Lemmon Juicer Podcast Ep 11: The one with the Frogging.

Welcome to the Lemmon Juicer Podcast, I hope you are sitting comfortably.

Instagram: @lemmonjuicer
Ravelry: sockbug97
Ravelry Group: Lemmon Juicer Podcast
Blog: www.lemmonjuicer.blogspot.co.uk

Extended Shownotes you will find on the Blog or in the Ravelry Group.

Real Talk:
These are some links to the people leading the conversations around racism and inclusion in the
knitting community, take a look at their stories and discover some new people:
@su.krita - https://www.instagram.com/su.krita/?hl=en
@thecolormustard - https://www.instagram.com/thecolormustard/?hl=en
@ocean_bythesea - https://www.instagram.com/ocean_bythesea/?hl=en
@booksandcables - https://www.instagram.com/booksandcables/?hl=en
@ggmadeit - https://www.instagram.com/ggmadeit/?hl=en


Finished Objects:
Fingerless Mittens With Thumbs - Merianna Mel: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/easy-fingerless-mittens---with-thumbs-2
- These mittens are made with an acrylic yarn, unfortunately I can't remember what it was, or find the ball band.
- This is a free pattern and very easy to make.

Flannel - Feather and Fan Dishcloth by Lily Sugar'n Cream and Bernat Design Studio: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/feather-and-fan-dishcloth
- I got this yarn to make myself a face flannel, and there was a free pattern on the ball band, so I used that! The pattern was my first every try at a a tiny bit of lace, and opened my eyes to blocking things.
- The yarn is Lily Cotton, Sugar n' Cream in the Moondance colourway.

Barley Hat - Tin Can Knits: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/barley
- I wanted to make something with this stunning yarn from Gamer Crafting, it is her 100% Merino in the Kind colourway. I decided on the Barley hat as it had a small amount of detail, but wasn't completely plain. The only trouble is, it is too big! So I'm going to rip it out and knit it again.

WIPs:
Mam's Fern & Feather: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fern--feather-2
- I'm making another Fern and Feather Jumper for my mum. This one is using Malabrigo Rio's yarn in their Cian colourway, the white contrast colour I have used is Rios again, but undyed.
- I am enjoying this jumper just as much as I enjoyed the first, and this time it is all a different shape, which keeps it interesting.

#SocksforSam: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/necker-2
- These started off as a pair of socks for my boyfriend. I decided I didn't like them. The yarn is not sock yarn, and is better off being something else. So I frogged it. I might have to go comfort the boyfriend from the ordeal.

Cancun Boxy Erin Kate Archer: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/cancun-boxy-lace-top
- This is knit in Sirdar Seafarer, not sure of the colourway, but it a navy blue. The yarn has worked up lovely in the pattern. I believe that my tension is quite lose as I've used 6mm needles and the yarn is on the thin side for DK, but after blocking the one half I've made I do like the fabric it has created.

Baby/Toddler Socks: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/baby-socks
- Yes, I'm going to be an Aunty! This is yarn left over from the socks I knitted for my Sister-In-Law for christmas. It is Regia in the Arne and Carlos design line in the Nome colourway. There is no pattern for these socks as I'm making it up as I go along - I just hope they fit!


In The Shed:
Yarn Swift: Don't watch this if you are a joiner/carpenter - you might cry... Anyway. I'm trying my best to make a yarn swift, its not looking good.
- The swift is making progress, I may have possibly drilled the holes on the wrong side, but I do manage to put it right(ish) in the end. Take a look and we will see if it all holds up for next time.

Music:
"Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Reading Challenge Books 4-6

I have been rather lax in my blog post writing recently. But I am hoping to change that. At least I am here writing now!

I intend to write a blog post about the books I read throughout this challenge and I'm going to do them three books at a time. I am currently reading book number nine, but this post will talk about books four to six. If you want to catch up on the post explaining why I am starting and the challenge itself you can find it here along with my thoughts on the first three books I read:

- The Tales of Beedle the Bard
- Handbook for Railway Steam Locomotive Enginemen
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The books I am reading are rather varied, and are not all planned out in advance. Part of me wants to plan it all out and would feel rather smug having done so, but I am also aware that I usually want to read something on a whim and having to stick to a years worth of books that I planned out one september would also drive me insane. So I didn't. I did however try to to keep track of the dates that I started and finished each book and where that meant I was in terms of progress. This I have semi-successfully managed. By that I mean that I have written down the dates I have finished each book, but may have forgotten it for some of them. I really hope it won't be too much of a problem.

