Socks update

The first sock is complete.
I searched on you tube for a video on how to finish off properly using Kitchener stitch then got widely distracted by the fact that my cousins who recently came on the trip to Vegas with me live in Kitchener, Ontario and maybe I could just go into the family tree software and ensure that all the new children had been correctly entered.
I abandoned the Kitchener stitch and actually followed the pattern which was not so specific in its finishing off instructions. It was then that I realised that I had not followed the pattern - again - when I had been shaping the toes. I had, at least, got the shaping in the correct place on the sock but I had not followed the pattern of decreasing properly. Nonetheless the sock fits well and feels comfortable. I think Jess will like it. The decison now to be made is whether to make a matching sock or a correct sock? In the meantime I have a couple of discrepancies in a family line which can easily be sorted and that is going to take priority.
My thoughts are all over the place today and I am putting that down to a trip to the dentist, an impending birthday, plans for the weekend, socks, an intention not to knit any more chicken egg cozies for a while and day 2 of a calorie counting diet - some hope.

30 years ago

It has to be a pretty significant event for me to remember exactly where I was 30 days ago let alone 30 years ago. On November 30th 1981 I was in Stoke on Trent. My husband was due to start a new job in Nottingham on December 1st, all our belongings were in store in Dorset and our first baby was due in about a month's time. My cousin's baby was due any day and I was pleased to be near her in readiness for the event. Our plan was to spend the following day Christmas shopping in Hanley in the hope that her baby would make an appearance sooner rather than later. Things did not go exactly to plan.

Socks - the pesky knit 2 rows

This time I decided to try patience - a good one for me to practise. I knitted in rib for 3 cm paying particular attention each time I swopped needles to make sure that I was not leaving a hole. I continued with this new patient, careful method until I reached the heel. I read the instructions - I feel the need to repeat that - I read the instructions and even looked at the diagrams and actually mastered the art of the "double stitch". All was going well - until the "k 2 rows across all stitches". To begin with I was on a purl row and secondly, or rather because I was on a purl row, I was going in the wrong direction. So I frogged back and then did the knit 2 rows, twice as it said. I then contined turning the heel with my new found skill of the double stitch but it was rather difficult to see how it would turn out until I had done a few more rows. It is not right. The pesky knit 2 rows does not seem to belong there. The heel itself, with the double stitches, looks lovely but there is this line of (orange - I am knitting stripes) knitting which does not fit in. Can I bear to frog again? I think that, this time, I am going to continue and see if I can, at least, get the toe the right way round. Jessica will still wear this sock around the house and it is still a learning experience for me. I know that I am making improvements and so, for today, I will acknowledge that this is the best that I can do and I will turn on the BBC listen again and groan at Pat Archer.

Nearly December and apples

The bramley apple tree in the garden was severely pruned a couple of years ago and branches were found to be rotten to the core. I didn't really expect much of the remains of the tree after that but it has contined to produce wonderful cooking apples and this year seems to have a bumper crop. Even though it is December in a couple of days there are still apples on the tree and plentiful windfalls since the stormy nights of last week. Stewed apples freeze well as do apple crumbles and apple cakes but yesterday's apple cakes/puddings seemed to disappear before cooling and never made the freezer. Every year I think that I will make apple chutney and I print out recipes and buy Kilner jars yet  never seem to get round to making it. My mother and mother in law made wonderful apple pies and I love pies and strudels so they will go on to the "good idea" list for this year. Perhaps it would be a good idea to set a day aside to bake rather than just do it when it occurs to me that the apples may be getting past their best. However, having set today aside to tackle the ironing pile which is still sitting in the ktichen maybe I am not the best person to make plans which I will then feel guilty about not keeping.

Return to socks

Yesterday I completed the first sock. Today I unravelled or "frogged" it completely. The rib had been a little loose, the heel just was not right and I somehow managed to complete the toe at an incorrect 90 degree angle. Jess might have worn it and, actually, it was not uncomfortable but it was not right and there was no real reason to go with something with so many errors. I have started again - the same pattern and the same wool and needles and this time I hope that it turns out better. Perhaps the time has come to ask for some help.

