This week the highlight, if you can call it that, was accepting an offer on one of my brother-in-law’s properties. I’ve never seen it except in pictures. The tenant, who has lived there 24 years, decided to buy, and after some negotiation, made an acceptable offer. Now the wheels of conveyancing will start to turn, and I’m hoping there’s no bumps on the road. One down, four to go.
Another highlight of the week, or at least a ‘notable event’, is the heat. On Saturday and Sunday, we basked in a heat wave. When I drove home on Saturday after being in Thurso for the morning, the thermometer in the car indicated 30℃. The temperature gradually fell as I approached home, where it was a more reasonable 20℃. At least the car wasn’t like an oven when I got in. It has a very nice feature where it can be programmed to achieve a certain temperature prior to departure.
Umbellifer and grasses
At home, the windows were opened and the blinds pulled down. In the evening, the skirl of pipes could be heard, from the Wick Pipe Band giving a performance. Having the blinds down keeps it from getting too hot, something I learned to do this while on holiday in the south of France, where houses are shut up for the day to keep the cool in and the heat out. It works, too. Alas, even if I shut all the blinds, it can’t prevent any hot air from rising to the top of the house to my office. This is the only time of year when a fan is needed.
Summer tapestry
During the week, I started a sewing project, the first since last autumn. True to my word, I shopped from stash, choosing some very fine black jersey to make a pair of trousers. The fabric has been in the stash for many years. I bought it online, also to make trousers, but when it arrived it was far too fine for what I had in mind and was set aside. Now, with a different pattern in hand, I thought I’d use up the fabric, and it didn’t matter if I didn’t like the result. The trousers can be ‘at home’ wear.
Poppy heads
I started the sewing yesterday and was in trouble from the first seams. Being black, very fine, and also not marked adequately, I managed to sew the inseams of the fronts together, and then the two back inseams together. It should have been one front and one back together. The stretch stitch was too difficult to unpick, so I trimmed off the seam and its 0.25” allowance. And then sewed the pieces together properly. After that, things progressed more to plan.
Also to plan, I’ve been zipping down the gansey sleeve. The plain knitting is far quicker than the patterned sections and I can get up a good head of steam. It’s starting to look a proper gansey now. The cuffs will slow things down a bit – they will have cables alternating with panels of k1 p1 rib. But it now feels as if the gansey may be finished in the near future.
(Before this week’s post starts – apologies that last week’s didn’t post. I was sure I’d done it properly – it’s now up.)
I finally decided it was time to get out the summer clothes this week, not that it’s summery enough to wear them. It’s been a cool and damp summer, and most days I am glad of my spring/autumn jacket. In the past, this changeover was put off as long as possible. It seemed like a lengthy and arduous task. But one year I realised that it had only taken half an hour. This year, it was delayed due to forgetfulness. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find favourite garments that have been forgotten over the winter.
The car has also had some new togs – car mats. I chose the brightest colours I could find on the internet. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea – orange heel rest and edge trim on a grey mat – but they make me smile every time I open the car door.
Blooming weed
Recently, I’ve changed my morning routine by using a moka pot instead of a big bean-to-cup machine. Gordon loved his coffee, and as a consequence, we’ve had various coffee grinders. The electric ones never lasted very long, but he also bought some hand-operated grinders. I’ve been experimenting with these. One holds about a weeks’ worth of beans, but it takes forever to grind enough for a cup of joe. The other holds about two cups’ worth of beans, and while needing more effort, grinds much quicker. It’s a pleasant morning ritual using the moka pot: the hob is lit, the moka pot is filled with water, the coffee added, and the top clamped down. When the gurgling stops, it’s ready. The rest of breakfast is prepped while it’s burbling away. An advantage over the bean-to-cup machine is that the coffee is hotter.
Busy bee
I’m returning to sewing too, or at least thoughts of sewing. There are so many tempting fabrics and patterns available on the internet. But for the next project, instead of buying new, I determined to shop from stash. There were some treasures found there, fabric buried so far down the piles that I’d forgot them. Some have notes attached, so their purpose is clear, but for the rest, I’ve no idea what I’d planned. In one instance, I got out a pattern, then found a length of forgotten fabric with a note to use just that pattern. And then there was the unopened box, full of fabric bought years ago. From a US site, I had it sent to my sister’s and planned to carry it home with me. A couple of trips later I still hadn’t brought it home, so I mailed it, where it has sat for years. Yesterday I finally cut the packing tape. The invoice in the box is dated 2007.
