adventures in tv watching

I’m sensing a spirally theme

Posted on August 31, 2015 by bekswhoknits

Somehow my daily happy things journal (which I was using to properly keep track of my 15 in 15 goals) has fallen a little bit by the way side. It was recently found under a pile of knitting that had fallen off the couch!

So I’m taking a wild guess and thinking that these are finished objects 12 & 13 for the year.

The hat is a pattern I made up. It was a cast-on 84 stitches, do a brim, increase row then knit until it needed some decreases. It’s very slouchy. Really I could have started the decreases about an inch earlier but it’s still super cute.

The yarn is from the Fiberista Club. I went on a bit of a club binge earlier this year and signed up for another YarnvsZombies club, the Fiberista club, and also the Fandom of the Month club.

It’s LYDIA Sock in colourway ‘Watermelon Wine Cooler’. I think it matches my hair quite well.

(Yes this is a selfie while I’m outside the pub waiting for a taxi. There are still ends that need weaving in….)

The wibbly wobbly 10th Doctor shawl has been on the needles for aaaagggeessssss. At least a year or more. Mostly due to me not being able to count and running out of yarn. Then I couldn’t remember what the pattern was or where I was up to.

Eventually I figured it out (it was the Canyonlands Shawl which is perfectly wibbly wobbly) and got stuck in again and finished it on the weekend while watching season 4 of Scandal.

Yes you’re all getting to see my dirty laundry AGAIN but there’s no other place to block a shawl with 2 kittens who think that my blocking mats are their scratching post.

I thought that I would have to block it rather aggressively to get it to curve like the picture, but I just wet it and once I pinned out the top edge it smoothed out into those gorgeous wobbly edges.

And because last time I forgot to tell HWF that there was a shawl blocking in the bathroom and he opened the door on itand nearly feell over, this one came with a warning sign.

Now if it would just hurry up and dry I’ll be able to take some dodgy shawl selfies!!!

Where did my mojo go…

Posted on June 15, 2015 by bekswhoknits

Well I know quite a bit of it went to a really heavy and stressful work week which went really well and I got a stack of compliments and work cried for it but it was still a lot of hard work and energy.

Then there was the 100+ hours I put into dragon age inquisition on PS4 (I got it for my birthday!!!! Second best birthday present after the gorgeous scrapbook my mum made me with photos of all the important moments of my life. Seriously an amazing mum!)

Even though I’ve just finished dragon age inquisition (for the second time!) I feel the need to immediately play as a different character. And then I’ve also got The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne to play, as well as finishing Mass Effect and Dragon Age Origins plus the free PS+ games I got last month.

And then!!!! I get a Netflix email saying there’s new Orange is the New Black, Scandal and Greys Anatomy. Everything is conspiring to make me hibernate for the winter.

Nothing I’m knitting can compete.

I just finished Snakeld. Which was fun. It needs blocking but I haven’t got around to it.

I’m working on another one of my lovely ruffly shawl. It’s now up to rev 1.1 because I realised I couldn’t count and had the row counts all wrong.

So far it’s had over 500 unique downloads!!!!!! Which is just amazing.

And I finished a pair of socks. But then realised a picot cast off didn’t work. So I un-finished them and they’re back on the needles.

I literally jumped for joy at a piece of timber that’s going to become a piece for my spinning wheel.

But still no knitting mojo.

Hopefully reading my new purchase will bring a little bit back. It came highly recommended by the lovely enabling Megan!

So I guess I should stop complaining and just find something I want to knit or make.

Or maybe I could just watch some more Orange is the New Black and have a little nap.

Unbreakable

Posted on April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 by bekswhoknits

This week – I can’t even begin.

There’s just been so much going on.

If you want a better articulated version of my week visit TeaTimeTails.

The one thing that’s kept me slightly sane has been the prospect of a long weekend (which means football!!!) and the sage advice from the latest Tina Fey produced TV show ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’.

Like nearly every other person who’s written about this series on the Internet, I watched it all in one night and have a really strong desire to watch it all again.

If you don’t live in the US, or pretend you live in 90210 like we do to watch US Netflix you may have not have seen Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt but the basic premise is this. After 15 years of living in a hole with a cult leader, they’re rescued and instead of returning her life before, Kimmy takes her Unbreakable spirit and starts a life in New York.

It’s not all smooth sailing. It is a television show and there is a narrative to drive. Naturally there’s conflict and hard times and Kimmys strategy is one that I’ve employed this week.

“You can handle anything for 10 seconds.”

10 seconds at a time. Then another 10 seconds. Then another 10 seconds.

That’s been this week. 10 seconds at a time.

The theme song is also catchy as anything. So that absolutely had to go on a cuff. With a little 10 as a secret reminder to take things 10 seconds at a time.

But if you can watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – do so immediately!

We may be able to work it out, but just in case we can’t I wouldn’t get your hopes up

Posted on March 18, 2015March 21, 2015 by bekswhoknits

It started off so well.