Knitting for Christmas

In a world of commercialism it is a good feeling to make hand made gifts for Christmas and other festive occasions. Friends who are able to purchase the more extravagant presents seem delighted with a hand stitched sampler or some good home made chocolate truffles.
This year I am knitting for small people and making small gifts for larger ones. My first jacket is complete and I have a small collection of chicken egg cozies which will fit neatly into Christmas stockings. This evening I have started knitting a small lacy bolero which is very different to the chunky knitting I have been doing this weekend. Over recent weeks I have been concentrating on similar patterns and changing to something new has proved challenging. I do like to knit whilst watching TV and, with my usual patterns, I can do that but these new, more detailed, patterns I need to concentrate a little more and, needless to say, some "frogging" has been a necessity.

The socks have taken a back seat.

Viva Las Vegas

Jet lag notwithstanding, a wonderful time in Las Vegas celebrating Beryl's 85th birthday. My first visit to Vegas and I was not sure what to expect. What I got was entertainment with sights and sounds and tastes and smells - a sensory experience, I would not say always a delight! The best thing, though, as ever, is being with family. There is that wonderful and amazing ease that comes with meeting up with family members, even distant ones, after a number of years and it feeling as if we only saw each other yesterday. Some catching up is inevitable but I love the comfort factor of family.
Over a few short days we did breakfast for $3.95 and brunch for $30. We caught buses and went shopping. We had a celebration meal at the top of the Stratosphere, Italian in the Cosmopolitan and constant supplies of Starbucks and MacDonalds. Our gambling experience was limited to penny slots and $1 poker games. We did not return US dollar millionaires but more or less broke even. Beryl loved her early morning balloon ride over the Grand Canyon and photographs show 8 content adults in the biggest theme park for adults that I have ever seen.

A recipe for Banana Bread

250g butter - melted
300g light brown sugar
4 eggs
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 bananas - mashed
100g chopped walnuts

2 lined loaf tins. Oven at gas mark 3

Beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time then mix in the bananas, walnuts and vanilla.
Add the baking powder and bicarb to the flour and gently fold in to the mixture. Divide between the 2 loaf tins.
Bake for about an hour until skewer comes out clean

The bananas that went missing were returned in a slightly battered state but this recipe calls for well ripened, even battered, bananas.

A typical November day

On of those days when it never seems to be quite light. Lamps on in the house all day and fire lit by 11 in the morning. I do love having an open fire - the glow of coals, or better still, logs, is a warming focal point on a dismal day.
Socks coming along after re-working the heel. It is still not right but I am going with it and will amend the pattern for the second sock.
The hens are wallowing in mud. They had taken themselves inside by just after 4.30pm but during the day had been covering everything with the mud that engulfs their coop at this time of year. I watched as they trampled across the clear plastic which covers a run for them, managed to stand in their food and flicked more mud into their water. Collecting eggs is a dirty business - 3 today but all covered with mud. I pulled up a piece of turf from around the vegetable beds and threw it in to them earlier. It had disappeared by my next visit.
My plans for today had included making a batch of Banana Bread. Last week's online delivery had contained an excess of bananas which were looking, last night, at the right stage of ripeness for baking. Going to retrieve them today for my list of ingredients I found that all but 2 were missing. I was certain that there were 6 last night and I had intended to make 2 large loaves - 3 bananas each. A couple of phone calls later and the culprit emerged - had taken 2 to eat during the day but had made that decision twice and added 4 to the rucksack. No Banana bread baked today.
Safely wrapped up warm inside now with the curtains closed, fire blazing and supper in the oven. Knitting at my side and some easy entertainment on the TV. In less than 48 hours I will be on my way to Vegas!

Socks at bedtime - day 3

It wasn't good enough - frogged.

