Friday Finishes…

It’s a standing joke amongst  some of my friends that I’m I known as ‘the little old lady who knits’. It’s something I’ve always done.

Most of you know that what I knit these days goes to a local charity rather than family – and instead of the scarves beanies and gloves that other volunteers make I prefer to give my time to the baby and toddler programme.  I bet you’ve all been bored by  seen lots of the little cardigans and jumpers I’ve worked on, the reason for me making those sizes is (not because I’m permanently clucky 😊) but because they grow quickly which means they are finished before I get bored with them’ which then means I can get on with something else!

Over the recent ‘stay at home’ weeks the needles have been clicking like crazy – it passed the time in what I’m calling the ‘horror season’  I don’t know about you but a fair bit of news …..national as well as international…….has been watched, each and every bulletin available devoured.  Anyway that……like the  confirmed cases……has slowed down considerably thank goodness, so now I’m recovering my composure by  staying away from ‘news channels’, biding my time gathering all things together and tidying up loose ends.  Sewing up and placing buttons so the finished garments are ready to go to their new homes (wherever that might be)

Hot off the needles this week is this little grandad neck shirt

 Over the years I’ve knit oodles of them….these below are just a few…….using the stitch count on the pattern to get the sizing but altering colour and design.  One feature of the original garment (picture below from pattern) – the collar- has been ‘deleted’……after a couple of times of trying and not being able to get it to sit right I decided a neckband worked better for me.

 

 

 

This time I decided to add the mock cable design from this pattern on the left – one that’s been in my pile for a long long time.

Thankfully the stitch count worked out right……juggling stitches – adding/subtracting….is par for the course when you  adapt patterns….so once I’d set the first four rows it knit up a charm.   I think knitting  plain stocking stitch on the back and sleeves gave it a more simple boyish look, as well as highlighting the front panel.

Agreed ?

 

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And here’s a funny story about a little boy whose Mum (she who many years later became the little old lady who knits)  put that very same cable pattern on the front of one of his jumpers.

One day long ago in 1969 he went on a drive from Ipswich where he lived to see his Nanna and Grandad in Colchester, which is where they lived.  He fell asleep in the car and woke in a very grumpy mood when they arrived.  His Nanna asked his Mum and Dad if they would take him and his brothers and sisters to a local park and take some photographs with her old box brownie because she didn’t have any recent ones.

So back into the car they all get which didn’t please him at all.  In his temper he took off his shoes and got even more ‘angry’ because his Mum wouldn’t put them back on, instead  carrying him to the chosen bench, where he certainly made his feelings known 😊

He was feeling very sorry for himself so his Mum tried to cuddle him while his sister (the one his Mum refers to as ‘our litte girl’) undid the buckles on his very (expensive) nice red shoes.

Lots of cuddles later (with his shoes on) he sat with the others on the bench but no matter how many times his Mum and Dad tried  to coax him there was no way he  was going  to  ‘smile’.   In fact he was starting to annoy the others with his sulking.  His favourite brother kept  giving  him dirty looks,  ‘our big girl’  kept telling  him to  shush,  ‘our little girl’ was thoroughly fed  up and his big  brother just wanted it over and done with.

Let’s get Daddy (later to be known as The Golfer) to sit with you on his knee – after all it’s  his Mummy who wants the  photographs.  The little boy had calmed down by then …..unfortunately by that time everybody else was more interested in what was going on around them to look at the camera…..so they gave it up as a bad job and went back to Nanna’s  house for  tea!

It’s strange the *fun* memories that surface when you’re not really looking 😊

Fun Friday – the day you forget the worries of the week.