Questions: 10 August

[vilakins]

10. Which craft project do you want to do next?

First up, I'm part way through this cute vest (the photo shows the local designer wearing it). It comes in a pure-wool kit from the designer in Wanaka, pick your colours. Mine are watery: rain grey, aqua blue, glacial green. It's a cool construction; you knit the front and back sideways at the same time in one piece, then just seam under the arms (as you can see) and pick up stitches to add the band and lapels. I'm at the stage where I have to seam the sides in mattress stitch, but I have yet to work out how big I want the armholes. i.e. what I might be wearing it over. Plus, like many knitters, I'm not as keen on seaming.

So, my next project? It'll be something small after this one which has been the largest I've done for a while. Very possibly this hat as it can be worn different ways, has various style options (I think I'll go fairly plain), and I have some lovely Malabrigo Rios yarn that would work well. I live in a windy coastal town and hats are always good.

Comments

[gwendraith]

I like your projects very much, the colours sound wonderful. I'm always in awe of anyone who has any crafting skills as I'm useless (I can knit dishcloths ;)). I'm transcribing old records for the National Archives as a volunteer, I think I am good at that, so that's something.

[vilakins]

That's great! Is that a Zooniverse citizen science project? I've taken part in several: mostly astronomy and transcriptions of old records. It's good to have something like that to pick up when you have the time.

I love knitting because it's so relaxing, almost meditative.

[gwendraith]

Yes, Zooniverse this time. I've just finished one doing Royal Navy records for the late 1800s to WW1 which I enjoyed and now it's the Dreadnought Seaman's Hospital, Greenwich project doing the records of patients from 1826-1930. It's sometimes hard on the eyes but as you said, it's good to pick up and put down. I've always loved ancestry and history.

[executrix]

I wonder if "knitters don't like seaming" is sort of like "you're either a cook or a baker"?

[vilakins]

Cool! Apart from astronomy, I like to do ones with relevance here. The first Zooniverse we did (the only one for Greg) was transcribing weather records from NZ ships from the 20s and 30s. They travelled all over the world (freight, passengers, whaling) and covered a lot of the places there weren't other records for.

I've also done a Christchurch 19C archive - a lot about immigrants, mostly UK - that would be useful for local ancestry.

[vilakins]

Ha! I always liked baking more when I was a teenager and helped my mother, but rarely do it now because it's mostly bad for me. I did make my favourite wholemeal sunflower bread recently when the German sourdough bakery was closed so I haven't lost it.