The third book of the challenge was Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook by Terry Pratchett. I started this book on the 19th September 2018, and finished it on 26th of the same month. So it didn't take me too long to read. I do most of my reading at work in my lunch and tea breaks, so there are periods of time on my off shift where I don't really read. I should change that, it might make the challenge go quicker!

The book itself takes on the role of the Bradshaw's railway guide, but based in Terry Pratchett's discworld. It has little snippets of all of the characters and places from his discworld series and is rather funny in doing so, like most Pratchett. It was a joy to read and I found it funny and entertaining. I very much enjoyed this read and once it was finished, like always there was a small tinge of sadness at having to start a new book.

The next book was not a fiction book but part of an autobiography series. I say a series, because this author wrote an autobiography and then continued to write another three books after. I read Worms to Catch by Guy Martin. This is the third book he has written, covering more or less a year out of his life. Which in itself was crazy and entertaining.

I started this book on the evening of the 26th September and it was finished by the 11th October 2018. 16 days, cover to cover. Seeing as the goal was one book every two weeks this one took slightly longer than was needed. But I think I still have plenty of time, I'll work it out at the end.
I loved reading this book. It gave me insight into what went into Guy Martin's TV programs and his writing style is one that doesn't take any sh*t, is real and down to earth. Which I get on with. I find fancy words and big long sentences difficult to deal with. This is just real. I like it (so much so that you will see I read another Guy Martin book later on).

For the sixth book, I went for something small and silly. It was the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - not the screenplay of the film (I've already read that) but the Hogwarts Library edition of the book that was written by JK Rowling to raise funds for one of her charities. I loved to immerse myself some more in the wonderful world that JK Rowling had created. It's a charming and silly little book and the kind that I could sit down and read in a day or two with no trouble at all. Which I expect is what I did, but as I forgot to write down when I finished it, I'm not to sure at all... Oh poo.

So let's work out if I'm on track with the challenge so far. Up to the 11th of October 2018, we know I have read five books. We're a fifth of the way through the challenge, yay! Going by our one book every two weeks quota, starting on the 1st September I should have read three books. We are doing well! I don't feel quite so bad having taken the time to read Worms to Catch. I am enjoying how this challenge is turning out. It feels good to have a goal in mind when reading books, and it acts as some gentle encouragement to pick up another book after I have put one down.

I didn't do much recreational reading when I was at college, as I was so focused on my studies that I was revising most of the time, and when I was wasn't I wanted to do one of my other 50 hobbies I seem to have collected. (Hobby Collector is now a thing okay.) Having finished my degree and starting my new job in August, I felt that I didn't want to lose the regularity of reading. I don't know if that was a conscious or unconscious feeling, but it manifested itself as a challenge to myself.

Looking at my progress so far in the challenge, (I have read a few more then just six when I am writing this, but you will hear about them in due course) I am pleased with the amount I have read. I feel a huge sense of achievement in having read so much, and there are happy memories connected with each and every book. I'm excited to keep going, and I am excited to keep learning new things.

So I will be back soon enough with the next three on my list.

Lemmon Juicer Podcast Ep 10: The One With The Fern & Feathers

Welcome to the Lemmon Juicer Podcast, pour yourself a cuppa and get stuck in.

Instagram: @lemmonjuicer
Ravelry: sockbug97
Ravelry Group: Lemmon Juicer Podcast
Blog: www.lemmonjuicer.blogspot.co.uk

Finished Objects:
Fern & Feather: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fern--feather
- This is knitted with Countess Ablaze yarn, the green is the Footloose (Funk Remix) colourway and the white is the undyed colour. They are both on the Grande Merino DK base - lovely and squishy! The jumper is knitted mostly on a 4mm needle, and I may have made it a size or two too small, the body is a little too short, but I adjusted the sleeves to make them longer.
Gift Knit Socks: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/alison-socks
- A pair of socks made ready for a christmas present. They are knitted on Regia yarn, the Arne and Carklos design line in the Nome colourway. I have made these with a 2.5mm needles and with garter stitch heels and toes.
Gift Project Bag Make: A quick bag I've sewn up myself without a pattern.
- This bag is made from two fat quarters from the same fat quarter pack that I picked up in Hobbycraft. I made up the pattern myself, but it is a simple lined back with a zip on the top. It is designed to be a project bag for someone this christmas so doesn't have any interfacing. But I might try that next time.

