Queue-Jumping

I am wondering whether my various hooky projects are scowling from their baskets and muttering quietly, or not so quietly, about pushy upstarts this last week because although I already had plenty of things in progress, I gave in to two pushy queue-jumpers who leapfrogged their way to centre stage!

To be fair they haven't usurped the place of the other things for long. But, if you will forgive the pun, this week they had me hooked, in all available spare minutes.

One is my stripy face flannel project which leapfrogged ahead because a little parcel arrived containing an assortment of cotton yarn in bright colours that can take the onslaught of the washing machine's best efforts at 60℃. The yarn is "Puppets Lyric" cotton which comes in two weights (8/8 and 4/8). I used the heavier one (8/8). It costs just over £2 per 50g ball which is not too expensive, for a pure cotton yarn although it's a bit more than my beloved Rico Creative Cotton. Unfortunately you can only wash the Rico at 30℃ which is not hot enough in Mrs T's book for face flannels.

I was intending just to try one out to see how it worked but they are so easy you could virtually hook one up with your eyes closed and in the end I made five. They are about 8 inches square so they're not huge but I think they are big enough. I didn't want them too big or they take ages to dry out after use. I used a 4mm hook, (the smaller of the two sizes indicated on the yarn label) because I didn't want a loose, lacy fabric but a denser, more opaque one. I crocheted them in US single crochet, (UK double crochet) stitches in the front loops only of each row and it's produced exactly the kind of fabric I was after - nice and soft but with a bit of texture. I think they look just as fun as I hoped they would and there's something very satisfying about making prosaically functional objects aesthetically pleasing.
See what you think:

The side edges are a little bit ragged-looking although they've come out reasonably straight - I suppose I could add an edging but I prefer them plain really.

The other queue-jumper was triggered by what I wrote in my recent post here about "catchy, snaggy baskets" and the need for a crochet bag to replace them. In fact, (although I hate to admit it), Mr Jackson was right. A better solution to the catching and snagging was to line the baskets with some fabric from my stash under the bed. Not because I don't want to make a crochet bag - I do (and I will, even if it's not for yarn.) But because these baskets are better than bags as yarn containers, at least when crocheting at home rather than away, because you can actually see the colours to choose from, instead of having to delve into the depths of a bag. And as so many of the projects I like to work on, have this element of unpredictable, unplanned "choosing as I go", this aspect of the container to hold the yarn is not insignificant.

So.... the baskets were emptied, some measurements were made, a newspaper pattern was drawn and cut, the fabric stash boxes were raided, the sewing machine was launched into the breach (much to Duck's delight!) and linings were made.

And they are exactly what was needed. No more catching or snagging.

No need for expensive additional-yarn-purchasng.

Two heart-liftingly beautiful (in my opinion anyway) fabrics that were languishing in under-the-bed darkness are now seeing the light of day.

Duck got to have a go on his favourite machine.

What's not to love?

Everyone's a winner!

And after seeing Lucy's lovely new portable project bag with a new method for inserting pesky zips here, I used some of the leftover fabric to run one of these up too, for when playing hooky away, not at home.

All good apart from the fact that in trying to change the sewing machine foot to a zipper foot, I managed to sheer off part of the bracket that holds the foot in place. I will not repeat what I said! Let's just say the air took on a rather blue haze! Not to be beaten by a little thing like this however, I managed to complete the sewing by jamming the foot in place at the start of each seam and hoping it would keep going which it did (on a wing and a prayer!), for just long enough to get closure on this project.

I am rather pleased to discover that this unexpected catastrophe is not the fault of my clumsiness but due to the chemical composition of the alloy used to make the part. When D inspected it, he informed me that it was made of "mazak" which is an alloy used for casting metal which, if it becomes contaminated in the manufacturing process, after a number of years swells and is prone to spontaneous fracture. For the last few years it's been very difficult indeed to change the sewing machine foot, that is supposed just to clip on and snap off. I put this down to my ineptitude or having forgotten the knack I once had but I am strangely delighted to find that it is due to this chemical spin-bowling and the fact that the bracket had swelled. Apparently this little gremlin of a reaction is well-known in model railway circles and has been the cause of pristine Hornby models, stored in conditions as carefully controlled as a serious wine cellar, (I kid you not!), exploding in their boxes!

So not your fault after all, Mrs T! Doesn't solve the problem of my broken bracket of course but that's another matter. I must now see if I can order a replacement part for my 25-year-old sewing companion and perhaps get her serviced as well. She may be a little elderly and a little cranky but she and I have travelled miles together and I don't want to replace her unless I have to.

Meanwhile I have my original hooky projects, so rudely queue-jumped this week, to return to! More on these in due course!