– The colour is beautiful (why thank you I dyed it myself),
– The cat photobombing is freakin adorable
– The mindless garter is perfect watching all of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in one night,

and then came the lace……. (use your most ominous tone. I suggest the voice of Cecil Baldwin)

The pattern is Nurmilintu by Heidi Alandar and it’s lovely. The pattern is well set out, the finished pictures look great, and even the finished items from other people look great.

So why oh why am I having so much trouble with this?

There’s only one answer I can come up with.
I can’t count.

Maybe my pre-primary teacher felt sorry for me and passed me instead of holding me back.

Perhaps by the time I was in high school doing calculus my parents had written letters to my teachers warning them to not shatter my illusions of being able to count.

Is this like my colour vision and I’m just suddenly realising that actually there is no such number as the number 7 and it’s all a figment of my imagination?

I honestly believed I could count, but for some bizarre unknown reason whenever I do any kind of counting in this pattern it doesn’t add up. (Pun well and truly intended.)

I counted 3 times (if there even is a number three) that I had the correct number of stitches before starting the first lace part.

Even after the first row I had the right number of stitches left and followed the chart exactly.
But the lace section just does not look right. It’s nothing like the pictures and I can’t work out how.

Then (and this is some seriously wack shit…. ) I counted the number of stitches I had AFTER completely the lace section and I had LESS than what the pattern said I should have had BEFORE I started the lace section?? But I still have increased the pattern????? (All my twitter followers have just had a collective moment of ‘OHHH!!! That’s what Bek was yelling about last night!”)

I just don’t know. I really don’t. I’m flummoxed.

It’s definitely not getting frogged. In spite of my inability to count I’m still in love with it already.
I shall call it a design feature and flaunt it.

Here’s hoping that we can work it out for the second repeat!

FO # 4 – crickety cricket shawl + talk about doctors.

Posted on March 2, 2015March 21, 2015 by bekswhoknits

I feel like there is so much happening at the moment that’s a secret.

I have secret tutorials happening, secret patterns that I’m writing and editing, secret projects for friends who read this so I’m totally not telling!!!!

There has been a lot happening, but not much I can blog about.

Fortunately my health is going really well! For those who missed my Twitter meltdown I had a really shitty appointment with my pain management specialist where I ended up dumping him. So I went to my GP who is lovely and actually takes time to listen to me and prescribe me new medications that won’t conflict with current medications (unlike said specialist).

So the new medication I’m on is helping me feel like a person who can actually sit on the couch without rubbing her neck in pain. Albeit a drowsy person, but I can deal with that. Knitting needles aren’t classed as heavy machinery.

Anyways I have finished an object that I can show you.

The yarn is the 5th doctor in YarnvsZombies Doctor Who yarn club. As the 5th doctor being known for his cricket vest I wanted a cable pattern that I could call my crickety cricket shawl (the designer called it storm warning.)

My name comes from the Children in Need special Time Crash where the 5th Doctor and the 10th Doctor meet.

“The hat the coat, the crickety cricket look, the stick of celery….. Brave choice celery, not many people can pull off a decorative vegetable.”

Kiki (the mastermind behind YarnvsZombies) cleverly included the decorative celery in the yarn.

It makes for a really gorgeous shawl. It was a breeze to knit up, the yarn is supersquishy and lovely. Once I got a hang of the pattern, including putting in an extra stitch marker to help me count, it went really quickly.

I love this shawl and cannot wait for it to get cold enough to wear it.

I got a grand total of one shot of me, in the aircon, before it got too hot to wear. And unfortunately eeyore doesn’t have the figure to model a shawl!!!

So many capital letters!!! ALL THE THINGS!!!

Posted on November 10, 2014November 10, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I honestly don’t know what I’m more excited about**

That my shawl is finished, blocked, and looks more amazing than I thought it would.

That my tenth doctor yarn arrived on Friday!

AND I’m now the proud owner of a hand crafted spinning wheel!!!!

Oh and I made a tea cozy.

**Pretty sure it’s the spinning wheel. It’s going to take all and I mean ALL of my energy to not look at ALL THE SPINNING FIBRE while I’m at work!!!!
And all the spinning tutorials.
Seriously when my Grandma (in-law) casually suggested that she had a spinning wheel and would I like to use it as it was currently in storage as a decoration I don’t think she expected the excited shriek that followed. The tea cozy was made for her on Saturday in gratitude.

For when you need food but also need to not leave the couch (A Menulog How To Guide)

Posted on November 2, 2014November 4, 2014 by bekswhoknits

You know those Saturday nights when you’re watching 30 Rock, watching Tina Fey eating constantly so you get hungry and there’s nothing in the fridge, and leaving the couch is really way too much effort. That’s when you get to order food without talking to anyone. Ahhh definitely bliss.

I’m already pretty sure I’m addicted to my phone. I do everything on it, from keeping track of whether I’ve taken medications , to paying bills, keeping up with my song a week challenge, managing my etsy store, plus I just downloaded Stash2Go that I’m still figuring out, but will probably rave about in a couple of weeks.