Turning the heel

Disaster - not in global terms but in Jessica's socks terms. I have continued with the knitting - inbetween ironing a few shirts but I cannot call the heel a success. I believe that I was going along the right lines until it came to "see diagram 5". I think I got lost at about:
"Rep rows 3 and 4 until the last double sts ( bearing in mind that I had not figured out the double stitches) have been worked together with  the outer sts of the centre third of the heel sts., see dia 5." I am still confused by this.
Then " Now k 2 rounds over all sts,. ( I think I did "all" sts and maybe it was meant to just be the heel stitiches?) and at ther same time, on 1st round pick up both parts of the doubles sts ( the ones I didn't do properly) together and k as for 1 st....."
I did have the correct number of stitches so whatever I did or didn't do didn't seme to matter but it got worse:
"After another 2 rounds work short rows with double sts., but in the opposite direction, thus from the inside out." At this point I decided that I must try to find another pattern

The wool is lovely, the colours are fun and I am sure that Jess will not mind the slight point in the heel - nor the holes.

The sock saga - day 3

How addictive can knitting socks be? This is my first pair of socks and I thought it would just be a different project to my usual, quite straightforward, baby items. I was quite wrong. I am supposed to be ironing but I am sitting here knitting this first sock. I have actually put the knitting down now with the intention of picking up the iron but have to get my thoughts down now before I can continue. I have been loving the knitting rounds on  4 needles although I do have the tell tale signs of small holes where each exchange of needle takes place that are the sign of inexperience. This morning I reached 12 cms which is going to be the length of Jessica's socks to the heel. I would have preferred exact details on the pattern for a length as a beginner sock knitter. Now comes the heel. I figured out that it would now be 3 needles and found 2 holders for the remaining stitches on needles 2 and 3 - using needles 1 and 4 for the heel. Then came the "double stitch". I read and re-read the instructions, looked at and looked at again, the diagram, attempted the stitch, tried again and again and finally made a stitch that is an estimation of what I think it is. How wonderful it would be to be able to call a Mother, Mother in law or Grandmother at this stage and ask for an explanation. On Youtube I can only find a crochet double stitch and a site where someone says that she vows to put on Youtube a demonstration of the kind of double stitch I am talking about - but she doesn't seem to have done so as yet. From her diagrams I am not doing it correctly and it is "allegedly" an example of German engineering. I have only done 4 rows in my version so I will try to make a better attempt on row 5 rather than "frog". I accept that this is my first attempt and I am learning more each day. Jess has already said that she would like the socks just to wear around the house but I shall still try to do the best I can.

Socks - end of day 2

Now named "Jessica's socks"

My first pair of socks - day two

Yesterday I purchased the following:
2 balls of Regia 4-fadig Ringel Color
1 sock pattern
1 set of 3.25mm double pointed ends needles

Today I concluded that I didn't understand the pattern at all so downloaded what I hope will be an English translation - in knitting terms, of the American pattern. I also realised that the needles I had bought were too thick so I spent an "enjoyable" hour or so sorting out the needles in my late grandmother's knitting needle bag. In there I found a large number of double pointed needles and, thank goodness, a little device for measuring such needles. I found that I had, in different lengths, some 15 needles in what seems to be the approximate correct size.
Sitting with the wool, the 2 patterns and a set of longish needles I started to cast on the 60 stitches required for the size I am attempting. This proved to be the first "issue" or "challenge" I faced. I have never done any knitting like this before and wasn't quite sure how to cast on over the needles. I was finally happy with my 15 stitches on each of the 4 needles. Then came the next challenge. I really didn't know how to proceed. Did I just knit 15 on to an existing 15 but then they would all be on the same needle? Why did I seem to have multiples of 5 needles? I then realised, what must be so obvious, that I used the 5th needle to knit on to. It only took one round of stitches for me to understand that I was using needles which were just too long and cumbersome and so I "frogged" ( a new term I have just discovered - unravelled and started again).
The second attempt at casting on was easier on the shorter needles and I began the ribbing. I was still puzzled about whether to have the new needle on top or underneath the previous one but after a while it all seemed rather more intuitive. The patterns were not specific as to exact sizing so I continued in rib for about 2 cms and then proceeded on to stocking stitch. I was bemused by the term - obviously the stitch for stockings and hence socks. It was also a revelation that, if I continued to knit then it would come out as stocking stitch without the need to do a row of knit and then one of purl - you learn something new every day if you try new things!