WIPs:
Mam's Fern & Feather:https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fern--feather-2
- Another Fern & Feather! This one made out of Malabrigo Rios in their Cian colourway and the Natural colourway (probably just undyed) for the contrast yoke. This is a few sizes bigger then my one and I'm hoping I will get it done sooner rather than later. But Mam already knows she probably wont get it for Christmas.
#SocksforSam:https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/necker-2
- The Necker socks for Sam. These socks have seen slow progress with all the other christmas makes going along as well at the moment. But I have finally completed a couple of repeats on them. I am using some Bergère de France Calinou, in the Grenadine colourway for this pair. Although they might not be suitable for socks (I'll make him another pair!) The colour is just perfect for showing up the pattern.


Acquisitions:
Malabrigo Rios - Cian and Natural colourways, used for Mam's Fern & Feather
GamerCrafting Pamper Pack - One skein of Yak Sock from GamerCrafting, Two soaps from Bean & Boy and a lovely tea from Herbaceous Blends.
- The tea is the tasteyest and the yarn is the prettiest, and the soap, well I haven't tried it yet, but Angie from Gamercrafting says it is brilliant so there we go!

In The Shed:
Yarn Swift: Don't watch this if you are a joiner/carpenter - you might cry... Anyway. I'm trying my best to make a yarn swift, its not looking good.

Lemmon Juicer Podcast Ep 9: The one with only one WIP.

Welcome to the Lemmon Juicer Podcast, get comfy and I hope you enjoy.

I appologise for the bad lighting, there was no natural light, so hopefully this only a one off.

Instagram: @lemmonjuicer
Ravelry: sockbug97
Ravelry Group: Lemmon Juicer Podcast
Blog: www.lemmonjuicer.blogspot.co.uk

Finished Objects:
Blue Skirt: A pattern drafted from instructions on how to make your own circle skirt: https://seweasysewing.blogspot.com/2014/03/diy-circle-half-circle-skater-skirts.html
- This was made using some old fabric that my Granny gave to me, and I believe used to be a skirt for a dress of some kind. It is a lovely shimmery navy blue colour, and may just be ever so slightly shorter on one side then the other due to my dodgy hemming skills! ;)

Space Shuttle: UPDATE - I was rather silly and didn't check on Ravelry for the pattern, here it is: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/space-shuttle
- This shapce shuttle I crocheted out of DK yarn. I used some acrylic yarn from Hobbycraft, some Bonus DK and some of their WI range in the colours I needed (Black, White and Orange). The pattern was easy to follow, and my friend loved it.

Gift Knit Socks: This is my own vanilla sock recipe, 64 sts on a 2.5mm needle. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/colly-socks
- These were made using Regia Pairfect socks from the Arne and Carlos design line. The colourway was their Garden colourway I believe, but they do have a lovely christmassy feel to them, which is perfect seeing as they will be a christmas gift.

WIPs:
Fern & Feather: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fern--feather
- This is a lovely pattern by Jennifer Steingass, and I have used Countess Ablaze yarn, the green is their Footloose (Funk Remix) colourway and the white is the undyed yarn. These are both on their Grande Merino base. Which is a superwash and very cuddly!

Acquisitions:
Spin-A-Yarn (@spinayarndevon):
Regia Pairfect Arne & Carlos Design Line - 09136 Garden Colourway
West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply - 855 Pheasant Colourway
Malabrigo Sock Yarn - Ivy SW138 Colourway
Knit-Pro Zings - 2.5mm DPNs

Babbles Yarns (@vanawillemiel) https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BabblesYarns?ref=l2-shopheader-name:
DK Yarn 75%/25% Merino/Polyamide - Solid Gold Batch 2 Colourway

Loop London (@looplondonloves):
Malabrigo Rios - Purpuras RIO872 Colourway
Madelinetosh Pashmina - Upstate Colourway

In The Shed:
Yarn Swift: Don't watch this if you are a joiner/carpenter - you might cry... Anyway. I'm trying my best to make a yarn swift, its not looking good.
- I did struggle a fair amount with this make, and I think I just need to go back to the drawing board. If you do have any suggestions then that would be greatly appreciated, I need to figure this one out!

