there is also nothing quite like the horror at home grown tomatoes gone wrong - grubs did this i think:
and too much rain did this:
bugger.dont get me wrong, im not complaining about the rain, it started a couple of days ago and has been pretty constant on and off since. they are getting some of it down in the fires, and things are looking a bit greener and a bit less scary around here. the temp has dropped considerably too. i am grateful for that but the extremes are a little off-putting. it just seems very unpredictable. its freaking me out. as a kid growing up in the 70s i remember lying awake at night in real fear of the nuclear bomb. these days i am glad i dont have kids to raise in a world that sits on the brink of environmental and ecological disaster. it would be too freaky.
on the not-so-freaky side, i have started another version of the lily cardigan. i made one of these last year in a lovely possum-merino blend and it was beautiful, until i washed it, at which point the sleeves grew by about another half length and the picot edges curled up making the whole thing about half a foot shorter than it should be. ok so i exaggerate a little, but ever since i have been determined to make another one in a more structured yarn, minus the *cough* slight variations *cough cough* in the first one.
so i bought some zara specially, and swatched it two nights ago. i swatched it on 3.5mm needles because they were what i had spare (even tho the pattern says 3.75mm) and despite rather vigourous wet blocking my swatch refused to be 4x4 inches.
sigh. i do have a 3.75mm addi turbo but the cable in it really shits me because it is badly kinked, but i cast on with it last night anyway. there is a lot more room in the stitches, i can tell already it will be closer to gauge.
this is good because it means i dont have to alter the pattern or stitch count. my only concern is that its going to make a fabric that is a little bulkier than i was hoping for. i know what youre going to say. swatch it again on the right size needle. no FREAKY way. too impatient. sorry.k xx
6 comments:
hey I can tell you how to fix your addi. Soak it in warm water until it softens. Just take the stiches off on waste yarn and soak the needle. Done!
Also, I think that's blossom end rot which is, i'm told by Dr G, caused by things other than creepy crawly things. Water issues, temp issues etc. I'm riddled with the stuff in my tomato patch. Sucks.
I just separated out the sleeves on my Lily. I'm using a cotton/linen blend for spring (hopefully I finish it in time!) and I'm already thinking a wooly version would be nice. It's the perfect style for nursing. My pullovers are packed away for the time being. :)
The weather has played merry hell with the fruit and vegetables here too.
Ahh, the tension square, I do hate doing it. I would like just to knit with 8ply and 4mm needles all the time. Of course then nothing would fit!!!!!!
I endorse the hot water soak for the needle too!!
I know exactly what you mean about the impatience!!! Might be a good excuse for a visit into the city though, hmm, a nice 3.75mm pair of KP ends?
Shame about the toms. Well, sort of, since I don't like them. But you don't want to put the effort in and have the grubs eating them, hey!
No bugs for your first set of tomatoes, just sunburn. Our tomatoes have that too, came from being cooked on a 46 degree day. Not enough water and too much sun really. We just cut the grey bit off.
Looks like blossom end rot top me too - inconsistent watering says Peter Cundall, the tomato god!
Love the lace - I know I have mistakes in my knittring,but I live with imperfections!
Post a Comment