhhhhh…. Don’t tell the kitties… but I do enjoy it when they get involve with the knitting) I’m sure Tamyra would much prefer her toy or pill bottle to biting the end off my yarn whilst I was knitting with it so I got a soggy surprise.

10. Of course, knitting has become part of my livelihood these days.

This was a little sterling silver knitted heart which I knitted as part of a selection I was taking to a friend who wanted to purchase one. I did find this one quite hard to part with.

… will be posted on Thursday this week .. Dreamhost have issues tonight and I can’t post the photos of the lovely crochet hook roll I sewed today. On Elsie.

I quite often find them both asleep together which is quite sweet really. Tamyra is like his personal nurse particularly when pao is feeling quite ill like he did today.

I set up a studio in the garden yesterday so I could work outside whilst we had some good weather.

Sirius, of course, did his best to help but the naughty little chap couldn’t help himself and hopped over the wall into the neighbour’s garden where I couldn’t see him. pao found him and coaxed him back into our garden where the trellis was absent. Sirius has lost his garden privileges for the mean time which means that poor Tamyra can’t go out either but I’d rather that than have either one hop over the wall into the main road.

I took Sirius out for a little visit to see Tabby as it was such a gorgeous day today – 10C higher than yesterday. Tabby was ready to be the hostess with the mostest.

Sirius was a little scaredy but I can’t say I’m surprised being a strange garden and all but he was doing what he does at home i.e. sit in the bushes.

He did get brave though…

and sat happily on the rug…

and even had a roll around on the floor. He’ll be tired tomorrow!

This was the previous month’s book group book. It follows the turbulent life of a parish priest in rural Cornwall through the eyes of his family and some of his parishioners who are inextricably linked because of him and the decisions he makes.

I was a little uncertain when I started to read it because it starts with the last moments of a paraplegic man called Lenny. I kept on going because I knew I had to try and finish it for book group and it got better. I did enjoy reading it once I was about a quarter of the way through so it was worth finishing. The story kept moving across the decades and was told by different people so it was a good ploy to keep the story going.

I thought I’d include a bonus picture of Penny Paws.