Music:
"Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Product Making and That Guilty Feeling

Product Knitting, is a term that I have heard being used around the place, and only recently have I come to use it myself. It's being used as a term to describe when something is being made for the end product, not necessarily for the process of doing it. A bit like knitting a hat because you need one, rather than knitting a hat because you enjoy knitting. But as always, knitting is usually a little bit of both.

Pooping out a bookmark after pilates.

New projects can be started for a whole host of reasons, and very rarely is it only for one. But
recently I have been feeling the pressure to be knitting or making all the time, purely because I feel that I SHOULD be making something all the time. However that way of thinking, for me, is unhealthy. I should be making because I enjoy it and I want to, not because some little voice in the back of my head is shaming me into making something all the time.

Partially I feel I have social media to blame. But lets not turn this into a rant against it. Social media is a wonderful tool, which can be used to share our amazing ideas and creations, and ultimately bring a community together. The knitting and making community thrives off the connections we make through social media, and personally I think that should be used to everyone's advantage to bring us all closer.

Where social media falls down, is when people start to compare themselves to others. People can feel the need to be the same or similar to other people to fit in. Which certainly isn't the case. I will admit now, that was my problem.

I am a relatively new podcaster, I love podcasting, and I love to share what I have been doing and making with the people who care to watch and follow me. I follow a lot of other podcasters online, and that is what got me into podcasting myself. I find that when you are starting something new, you look to the other successful people around you, and you begin to find your way, taking inspiration from the others, as well as working out what works and what doesn't.

Chilled knitting and cuddles.

There will always be people around you who have more time, are more motivated and are more organised. Those combinations, especially when they are all together online, paint a picture that someone is always making or doing or busy and busy = success. My trouble, was that I tried to be the same. Now trying to be all those things is no bad thing. But trying to be something you are not, and getting almost burnt out in the process, is a bad thing. Busy doesn't always mean success. My mother told me: "There will always be people better and more successful than you, and there will always be people who are worse than you. Your success, can only be measured by you." - Right now these are words that I need to live by.

I went a bit overboard recently, always trying to poop out a project here and there so I had something
new to share on instagram, or the podcast. I always needed something new, something exciting and something people wanted to see - or what I thought they wanted to see.

I found myself one night making a bookmark. I'd worked a 12 hour shift, gone out to a pilates class, and just got home. I sat down on the sofa and immediately thought "I've got to be doing something" and I felt so guilty for just sitting down. That was when I realised my attitude needed to change, I needed to go easy on myself. So I slowed down.

Slowing down is nothing to be scared or ashamed of. It should be embraced when it is needed. I began to realise what my podcast meant to me, and that really, my instagram should be an extension of that. What I wanted was to be my genuine self on the internet.

Car knitting.

We always pick and choose what we post online. Rarely is it the true picture, and often we as people assume that it is the whole picture and we create images of the people around us by what they post. It is important to remember that. We need to be careful what we are projecting onto other people, and
look out for the people around us. We also need to make sure that we are not putting the unrealistic and high standards on ourselves, which we could ultimately fail at, because we as humans are complicated. We should give ourselves patience and love, and not judge the people around us, when they are going through things we could not know anything about. Practice understanding, compassion and honesty. - I'm writing this while sat in my pyjamas, and then I'm going to go knit something that I want to, because I'm allowed to be myself. So I'm going to go live by Mam's words, and maybe we all should too.

Thank you for reading this, and I hope the message you take away is a positive one. This has been my story of a slow realisation that I am being adversely affected by what is around me, and taking steps to fix that. I hope that we all realise what is good for us, and what we can do to make it better. Here's to my chilled PJ day. 

Lemmon Juicer Podcast Episode 8: It's Finished!

It's out and it's live! Episode 8 of the Lemmon Juicer Podcast is now up on Youtube, so grab a cuppa and get watching.

