The End of the Month

I can’t believe how quickly this month has passed.  The fact that we had an unexpected trip to Queensland this last week probably has something to do with it.  More on that in a separate post.  This is all about how my goals for the month turned out.  

I’ll start with my “15 Minutes a Day” goal.  That went very well. I managed to work for at least, and generally much more, than 15 minutes each and every day.  Since my last update I worked on my crocheted shawl on the Monday and again on the Tuesday, while travelling along on our trip north.  I’ve never worked on anything in the car before, as I suffer from motion sickness, but it was fine.  Now I may do the same again on long trips.  I finished the edge of the shawl with a very simple shell pattern.

Here it is, just in time for the (hopefully) warm weather.  It will be ready to go next autumn.  The shape also works well as a knee rug, as I discovered while working on it. The colour change to the second ball of wool seemed to work out OK and doesn’t look too strange.

ONE MONTHLY GOAL

I worked a couple of days on the final few hexy flowers for the Blue Quilt to complete my One Monthly Goal.  I was cutting it fine, as I only finished them yesterday. I’m linking up at Elm Street Quilts.

Anyway, here are all the blocks.  That is all of those units completed.  I will probably put them aside for a little while and work on another section of the quilt.  This is a project I am happy to take my time over.  There is no rush.

Back to my 15 Minutes….

I have started a new knitting project.

Remember I bought this wool when a friend and I visited The Granny Square at Katoomba.  Well, for once, I was determined to use it straight away, rather than put it away for “one day”.  After much deliberation and looking at patterns I decided to make the “Be Simple Variations” shawl.

First, I had to wind it into a usable yarn cake.  It was interesting seeing what the hand dyed yarn looked like when the hank was opened.

Fortunately, I have a yarn winder that was Dad’s when he did hand spinning.  Well, what a heap of @#$%& it is!  Somewhere along the line he had “improved” it.  Whatever he did, the ball will not wind in the centre of the winder and the yarn runs either over the top of bottom of the centre.  

Therefore, instead of one nice yarn cake I had to create three and subsequently join them in my project.  A new yarn winder is now on my shopping list.

On the day I finished my crocheted shawl I started my new project.  I was going fine for a while and then somehow stuffed it up.  I couldn’t figure out how to sort out my problem and there may have been a little tanty and some swearing, before I frogged it and started again.  I didn’t get very far before I stuffed it up again, so frogged it again and returned it to being just balls of wool. It was getting late and I was tired, which probably had a lot to do with it.

A couple days later, I pulled it out again and it has been going swimmingly ever since.  I’m really enjoying knitting away.  Now that we are back home I will switch to longer needles and probably eventually circulars, depending on how much wider it gets.  The above photo doesn’t show the colours too well.  It isn’t as grey as it looks.  The colours are more accurate in the balls of wool.  I have knitted up the small ball and am well on the way to finishing the largest, so it shouldn’t take too long to finish.

ONE PROJECT A MONTH

I have the two that I can share - the shawl and the beanie I finished a couple of weeks ago.  I will include my secret projects in December once they have been received.

FRIDAY NIGHT WITH FRIENDS

I did join in for a change, working on my secret stitching.

And that sums up my stitching for the month.

Now, for my other goals….

READ A BOOK

No, didn’t happen.  A little trip north kind of interrupted things.

However, we did listen to an audio book while travelling.  Another by Dervla McTiernan.  We are really enjoying her as an author.  This was quite different to the others, and we now await whatever she writes next.

TRY A NEW RECIPE

Sort of.  

This time it was an adaptation of my usual, with the rhubarb slice.

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And revisiting my old Christmas Cake recipe I haven’t made in a very, very long time.

GO AWAY IN THE CARAVAN

Originally, this was going to be a fail, as our planned little trip was cancelled due to the continuing bad weather.  Then, we had an unexpected trip to Queensland, so did get a trip in the van after all.

GO FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Our original plan was to join the local motorcycle club on a day ride, but it was cancelled.  Yet another victim of the bad weather.  We had then hoped to go for another random ride, but our trip to Queensland put paid to that as well.  Not to worry.  There will be other opportunities.

FRIDAY FUN DAY

Yes, we checked out the race cars in town, went to the Swap Meet and Car Show and did have some fun while away.  I think that little lot will count, not that any of it was on a Friday.

So, all in all, not a bad month.

Now, I will get out my knitting to complete my 15 minutes for today.