I woke up with good intentions of taking my projects further. I recently read about the zen wisdom of doing one thing at a time, so I was determined to work on each project with my full attention and don’t let my mind wander off in the meanwhile. I put all my effort in being in the HERE AND NOW, attending to the task slowly and deliberately – despite anxiety trying to sneak in.
After some knitting on my Thistle scarf (remember it?), I found out at the end of a row that I had an extra stitch with no apparent reason. I checked the row and all seemed fine. So do I painfully unravel the lace or bodge it? The peril of not unravelling is that the pattern may not match well – if the stitch would result in a shift in the pattern. I’m now in a bit of a dilemma. While I was looking at the work to figure out what happened with the stitch… horror… I saw a wee hole developing in the middle of the work! a stitch must have dropped or something. No idea, because when I last blocked and observed it, it was all fine?
I decided to put it aside and calmly think about these. I am firmly determined not to let this disappoint my day! Om, is the mantra. Oooom. All is well 🙂
Early today, I also thought about the upcycling projects using the charity stuff the mouse kindly got. I was battled between doing something I see fit and something that people may find interesting. I think this is often a bloggers’ dilemma: what would people enjoy reading about? In the end, I came to the conclusion that this is a blog about things I do, so it should truthfully reflect my inclinations, rather than trying to please readership. Obviously, it would be great if what I do makes for an interesting reading 😉
I want to make some useful items, so I will use the yarn for an anti-draught snake (American spelling is draft), creating my own pattern inspired by real-life snakes. In case you also wish to save on heating bills and help the environment, I found a great page with over 15 draft-stoppers made using different crafts. There are some really cool free ideas there (cute creatures like cats, dogs, snakes, a tree branch – knit, crochet or sewing), go and have a look!
source: simplicity.com
source: instructables.com
source: womansday.com
source: rythmofthehome.com
A few more cute draft stoppers:
- Gnome and Mushroom draft dodger by justcraftyenough.com
- Sssssssssid the Diamondback draft dodger by Lion Brand
weestorybook 
I really like your draft stoppers. Thanks for the links 🙂 Annie
You’re most welcome Annie 🙂
I just found another free knitted one from Lion Brand, but it requires to join first (it’s free):
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/BK4K-0612004.html
Thanks 🙂
Try using a coil-less pin to hold the dropped stitch. You might want to use crochet thread as a life line. Run it through the stitches at a point where you know everything is right. Then if you need to rip back, the life line will be there and make it easier to pick up the stitches and start again. Good Luck. The scarf looks beautiful, but seems complicated.
Thank you for your advice, the lifeline can be a life saver, especially with lace work it makes even more sense 🙂
For now I put a holder for the bits I could see loose – and I’ll deal with it later, when my ‘om’ has worked 😉
Is your dog still running around at a light speed today? it’s so funny, my cat used to do that too at times
You are absolutely right to blog about what YOU are interested in. Only then will your posts be interesting. And so far, they ARE!
Thank you Susan for your moral support. Your words are kind and reassuring 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Ha, I agree with Susan..totally. And thanks too for the US spelling for draft…I always thought that draught was about beer (ohoh)
I like that striped cat: it looks like it is wearing a hat and is looking so happily drowsy!
Thanks for a very interesting and amusing poste and another good link!
have a lovely Sunday, ♥ Johanna
ps slippedstich is right too, lifelines prevent a lot of heartbreak when knitting lace. If you are at the end of the repeat you might want to ‘fix’ it and start a fresh with a new repeat and lifeline, no one will know;0)
Hello Johanna,
Thank you for your support too! It’s good to read these comments. Sometimes I have doubts about what to write, but now I feel a bit more confident that I should write about what i am truly interested in, and hopefully readers will enjoy and participate.
American spelling: it can be funny to come across the different spellings 🙂 When I first saw ‘draft’, it made me think of something unfinished (i.e. a draft version) 😉 Reading blogs from different parts of the world makes one realise that the same words may have different meanings, or conversely, that different spellings are really the same word.
Scarf: I will surely include a lifeline after fixing the current problems – I decided to leave them for tomorrow morning, after a restful night and make a fresh start 🙂
Have a great Sunday too, hope it will be interesting!
♥
Thanks so much for the link to the Zen wisdom. I’m a hopeless multi-tasker, and I really, really needed to read that this morning.
You’re very welcome 🙂
I also tend to get easily into (too) many tasks, and sometimes get anxious as a result… hence I found the zen rules interesting
Thanks for visiting!
You’re a clever girl – you find a way how to repair your scarf. Do let the mistake frustrate you. Take your time and come back to the scarf a bit later with a cooler head 😉 sometimes it helps.
As for the blog content, it’s always good to be yourself so blog about the stuff that interests YOU above all. People that come and go to your blog like various things and there will always be a fan of your blog 🙂
Perhaps I could suggest on improving the quality of photos. A bit of tampering, editing them would help. Also, some nice background when photographing, natural light and sharpness of an image – these are a must in good quality photos. A blog gets a lot more interesting with lovly photos. They are always pleasure to look at ;P plus the good content as well 😀
Draught stoppers couldnt survive in my house – I hate stuffy air at home so I like to keep my windows open in winter 😉
LOL for the open windows in winter, in this flat there is no need to open them, given the draught we experience 😉
Thanks for all the advice, about the blog content, the “keep calm” and I will try to take better photos 🙂 although I’m using my iPhone for practical reasons, what you say makes perfect sense!
Good night & sweet dreams!
I mean: Don’t let the mistake…*
[…] windy rainy days and the flat started featuring unwelcome draught again. I remember mumbling about draught (draft) stopper patterns a while back – perhaps it’s time to put my plans into […]