Instagram: @lemmonjuicer
Ravelry: sockbug97
Ravelry Group: Lemmon Juicer Podcast
Blog: www.lemmonjuicer.blogspot.co.uk

Finished Objects:
Necker Leftovers: A shorty sock in my standard sock recipe, this time with a german short row heel. I used a 2mm circular needle, and cast on 64 stitches. The yarn used is West Yorkshire Spinners, Signature 4 ply in the Blue Tit colourway. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/leftovers-sock---necker
Woven Pencil Case: A small piece of fabric which was the very first bit of weaving that I ever did. using some purple and blue yarn. I managed to find a zip that was the right size and hand sewed the zip in as well as sewing the fabric up the sides to create a small notions.
Seed Stitch Mitts: A half object that sat in the bottom of a crate for years having been forgotten! A simple made up pattern for knitted flat seed stitch fingerless mitts. This pair were knitted with a chunky yarn with a 3.25mm needle, making for a very tight gauge, but very warm fabric.

WIPs:
#SocksforSam: Another pair of Necker socks, this time in a plain red yarn, and for Sam. This pair is knitted on a set of 2mm DPNs, the pattern calls for circular needles, but I'm a rebel! https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/necker-2
Fern & Feather: This is a beautiful pattern that I brought for myself as a present when I got my first pay slip, and it is starting to take shape. The yarn I have used is Countess Ablaze, Grande Merino, in the Footloose (Funk Remix), and Undyed Grande Merino. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fern--feather


In The Shed:
Stool: This stool is being made up as I'm going along, but this week we have put on the finishing touches, which are the supports for the legs. There was a basic design that I tried to follow, which I figured out would be the most simple. The end result I am quite pleased with,
Spitfire: A little airfix kit, the only problem I had was with the canopy, but that was very easily overcome and the overall result is lovely! https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/themes/spitfire/supermarine-spitfire-mkia-starter-set-1-72.html

Music:
"Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Lemmon Juicer Podcast Ep 7: Shark Attack

Another episode is up and live! Check it out here, along with the extended show notes. I hope you enjoy.

Instagram: @lemmonjuicer
Ravelry: sockbug97
Ravelry Group: Lemmon Juicer Podcast
Blog: www.lemmonjuicer.blogspot.co.uk

Finished Objects:
Giraffe Cross-Stitch: A cross stitch kit given to me ages ago, I'm afraid I haven't got any other deatils.
- A small giraffe cross stitch that I have made into a bookmark. I believe that the cross stitch is by Inspirations, but I lost the packet it was in a long time ago. I cut a small piece of felt just the same size as the cross-stitch aida itself and hand stitched the back on.

Fishtail Headband: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sockbug97/fishtail-braided-headband
- This is made out of Empress Chunky yarn, in the Atlantic colourway. I used straight 6mm needles and one cable needle. It is a lovely cable pattern and can be made to fit any size of head.

Tweed Snood:I am unable to find this pattern on Ravelry at the moment.
- I made this as some emergency crochet - never go away with too little knitting! - It is made out of King Cole, Big Value Multi Chunky, in the shade "Pasture", with a 5.5mm crochet hook, and is crocheted in such a way that the round goes around the inside and the outside of the snood, giving it a twist.

WIPs:
Easy Fingerless Mittens: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-fingerless-mittens---with-thumbs
- Again more emergency knitting when I finished my tweed snood. They are knitted out a green DK weight yarn, it is Jarol New Arrival, Baby Randoms which is a 100% Acrylic. It was from a local wool shop. I used 4mm straight needles. This was to make sure that I used both the needles and the yarn that I left home with as to not steal anything from my best mate.

Granny Stripe Blanket:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/granny-stripes-2
- a blanket that has been in the making for quite a while. Made of all my DK scraps, and started when I was just beginning to crochet, it still isn't even half way!

Aquisitions:
Countess Ablaze Yarn: Green - Footloose (Funk Remix), White - Undyed
Fern and Feather Jumper Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fern--feather

In The Shed:
Stool: I'm winging it, trying to make a stool.
- Stop here for some untamed confusion and maybe, just maybe at the end I'll have a stool that can hold my weight. Elase we'll be here for The Stool Take Two.

Spitfire: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/themes/spitfire/supermarine-spitfire-mkia-starter-set-1-72.html
- So very nearly finished, just a little bit of painting, some transfers and a quick varnish.

Podcasts Mentioned:
Babbles Travelling Yarns:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/vanawillemeil
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanawillemiel/?hl=en
Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/babbles-travelling-yarns