Have you seen the film Julie and Julia about the young woman who decided to make every recipe in Julia Childs’ book and blog about it? I seem to remember seeing a blog where someone was knitting every sock in a sock book. Now although I am quite infatuated with Comfort Knitting and Crochet Afghans I wouldn’t contemplate doing every single one as there are several that I would have no desire to make – this being one that fell into that category…
It’s called Flokati after the greek rugs it’s based on and is supposed to be knit. Once I’d got over my initial ’Oh no!’ when I was asked to do one I did this…
and wasn’t happy with it for a number of reasons – the stitch was messy, my first lot of loops weren’t loopy enough and some attempted to disappear to the back side (as it were), I made the second lot bigger but they still seemed loose so after finding a more satisfactory looking, but very time consuming, loop knitting method on the web I decided to try crocheting – I had crocheted loopy ears for the toy spaniels I did last year but couldn’t recall where I’d got the pattern from.
I tried a stitch in the Vogue Knitting Dictionary of Crochet Stitches (the left hand side of the photo) but wasn’t convinced that those loops would be stable.
I got another method off the internet but as can be seen from the right hand side of the photo it somehow got wider and I didn’t like the loopy side either…
Then I happened upon a free Loop Stitch Pillow pattern on the Lion Brand Yarn site and was more than happy with it. It was easy to do, didn’t involved making the loop on one side and then moving it to the other and looks like this up close…
three rows of double crochet (US – single crochet) and between each loop stitch row. When tousled to hide the in-between rows it looks like this…
On the rear every fourth row is a bit uneven…
but who’s going to see the back – apart from us. In total it measure 74 cm (29″) by 94 cm (37″) and is in aran (worsted) weight yarn on a size 5.00mm hook and has probably cured my aversion to any large area of loops.
Plus here’s another pic worthy of note…
In case you’re wondering that would be two, yes two, empty washing baskets. All the clean washing as of today is ironed and put away or just put away. B nearly sabotaged this when he did some more washing just before tea but fortunately fresh from the dryer nothing needed ironing. I think this is the first time since I got home at Christmas, or possibly the second, that we have had a clean laundry free zone in the back bedroom.
I think it’s safe to say that taking the Thalidomide (200 mg) earlier in the evening, 8 pm o’clock being the optimum time for me – having moved from just before bed, so about 10.30, and having tried various times between then and half seven. I’m still not that good in a morning but I never have been but am getting up easier and do feel significantly better later in the day – which is just as well as the Peritoneal Nurse called this morning to confirm that she can start my training tomorrow after Haemodialysis. YAY.
Taking the Thalidomide earlier hasn’t made any difference to my forgetfulness and in fact in telling you about training tomorrow has reminded me that I need to make some butties to take with me!