Having moved on to the main leg section of the first sock I must stop thinking about what on earth is going to happen when I get to the heel. It is never useful to project about what might happen in the future or to constantly worry about "what if..." I am enjoying this knitting so far and will carry on and just take it one stage at a time.
In terms of actual physical progress on day two there is not a great deal but it terms of a learning experience it is great.

Remembrance

The symbolic wearing of a poppy in remembrance of those who died for our freedom has always been a part of my life. My mother would watch the Remembrance Day service on the television every year in tears and I, who cannot stem tears in any situation, would do the same. My grandfather was a stalwart of the British legion and, having been in an ambulance blown up during the second world war, instilled in us all this belief in respec,t and I would wish to see this continue. A couple of years ago we went over to France and Belgium to visit the war cemetries where I knew that I had family members remembered. These were men I never knew - a great uncle on my mother's side and a great great uncle on my father's side, both killed in the Great War. Tyne Cot was a moving experience but that small corner of a foreign field that is Auberchicourt moved me beyond belief. Albert was the youngest of the nine brothers and sisters in my Great Grandfather's family. He died on the 27th March 1918 and is laid to rest in Northern France. I don't know if anyone before me had visited his grave. I suspect not. It was beautiful.

Contemplating socks

Having developed an addiction to www.ravelry.com I believe that I need to try knitting a pair of socks. My late mother in law used to knit socks and there is a pair of very sturdy knee length walking socks in the sock drawer. They are showing no signs of wear after a considerable number of years and are a testament to her considerable knitting skills. I remember some 30 years ago when I was knitting a Fair Isle jumper she showed me how to neatly weave in the different colours - a skill I had never been shown before and it made such a great difference. I have vague memories of her saying, when handing over the aforementioned socks, that she was never going to knit another pair and I don't think that she did. I do think that I should make an attempt at socks though - at least one. Consequently I have been investigating patterns and wools and have concluded that this is not going to be straightforward. I like the look of self-striping wools and I wonder if making baby or child size socks to begin with may be an idea. But - and there are a lot of buts. I made a trip to my, very local, craft shop and found some wool. I also found a pattern but there didn't seem to be any needles of the correct size for the wool and the pattern. I do have a large bag of needles inherited from my mother and my grandmother but nothing seems to be the correct size. Neither does there seem to be a pattern in my extensive collection of patterns from the 1950s and 1960s. How funny some of them seem now yet others are so stylish. Back to socks. The next issue is whether to use a circular needle or 2 circular needles or a set of 3 or a set of 4? Each pattern seems to suggest something different. Patterns called "easy" say things like "turn the heel in your usual way" !! I have not knitted a pair of socks before so I don't have a usual way. I want a pattern which will guide me through, row by row. I have invested in a pattern to go with the wool. I use the word " invested" as the cost of a pattern certainly seems to have increased disproprtionately since those of the 1950s and 60s that I have been looking at. Yet I am not sure that I actually understand this pattern. It all seems so vague but, as I don't seem to have the correct needles  there is little I can do about any of this. I still have the intention to knit a pair of socks and the willingness to have a go and for the moment that will have to be enough.

Baby Blankets

I like to have a knitting project that I can just throw into a bag and take along with me on a trip. The prerequisites of such a project have to be:
a that it requires only one set of needles
b that I can continue knitting whilst talking to other people
c that I do not have to remember to take a pattern with me
d there is no urgency to finish the project
e there is enough wool to keep me going throughout the trip
The ideal candidate is a baby blanket. Not a shawl which is cumbersome unless I know that I will be away for a while and have plenty of space for extra wool but a baby blanket that I know the pattern by heart and can just sit and knit anywhere, anytime.