Summer meadow
With the gansey, there’s been good progress. The band on the first sleeve is finished, followed by plain knitting which is speedier to work. The sleeve band is similar to the one at the start of the yoke, but the diamonds are slightly wider. From now on, it’s clear sailing down to the cuff. The end is in sight.
It’s been another unexciting week. Monday was the annual boiler service. It was only exciting in that the engineers didn’t arrive until just after the two-hour window of 8-10 a.m. I’d been given. I needn’t have got up so early. But while I waited, I finished off the second shoulder, joined it to the matching back shoulder, and picked up stitches for the neckband.
One project I’ve been working on throughout the week is a website for a group I belong to. Since first building it several years ago, the software has changed and there’s been a steep learning curve to update and revamp it. It’s nearly ready, and the last thing is to puzzle out how to upload it from the test site to to the live site.
Kidney vetch
Other projects have included work on my brother-in-law’s Estate, a gift that keeps on giving. We’d hoped to have vacant possession of the rental properties by now, but only one of four is vacant and on the market. With two, the tenants have expressed an interest in buying. With the fourth, the tenants know they must move but haven’t, so proceedings to regain possession of the property were begun this week. Thankfully, the landlord insurance includes legal cover, and the insurers will handle it all. Then there was a form to complete and send to the tax office, who taking a detailed look into my brother-in-law’s affairs. And finally, a very low offer for the property on the market was declined.
Wind on the marsh
Later in the week, an appointment for a home chargepoint installation was received. Unfortunately, it’s not until the end of July, and I’ll be spending time at public chargepoints with my knitting until then. I’ll be very glad when the chargepoint is installed as I’ll be able to charge the car overnight.
The bugbear of the week has been the new smart meter. The electricity part is very smart indeed – in an app, I can see a spike when the kettle is boiled – but the gas part is very dim – there’s only been one reading since installation. I’ve moved it several times, once to a few feet from the gas meter, with no success. However if it’s that close to the gas meter, it’s too far from the electric meter. I await a solution from the energy supplier.
Rocks and Seaweed
As you can see from the photo, the neckline is finished. It’s been knit back and forth in 1×1 ribbing, with a small tab for buttonholes at one end. Buttoned necklines are a common feature in the old photos, and the original of this gansey has buttons on both sides. It has a ‘straight’ neck which probably required buttons, while my version has a shaped neck, and the buttons will be purely decorative. I was hoping to fit three, but the ribbing became too deep and rows were ripped out. And then, happy day, the stitches for the first sleeve were picked up and the sleeve started. The armband pattern will start after about an inch. I should be well into that by next week.
The old car was retrieved from the garage last Monday afternoon, where it had been languishing. With a leaking petrol tank, it felt safer to leave it there. I emptied it when I got home, discovering nine-year-old petrol receipts, a pair of Gordon’s winter gloves, masks from the Covid era. Then I decided not to hoover it, reasoning that when it was traded in, they’d be looking at the car itself, not the grit on the floor.
St Fergus across the fields
The next day, Tuesday, was a momentous day, for it was the day to drive down to Inverness to collect the new auto. It was a slow drive south, with dawdling drivers and caravanning caravans, and a multi-vehicle pile-up which slowed traffic considerably. At the dealership, after a brief wait the necessary paperwork was taken care of, and with nary a glance or final farewell to the old car, I was introduced to the new. I’d spotted it as I arrived, right by the doors. ‘Sunset orange’ turns out to be ‘brick’ or ‘terracotta’. The salesman walked through some of the car’s features, and then it was time to drive off. “Are you scared?”, he said. “Yes”, I squeaked, though probably more apprehensive than scared.
By now, I am getting the hang of it. The adaptive cruise control is useful, though not on bendy roads. The ‘heads-up’ display is also handy – it’s a projection on the inside of the windscreen of essential information like speed limit and travel speed, and means you needn’t glance at the instrument cluster. There’s a sunroof, automatic wipers, wireless phone charging. One of the features I like best is the cooled seats. I’m not sure exactly how they work, but becoming hot in regions the air conditioning can’t reach is a thing of the past.
