Bags
Writing of re-inventing the wheel ( as I did the other day) I came across this pattern for a peg bag. Pretty, no? I looked at it for a while and thought, Hmmm, I made something very like that for Mum years ago. Many, many years ago. Mum's old peg bag had worn out so I repurposed some heavy denim (possibly from old jeans) and bound the edges with home-made binding from the leftovers of a coat lining (or some such, sturdy fabric anyhow, not the usual 'lining' fabric). I'm not sure whether she still has it. Probably not. It was, as I said, a looooooong time ago. Anyhew, if you want your peg bag to last, try making it from denim fabric, or a solid furnishing fabric, rather than fabrics more suitable for making dresses or blouses/shirts. Yes, once upon a time I used to sew. A lot. But that's another story.
For many years our peg bag was an apron with two large pockets. Put on the apron, pegs within easy reach. None of this 'hang it on the washing line and, ooh look! It's slid off somewhere else', lark you get with the present 'hang on the line' jobbie! I occasionally have to bend the hook of the coathanger (which is the thing which hangs the peg bag on the line) into a more decidedly 'hooked' shape to keep it hanging. It has a tendency to lose it's 'hookedness' and come off if I bounce the line about while pegging or unpegging washing! Then I have to judge how high I can haul the washing line before the peg bag becomes unreachable, even for me, and I have to lower the line so you can take the bag back in!
The present peg bag is of similar design to the bag in the pattern in the first para, though it has a pleated 'skirt' as well. It was made a good few years ago by one of the ladies of the then Missionary Sewing Circle. This a group who made various things - peg bags, aprons, padded coat hangers, baby clothes etc and sold them at monthly coffee mornings, proceeds to help support various missionaries.
Being largely elderly, the ladies charged very low prices for well made articles - they made me a full length apron (special request) which lasted me years. I still have a crocheted thing-for-lifting-basins-out-of-saucepans-of-boiling-water, it comes in handy when I make apple dumplings or treacle sponges, and, of course, the peg bag. The coffee was quite good too. Of course, if they'd charged more realistic prices the missionaries would have benefited more but . . .
Meanwhile all the knitting I've been doing has lead to a sore right hand, maybe a sore-ish left hand too, but I think that's typing. Phooey! Sorenesses are located in the area of the tendon for the middle finger on the back of the right hand and, occasionally, in the lower right arm, outside, nearing the wrist. I've found some exercises knitters should do. Other than stopping knitting for a while, and possibly stopping typing too, I'm not too sure what to do for/about it.
Saturday I did other things all day, only knitting from mid-evening onwards. That was fine. Sunday I knitted a while mid-afternoon. Cue sore hand. Stopped. Knitted again in the evening. Cue sore hand and arm. Double Phooey! However I did manage to finish the fronts of the Petal cardigan, with a minimum amount of frogging. The shoulder 'seams' have been duly fixed with a three-needle cast off, as prescribed in the pattern. w00t, less sewing up. I suppose I ought to at least steam block the rest before trying any sewing up. Hmmm.
I'm on the first sleeve anyhow, and knitting it longer than recommended in the pattern - really short sleeves are a bit pointless, even in a summer cardigan. Now it's a question of can I knit each sleeve long enough and still have enough yarn left for the neckline? Or shall I have to frog yet agai? I'm considering doing a garter stitch four-stitch border up the sides of the V-neck rather than knitting the collar. I'll let you know, Dear Reader, whether you're interested or not! It is my blog after all.
'k, nuff for the nonce. Y'all have a good day now!
For many years our peg bag was an apron with two large pockets. Put on the apron, pegs within easy reach. None of this 'hang it on the washing line and, ooh look! It's slid off somewhere else', lark you get with the present 'hang on the line' jobbie! I occasionally have to bend the hook of the coathanger (which is the thing which hangs the peg bag on the line) into a more decidedly 'hooked' shape to keep it hanging. It has a tendency to lose it's 'hookedness' and come off if I bounce the line about while pegging or unpegging washing! Then I have to judge how high I can haul the washing line before the peg bag becomes unreachable, even for me, and I have to lower the line so you can take the bag back in!
The present peg bag is of similar design to the bag in the pattern in the first para, though it has a pleated 'skirt' as well. It was made a good few years ago by one of the ladies of the then Missionary Sewing Circle. This a group who made various things - peg bags, aprons, padded coat hangers, baby clothes etc and sold them at monthly coffee mornings, proceeds to help support various missionaries.
Being largely elderly, the ladies charged very low prices for well made articles - they made me a full length apron (special request) which lasted me years. I still have a crocheted thing-for-lifting-basins-out-of-saucepans-of-boiling-water, it comes in handy when I make apple dumplings or treacle sponges, and, of course, the peg bag. The coffee was quite good too. Of course, if they'd charged more realistic prices the missionaries would have benefited more but . . .
Meanwhile all the knitting I've been doing has lead to a sore right hand, maybe a sore-ish left hand too, but I think that's typing. Phooey! Sorenesses are located in the area of the tendon for the middle finger on the back of the right hand and, occasionally, in the lower right arm, outside, nearing the wrist. I've found some exercises knitters should do. Other than stopping knitting for a while, and possibly stopping typing too, I'm not too sure what to do for/about it.
Saturday I did other things all day, only knitting from mid-evening onwards. That was fine. Sunday I knitted a while mid-afternoon. Cue sore hand. Stopped. Knitted again in the evening. Cue sore hand and arm. Double Phooey! However I did manage to finish the fronts of the Petal cardigan, with a minimum amount of frogging. The shoulder 'seams' have been duly fixed with a three-needle cast off, as prescribed in the pattern. w00t, less sewing up. I suppose I ought to at least steam block the rest before trying any sewing up. Hmmm.
I'm on the first sleeve anyhow, and knitting it longer than recommended in the pattern - really short sleeves are a bit pointless, even in a summer cardigan. Now it's a question of can I knit each sleeve long enough and still have enough yarn left for the neckline? Or shall I have to frog yet agai? I'm considering doing a garter stitch four-stitch border up the sides of the V-neck rather than knitting the collar. I'll let you know, Dear Reader, whether you're interested or not! It is my blog after all.
'k, nuff for the nonce. Y'all have a good day now!