In true form I now have a glut of baby blankets. I made one for my god daughter's daughter, Emily - a shawl and another one, a blanket, for her sister's baby. Then I seemed to have a number of trips - Cornwall produced another shawl and recent visits to children have resulted in 2 more blankets without a baby to attach them to. They can stay "in stock" and no doubt will come into use before too long but they have already served a purpose - to keep me occupied and to provide, what my husband calls, that soporific click of knitting needles on a long dark evening.

Forest of Dean genealogy

Prompted by recent events I return to family history research in the Forest of Dean. For various reasons my research in this area has lain dormant for a number of years hence the need to re- register on the excellent Forest of Dean Family History site - http://www.forest-of-dean.net/
Gratitude, as ever, goes to the teams of volunteers who give their time to enable the development of resources on such sites and the advantage that brings to researchers. I was helped a number of years ago by forum members on the site in my search for the families of Savery, Giles, Pegley and Anthony to name but a few and I note continued interest in some of these families by fellow family historians. I am faced with the dilemma of not quite knowing where to start with my current surge of enthusiasm and the obvious answer is to go back to basics with all these strands and work through in a systematic way. The temptation, which I find hard to resist, is to take one line of interest and run with it but that can become rather haphazard and records are missed or filed in a slipshod way. I must try to resist the charms of the Saverys and begin, again with Jones and do the best I can today.

Eggs for supper

A few days away and back to a large supply of eggs. The hens have not been laying particularly well recently but 3 or 4 a day from the 9 of them soon mount up. The only other garden produce seems to be a few marrows, the last potatoes and onions and some self-seeding coriander and rocket. First thought is a Spanish omelette with a little colour added by half a red pepper left in the fridge. A couple of slices cur from a marrow and quite finely diced can be fried in some olive oil and garlic with a finely chopped onion and the diced red pepper. The potatoes can be boiled and sliced in rings and added to the pan before the beaten eggs - 6 this time and some crumbled cheese on the top. Some leftover Saint Agur works quite well but any blue veined cheese adds a certain, if not authentic flavoour. I like to finish the omelette off under the grill and then serve with a little salad - rocket and coriander today with a couple of tomatoes. The tomatoes would go equally as well chopped into the omelette and provide some colour.
For dessert it is to the freezer and some of the stewed figs from earlier in the summer. These, together with  Bramley apples which have fallen from the tree over the past few days make the base of a fruit crumble - a figumble or figappumble - the latter I think, with a custard made from fresh egg yolks.

The Forest of Dean

A beautiful journey in the November sunshine through the Forest of Dean. Spending so much time as a small child on the borders of the Forest, just outside Monmouth, I had known about its existence but had never really got to know the place until family history research took me there some years later. I had driven along the A449 from the M50 to the M4 countless times and always loved the sight to my left. Day trips to Chepstow and Tintern Abbey gave a taste of what the area had to offer but it was only following the lives of those in the 19th century that I feel I truly began to get to know the place. Wandering into the church at St Braivel's and seeing the list of clergymen over the years in the porch with  the name of the one who married Isaac and Jane in 1843. Having a drink in a pub near to Tidenham Chase and talking to the owner who confirmed that families with the same name still lived there. Walking up to the church at Tidenham in the steps of Charles and Eliza who married there in 1870. On a walk along Offa's Dyke some years ago we came across a cottage which had been the home of ancestors and would have loved to have knocked on the door. House hunting in an area not too far from the Forest at the moment has, on occasions, stretched to cover some of the villages we love there. My abiding memory of the Forest, though, is a sad one. The funeral of an uncle at what must be one of the most wonderful settings for a crematorium in the land. I went alone but sat looking out of the floor to ceiling glass window at the Forest and knew that Alf was at rest.