Car knitting
Figuring out how to charge it has been an adventure too. The first time, I stood in the windy supermarket car park trying to get it to work. Eventually unplugging and replugging the cables seemed to work, and perhaps also some patience. Waiting for the phone, chargepoint and car to communicate with each other isn’t instantaneous. I was disappointed to come out from the supermarket to find that the car still had hours until fully charged. All part of the learning curve – the charger wasn’t one of the superfast ones. I’ll be able to charge at home eventually, but in the meantime, I’ll take it to a chargepoint and either wait or find something else to do for several hours. I’ve started some car knitting for the waits – a pair of socks, which are small, portable, and easy to pick up and put down.
And this is what it looks like
The first half of the neckline is now done on the gansey, knit up to the shoulder and bound off together with the back. The other side is well under way and should easily be completed by next week. And then, the sleeves. These will have a plain section followed by a band of netting like the bottom of the yoke. Then it’ll be plain sailing down to the cuff. Can’t wait.
Aftermath. The origin of the word sparked my curiosity last week, and it turned out to be very interesting. It first appears as ‘after math’. ‘Math’ doesn’t refer to mathematics but comes from an Old English word for a mowing, or part of a crop that has been mowed, a ‘mowth’. So, when you mow your lawn, what you tip in the bin or hurl on the compost is a math. The aftermath is what grows after the first mowing, a second crop. It’s first recorded in 1496, and by 1656 it had taken on the meaning we use today.
Wind turbine parts expected
It’s been a slightly busier week than normal. Last Monday, a ‘smart’ meter was finally installed, after a wait of over five years. On a whim a while ago, I’d checked the supplier’s website, and was astonished when there was an appointment available. But I didn’t really expect that one would be installed. It didn’t become a reality until the installer got in touch a few days beforehand. In few hours, it was installed, but unfortunately it still isn’t working properly – the electric shows up, but not the gas.
Rain on grass
One of my other activities for the week has been reading the online version of the new car’s manual. It’s long, and tedious, but went more quickly when I realised much of it was repetition. I’m still none the wiser with many of the settings and features. It’s one of those things where you need to read it while in the vehicle.
Aliens
Speaking of the car, the one I’ve chosen is the Kia EV3, in ‘sunset orange’. Their colour choices were only grey, black, white, a very pale green, or orange; the orange was the only ‘free’ colour. It’s not available in North America, and is a cut-down version of the EV9, which is. The other news about the car is – it’ll be ready to pick up on Tuesday, in Inverness. It’s all rather exciting. I’ll be having a home chargepoint installed too.
More grass
On Thursday last week – and this is good news for my street – the potholes were finally repaired. They’ve been gradually enlarging over the years; residents drive like drunkards to avoid them. The patches are unsightly, but it’s better than unofficial previous attempts at repair by filling the holes with chippings or gravel.
a texture of creels
With the gansey, the accelerator is flat on the floor now that the neckline is started, about three inches from the top of the shoulder. For the final width, I’ve used the photo as a guide – the edges of the neckline are in the middle of the cable panels, which is about the centre one-third. For the shaping, I’m dividing the centre one-third stitches by four. The first and last quarters are added to the respective sides, leaving one-half in the centre. Then each shoulder is decreased by 1 st every right side row until the centre of the cable panel, when it’s knit straight until the correct length.
And if you’re interested, the OED’s word for the day is opsomania: an excessive craving for a particular food, esp. a delicacy.
This week the highlight, if you can call it that, was accepting an offer on one of my brother-in-law’s properties. I’ve never seen it except in pictures. The tenant, who has lived there 24 years, decided to buy, and after some negotiation, made an acceptable offer. Now the wheels of conveyancing will start to turn, and I’m hoping there’s no bumps on the road. One down, four to go.
Another highlight of the week, or at least a ‘notable event’, is the heat. On Saturday and Sunday, we basked in a heat wave. When I drove home on Saturday after being in Thurso for the morning, the thermometer in the car indicated 30℃. The temperature gradually fell as I approached home, where it was a more reasonable 20℃. At least the car wasn’t like an oven when I got in. It has a very nice feature where it can be programmed to achieve a certain temperature prior to departure.
