Jointcare+ - Challenge 2 by Spot

Hey everyone, Spot here again. Mum hasn't got time to write - she appears to be stuck to the sofa watching that square box - there's lots of screaming and shouting and tears going on here!

Anyway for challenge 2 i had to show a trick that i would do for my Jointcare+ chew.  I do love my chew but i don't really do tricks (let's face it, i barely do good behaviour really, so a trick is probably beyond my ability)  So here i am doing what i do best - Looking cute!

I'm feeling good at the moment, I seem to be a bit more springy out of my bed, but it's early days so I'm not counting my chickens (well i do, everyday i count the ones in the garden in case any are missing but that's a whole different story)

See you next week for challenge 3

Some knitting.....

I have made a few things for sale in my shop in the Crafters' barn.  I'd like to say that Noo's Knits is getting ready for (sssssh whisper) Christmas, but in truth the weather here is so shocking that they just were things I was inspired to make.

Mostly machine knits for a change, the first is a super long scarf. 6'4" in length and 7 " in width, although obviously that slightly depends on how you hold it as it's pretty stretchy. It's knit in full fisherman's rib across 45 sts on T10/8.  I worked on needle on the main bed with a 3 needle gap and then the 4th needle in work etc. The ribber was the same layout with the working needles nicely lined up in the middle of the 3 non-working needles of the MB. (Kinda obvious I suppose).  I used two yarns wound together, the first is a 4ply pure Alpaca, and the second a laceweight Kid-SIlk (75% kid mohair and 25% silk).

The result is beaufiully soft and snug, but without the weight of some of the long scarves.  It only weighs about 225g.  I make keyhole scarves for those times when you don't want bulk, but this is for when you totally do want to be snuggled up. Maybe taking a walk out with your camera, ambling along.... or just admiring the views around you be they country or town. (It's actually quite hard to put this one up for sale!)










The next two items are prototypes and not available for sale yet - I don't know if they will be.  The first is a cowl I have called Synthesis. As it's a fusion knit on machine and by hand.  Firstly you spend 4 hours making an icord on the machine (that would take months by hand I think!) and then you hand knit that up into a cowl:

I think the icord needs to be a bit wider and looser knit, but I think it would be lovely knit up in something like the yarn used for this:  (which is also for sale ;) )
So that is one of the things next on the agenda, to see if what I see in my head comes up trumps in real life. ;)

Also, I made a pair of socks on the machine. - They have been gifted to my sister as they were just a smidgeon short for me, but they were fun to try and only took around 3 hours to complete including hand ribbing the top:

 They were knit in the round on the main bed and ribber over 60 sts, on T6/6. The legs were 60 circular rows (RC120).  The reason for trying out socks on the machine is that a few people have asked me to make them, but in all honesty to hand knit them you'd have to charge around £200-£300 at least (!!!!) which I appreciate is ridiculous for a pair of socks. But if I can make this work then I think I could sell them around £40 - £50 depending on yarn, which though still expensive isn't bad for what they are....... best socks you'll ever wear! ;)

The Crafters' Barn is coming along really well. We now have over 50 shops (shock!) which is amazing, and I am so grateful for all the support I'm receiving.  We still have improvements to make. I think mostly in the browsing experience for buyers, but do pop along and have a look. We have some wonderful artists.  I have been asked to write a guest blog post for Handmade Crafts about starting the Barn and the ethic behind it, which is why you still haven't seen it here. It's not written yet as i haven't quite had the time I want to put into it, but I'll post here when it is, with a link to where it is! ;)

So now I just need to get to grips with the lace carriage on my machine. At the moment I can't really make sense of it, possibly because I don't have any proper punchcards for it, so I'm missing the markings that tell you what to do, and I can't understand yet quite how it works.  I will need to punch a card myself following instructions and mark it up with carriage directions, then i might begin to get to grips with it.

So, next time, that could be what you see (or not!)

'Til Soon ♥

Weed Control Products

 A couple of weeks ago I was asked to do a sponsored blog post for Roundup gel - never one to turn down an opportunity to blog about something new (I do sometimes find it hard to get inspiration) I jumped at the chance.

