Archie The Wonder Dog

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Another very productive month with very little sleep thanks to medication but it’s done wonders for my Fettling Points total, it has to be said! (Not so great for my hands and wrists so I think I’m due a wee knitting break or at least a slowing down!) Last month Mini Archie helped with the knitting but the issue with that became apparent when I finished the second sock: Ah. Bother. Oopsie!  Yes, those toes really are different shapes! The one on the left is how it should look, the one on the  right is the traditional square toe that I do for other people but not for me (because it doesn’t suit  the shape of my toes)  Let us never speak of this again Now they match! Like it never happened, hooray! Yarn is ‘Bubblegum’ from  Mothy And The Squid According to Mini Archie, this has been a good lesson in doing your own knitting (and paying attention at all times, even in the wee small hours)! Mr Rand...

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Hello! This month has been unexpectedly productive so let’s crack on, shall we? But first, just a quick   a reminder that you have until 10th August to  link up your progress report  for Fettle Those Finishes! 2025 I decided it was time to start tackling The Cupboard Of Possibilities and, to ease myself in, I started with the easiest shelf which was the one at the bottom. Part of the reason it’s easy is that some of it is taken up by the overlocker but the main reason is that most of it is taken up with yarn! While brushing my teeth one evening, I decided that I could let go of all the commercial* sock yarn leftovers and just keep the indie-dyed** ones (plus plain commercial leftovers which are great for contrast cuffs, heels and toes when you need to eke out the special leftovers) and I started a few days later by going through all the scrappy sock kits and removing all the commercial leftovers. I then...

It’s that time again: time to gauge progress and perhaps, if you want, slightly adjust your course or plans for the second half of the year. I’ve knitted five pairs of socks : And I’ve also been through the scrappy sock sets and reduced their number by either combining sets, removing yarns I wasn’t as keen on or both. At the start of the year, I had 74 socks in waiting and now have 63 so it’s finally moving in the right direction even if not solely because of knitting! I don’t need to adjust my list at all and I’m struggling to decide whether that falls into the good news or bad news category so I’m going for the former.   Verdict: slow and not particularly steady but progress is progress. Fettling Points so far: 5 How have you got on? Write your report (it can take whichever form you prefer) and link it up before 10th August. I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ve got on so far this year and Mini Archie is also keen: This is I waiting to give huggles to peoples who gets this fa...

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something June saw (yet) more ends and the finishing of one pair of socks: Yarns are Regia Zoofari “Zebra Emma” (05868) and Opal “neon pink” (2010) And the starting of another: Yarn is ‘Bubblegum’ by  Mothy And The Squid And that’s your lot! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a progress report to write for Fettle Those Finishes! 2025 for tomorrow and yes, that’s your cue to start writing yours too!  You crack on wif your progress (or lack thereof *stern face*) report and  I shall crack on wif this sock *beams* Linking up to the June Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next month's post you can reflect on that goal and set yourself another one - I find this particularly handy if I'm i...

Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something This month I finally finished the socks I started in March, but not before the downside of scrappy socks reared its head again: I don’t actually mind darning in the ends once I’ve done the first few  (I always start at the toe and get the hardest ones done first: I think they’re the hardest because your non-darning hand is inside the sock and so if the needle comes unthreaded or anything, its not   immediately , well, handy.)   That’s another set of socks-to-be out of The Cupboard Of Possibilities and into the sock drawer. It’s also another tick off my Fettling List , hooray!  Yarn is ‘Out With A BANG!’ by  Birdstreet Yarn  (a leftover from these socks   which has hung around for a comparatively short time), an indie pink, an Opal pink and an indie purple - all leftovers.  I’ve started the next pair, using yarn given to me by a friend (the same one who gave me the indie pink and...

  Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something The help Mini Archie gave me with the cuff last month  proved to be invaluable and I now have two (sock) legs and two (sock) heels: Will I have enough zebra yarn to make it to the toes? Find out next month! It has to be said, though, that sometimes his snoopervising can go a bit far: Hullo Linking up to the April Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next month's post you can reflect on that goal and set yourself another one - I find this particularly handy if I'm in the midst of a big project and finding the making of hundreds of blocks to be interminable), anything crafty you'd like to share. This isn't just for sewing or quilting, but is for all crafts so if yo...

  Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something This month I managed to knit the pair to the sock I knitted last month: Yarn is “Soul Power” from  The Yarn Badger And I’ve made a (small) start on the next pair: What is I doing wif your knitting? Well you doesn’t seem to be doing  anyfing wif it so I finked I needed to give you a helping paw to get the cuff finished Linking up to the March Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next month's post you can reflect on that goal and set yourself another one - I find this particularly handy if I'm in the midst of a big project and finding the making of hundreds of blocks to be interminable), anything crafty you'd like to share. This isn't just for sewing or quilting, b...

    Furtle (v): to have a rummage or delve into the contents of something Hello! I’ve made good progress this month with my year of socks for me. I’ve finished the socks I started  last month : Read about them  here And started the next pair: Only two ends on this sock, thank goodness! Yarn is “Soul Power” by The Yarn Badger Which means I’m exactly halfway through  Time to start the next one *firm face* The  link party for Fettle Those Finishes! 2025  closes tonight so if you want to join, assemble a list and link before 11pm (GMT) - remember that the list can be edited throughout the year so all you need is one item on it to link up if you’re short of time. Linking up to the February Furtle  If you're linking up, please add a link (one per person, please) to your blog post, which could contain: a mosaic of all you've made in the month, something you've made/started/worked on, a goal which you'd like to achieve in the next month (and then in next ...

The socks I started last month (and which I worried about reaching the end of the yarn before reaching the end of the toes in my last post ) are finished and ready to go on my feet! This is what I started with:  The two balls on the outside left are the same yarn This is what they looked like when I finished them and turned them inside out to darn in the ends: <gulps> Yes, I got a shock at just how many there were! I didn’t want it to look obvious that I’d used four different yarns so did ten rounds of one of the two bigger balls, then five of one of the smaller, then ten of the other big ball and five of the other small ball until I hit the heel (which is the same yarn as the cuff and first ten rounds of the leg and toe as well as the first ten rounds of the instep) and then continued until I ran out of the smaller balls. I then alternated the larger balls but each time I used them, I started from the other end of the yarn to mix it up a bit (so either started with the end w...