Burning bridges

Well, I've done it: I've handed my notice in at work. It feels a bit nervewracking because I haven't actually got confirmation on the new role yet as presumably they are still background-checking me. But I had to give my notice this week in order to be free for the start date of the new job so I decided to go for it.  Having recently watched the superb documentary 'Iris' on Netflix, about a New York woman in her 90s who is a society figure, fashionista, model etc., I was swayed by all her inspirational comments about how you've just got to do these things when you can, life is short, go for it, won't know 'til you try and so on.  My boss took it well and said nice things, but did try to talk me out of it a bit (but realistically that is mainly because it would make his life easier if I stayed). So the clock is ticking on my one-month notice period.  It feels really good, I definitely feel it is past time to move on. And the trains and Underground have been particularly irksome this week so I am looking forward to a shorter journey in the other direction with no Underground to navigate.  Wednesday I walked up to the St. Pancras Tube station just as all the alarms went off and they evacuated the entire station due to overcrowding, so I ended up having to get a bus to work which took over 30 minutes to navigate three miles. Thursday morning their solution to overcrowding on the platforms was to disable half the ticket gates so instead I had to queue like a sardine for about 10 minutes just to get through the stupid barrier.

Knitting

Commuter knitting this week has been to start a new Baby Surprise Jacket, using the gradient yarn that I frogged from being a shawl. According to Ravelry I should have just enough yardage. I could start the new project because I finished the Fingerless Gloves and have been wearing them this week. As you can see, they are fairly respectable fraternal twins due to manipulating the colourway pattern.

I've also very slowly (because it's fiddly) assembled the inner zipped shell of the Vintage handbag and I've started to sew the daisies on.  The green part is the outer lining, and will be covered up by the basketweave knitting eventually.

Today I did something I've been meaning to do for a while, which was to sit down in my knitting room and make a list of the ever-expanding pile of 'kits' awaiting attention, plus the WIPs (some of which never made it on to Ravelry).  As well as nine quick kits for toys that came free with magazines, I have six works-in-progress, one partly-done scarf that I'm going to frog because the yarn doesn't suit the pattern at all, four more sweaters-worth of yarn + patterns, a Latvian mitten kit, a couple of shawl yarn + pattern kits, a sock yarn+pattern, slippers yarn+pattern, Fair Isle vest yarn+pattern, for a total of 25 items.  And I'm not a very fast knitter.  Hmmmm....

Luckily I have someone determined to help me - not.  That's my elbow in the picture, I'm lying down knitting and Oreo decided that if she sat on the yarn then I would pay her some attention.

Sewing

I've seamed around the  three Table Mat sandwiches, trimmed the wadding and corners, and turned them through to the right side.  Then I carefully pinned all around the edges so that I could edge stitch the border.  That's when I realised that two of the three mats have the second braid inserted upside down.  WHY DIDN'T YOU POINT THIS OUT?????  I showed you all a picture of them on the design wall a few posts ago! I'm very disappointed in you... :)  and me. Because it was far too late at that point to unpick everything and fix it.  So I've decided it's a design feature.  I'll have to give the one correct mat to my m-i-l because she is a quilter as well.  The one I've made for me will probably annoy me every time I see it until I forget it was supposed to be the other way.

Dollshousing

As it is October already, I jumped ahead to fixing up my 1:48 scale Halloween house so I can put it on display.  I had some laser cut wood decorations to paint and add, and I had a kit for a decorated shelf.  However, I found it quite a challenge to work on such small dishes when I am so out of practice and without good lighting nor good spectacles.  I'm getting my prescription changed and should pick up my new bifocals next weekend.

This is the shelf kit, which comes with tiny decal transfers I haven't dared try yet.

This is a tiny Autumn wreath with a bird silhouette on it, about half-an-inch wide, in the palm of my hand, that I assembled from laser cut leaves  I glued it on the front door of the house.

Bobbin Lace

I went to another bobbin lace day recently, it was a smaller one and didn't feel as lively as previous days. But they did have very good suppliers.  I bought this really cute bobbin pouch which holds 34 pairs in pockets inside.  They had several cute sewing-themed fabric choices.

Zipped shut

The double row of pockets inside.

And they had a stand selling really nice bobbins and other turned wood products, at very reasonable prices.  I bought two lovely painted bobbins, and two Tulip wood bobbins, and this stand for hanging wound pairs of bobbins while you are preparing them, and this little spike for holding your reel of cotton as you wind bobbins.  All beautifully made

I put them to good use almost immediately because in the morning I finished my Bucks Point motif that I was working on, so I wound another set of bobbins and started on the next sample from the Pamela Nottingham book which is a Bucks Point edging with a scalloped headside.  If I get on with the sample ok, I was thinking I might try doing it all the way around a hankerchief.

Other stuff

I spent most of Tuesday waiting for things to be delivered so had to stay within earshot of the door.  I decided to finally tackle making the earrings that I bought beads for last month.  I only know how to make one style of earring and I'm not very good at it, so don't judge the varying size of my loops.

Raw materials chosen at the bead store

My favourite pair

Some time later...