Well another app which I’m finding has changed my life is the menulog app. Say goodbye to trying and struggling to pronounce chinese food on the phone, and having to talk to anyone to get food delivered to your door – there’s now a free app to do all of this for you.
I used to have this ‘thing’ about talking to strangers on the phone, being a receptionist for a year cured that to a certain extent. I still prefer to not talk to people if I can help it.

It’s dead easy to get food delivered and only leave your couch once.
I already had the menulog app on my phone so I put in my post code and then made the difficult decision about what type of food.

I had a hankering for Chinese food so I found the Panda House. I surfed through the menu and tapped on what I wanted (predictably the order included some lemon chicken).
When I had enough food in my cart to feed a small army or one hungry Bek I checked out.
And because they have PayPal I still didn’t have to leave the couch to get my credit card from my wallet. I’ve deliberately not memorised my new card. It’s safer for my bank balance that way.

I then got an sms saying they had my order, and then 45 minutes later I had Chinese food in my belly. Well after I hobbled to the front door – that’s the leaving the couch part. But once I was safe and sound and back on the couch it was the perfect Saturday night. 30 Rock, Chinese food, knitting, couch, and cider.

This photo is why my food posts are few and far between these days.

*Full disclaimer – Menulog gave me food to write this post. Well they gave me credit to buy food. Same difference. But rest assured lovely readers even if the food wasn’t free I would still recommend this app and endorse it as an easy and delicious experience. You’d have to be a stronger lady than I am to pass up free food.

Shop Update! Bad Wolf & Bulletproof

Posted on August 8, 2014August 8, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I’ve added two new cuffs to my shop.
I’m trying to have more pre-made examples in my shop, which of course means making more for myself! All cuffs will continue to be made-to-order, but with more specific examples.

Before I started making cuffs for myself I had bought a bad wolf one. I ended up giving it to a friend one night at the pub.I figured that he wanted me to make him one, and rather than wait I just gave him the one I was wearing and made one for myself later.
(If you’re a doctor who fan the reference should be pretty self explanatory. If you’re not a doctor who fan – it’s something to do with doctor who!!!)

I also wanted to experiment with the new calligraphy font that I’ve got. So I looked through my notebook of other peoples words and settled on Bulletproof.
It’s one of the songs on my ‘ladies who kick serious ass’ playlist.(We all have one don’t we?)

(Don’t forget all my blog friends can get free shipping with coupon code “PARTTIMECRAFTER”.)

FO10 – SPARKLE SHAWL!!!!

Posted on July 10, 2014July 10, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Remember that gorgeous yarn from my lame attempt at video blogging?
Well I’ve made it into a shawl. and it is epically awesome.

The yarn is yarnvszombies Vampire (75/20/5 Merino/Nylon/Sparkle) Sock Yarn in a colourway inspired by the Fourth Doctor.
The pattern is 22.5 degrees by Martina Behm.

The construction is so simple it was my football knitting for many weeks. Something to keep my fingers moving and not stress drinking or eating, but simple enough that I could still concentrate on what I was watching and not take my eyes off the screen.

The row of scallops made me really nervous. They just didn’t look right on the needle.
Even though I had never made knitted scallops there was something about them. Fortunately I ignored that instinct because once I began to cast off it all fell into place and looked like it should.

I can’t wait to make another one and experiment with different yarn types and different gauges.
It would also be a great base for trying other decorative edgings.

if you can clean an oven, you can clean me

Posted on July 7, 2014 by bekswhoknits

You know it’s been a while since you’ve blogged when wordpress has disappeared from chrome’s most used sites.

Yes, yes I have been missing in action.
I had a whole 6 days off work!
Not all that fun though because I t was on doctor’s orders so there was no crafting, but there was a lot of television. I then went back to work before becoming infected by the cold, so I spent almost 2 weeks curled up on the couch with my teapot and Netflix/WatchSeries and resting.

If anyone hasn’t watched Orphan Black yet, go and watch it immediately.
The acting performance by Tatiana Maslany is incredible, especially as she juggles many different parts.
I cannot recommend it highly enough. Such an interesting story which keeps you guessing, but hooks you in.

I also finished off Season 3 of The Killing, Season 2 of Bomb Girls and have now watched all 10 seasons of Greys Anatomy.

I wasn’t expecting to like Archer so much but I did. So I watched all 5 seasons of that.

I started watching Being Human and got through 3 seasons of that before getting bored. I may still watch season 4 just for completeness.

I actually used this site to see how much television I’ve watched, but I stopped when I got to 100 days. It got a bit alarming. Especially when you consider the amount of times I would have re-watched shows like Friends, MASH, How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock, let alone the amount of times I’ve watched Black Books!!!

Unfortunately, all of this television watching has left me with a lack of new shows to watch. I watched 4 episodes of The Walking Dead before getting bored. I tried watching House of Cards but quickly gave up.

So if anyone has any television recommendations please share.
And cross your fingers that my second half of the year is healthier than the first.

Maybe I did sneak in some knitting.