Now, it turns out that since then, we appear to have had pretty non stop rain. I had tried the gel a couple of times but I am pretty sure it got rained off before it had been there 2 minutes to be honest.  So, in light of the fact that this post has been waiting a while, and we have the promise of a dry afternoon, I have started again and will call this, somewhat optimistically, blog post #1 of 2 !

The reason I was happy to do this is that I don't really like using weedkillers or any other non-organic means of any kind of pest or weed control where I can help it.  I have chickens, and if I use spray weedkiller that means I have to be a lot more careful about where i let them roam, and what i do with rakings and cuttings. (My hens are my compost bins normally) So this seems ideal, a thicker consistency weed control product that I can apply more particularly, exactly where i want it.

It comes in a plastic container, a similar shape to a stick deodorant, (but bigger)

You take the lid off by squeezing two tabs either side of the container just under that green lip (I am saying that cos it took me a while to see them) and you get this:

(Well you get that when you have taken the foil protector off and clicked that blue button on the side for what seems like 50 times to get the gel up to the top)

We have a little bit of land next door that the chickens had had their run on a few months ago - the grass has all been cleared (they're good at that) but quite a large patch of deep rooted weeds have regrown):

The Roundup gel is easy to apply, and it tells you on the container how many "clicks" of gel you need for different types of weed.  It's sticky, thick consistency means it definitely does only go where you put it, but the downside to that is that i found you had to hold the back of the leaf to smear the gel on - that really wouldn't work for stinging nettles !! (Well, not without a good pair of gloves anyway).  I did try it on the lawn weeds as I have a lot of dandelion type weeds, and i was doing a review it seemed a good idea to try, but again the need to press fairly firmly against the leaf made the application difficult in those circumstances, and I think I got as much on the grass as i did on the weeds.  

My verdict for the application of the Roundup Gel weed killer is that for areas of a few, large weeds - bindweed, bramble, etc it would be great. It would negate the need to spray everything in sight, and if you were planning  something where you just needed to rid an area of a certain few large weeds, or if you have a rambling bramble climbing across your best perennial bed,  it would be perfect in terms of ease of application. But if you have a lot of dense weeds or small leaved weeds (it says it will do couch grass but i have no idea how you would apply it to something so thin and flexible, maybe using an old paint brush) then I don't think the gel would really be the right product.

Hopefully, if you tune back in in a fortnight or so I should be able to show you the result of it as a weed control product - well that's if it doesn't rain again of course.

I'd love to write, but....

.... There are actually hints of blue sky outside,


and that's the first time I've seen anything but dark grey in the best part of two weeks..... So I'm afraid I have a prior engagement with a weedy veg patch. Be back soon ;-)


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and wham!!! 2 weeks have passed

Seriously, I blinked and missed 'em! ;)

My beautiful cousin was here for a couple of days - all the way up from Devon so she could visit the Chelsea Flower show. She stayed here two nights, coming up after work one day, going to Chelsea the next, and then driving home the third day. It was wonderful to spend a little time in the evenings chatting whilst sitting on my deck under my beautiful fairy lights. Listening to the hens clucking themselves to sleep. I feel very lucky that I come from such an awesome family. We don't get to see each other all that often as we are spread far and wide, but it never affects our relationships, we are as close now as we were when we were children.  It's interesting to see those personality traits that obviously come from genetics rather than background!! (misplaced your keys lately anyone?!)  Anyway, it was an honour to be able to help her meet her Chelsea dream, I hope we get to do it again one year.

In other news........ I've been knitting, and working hard on the Crafters' Barn (the new site, so I won't link)  It's coming along swimmingly and I've got someone in to do the T&C's now as well, so I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.  It feels it's been a long time coming, but it's been such a dream of mine to offer this website to all small business crafters out there.  Won't be long folks!

I have loads of knitting to do too. Laika is finished and it's beautiful, but it needs buttons so I'm not showing it until it's done (despite the fact that it's been worn several times already)  I'm now knitting some men's socks for a client, just plain vanilla type gardening socks.  Nice summer knitting really, quite mindless and not lots of heavy yarn sitting in your lap!

So a photoless post, that's not good is it??????

Spo-oht?!

She's always happy to oblige ;)