post-christmas wash-up?

I hope you all, dear readers, had an excellent Christmas and are looking forward to 2015. Thanks you all so much for coming to read my blog, I hope you find it diverting.
 
I’ve already been diverted, myself, in trying to give you all a quick definition of ‘wash-up’, used in my old job at IBM to describe a summary session, a meeting to clear up loose ends and close down a project tidily. I haven’t managed to find a good definition online, but in searching for it, found some interesting blogs and forums, like the word detective, who has the most interesting explanation, as an aside in the discussion of hot wash, a post-emergency, urgent wash-up meeting. One to use with the kids.
 
Embarrassingly, I have only just finished making some Christmas gifts, namely a scarf for my sister. This took a while, as I wanted to make a snood-like scarf, in fair isle, that buttoned rather than pulled over the head – she, like many people, doesn’t want to drag a scarf over her curly hair to its detriment.
 
Inspired by Kate Davies‘ new book, Yokes, I decided to shape the bottom part of scarf using the tree pattern, which accomodates the narrowing of the knitting. I also knitted it in on circular needles, using a steek – a kind of gusset that you cut, after knitting.
 
I finished the tie early, luckily. It’s the same pattern I used here, also in Koigu space dyed wool, in a lace weight. I would love to make more in red silk from ColourMart, but sadly, I’m a decade too late for the wearing of ties.
 
I’ve been trying to make practical gifts, even if they are home made. Inspired by scrapiana‘s hot water bottle covers recycled from cashmere jumpers I made some quilted hot water bottle covers, from velvet scraps. The quilting I’ve copied from Australian Wagga quilts, where tufts of a contrasting colour were used.
I also managed to finish the two chess sets I talked about here. The porcelain set in white worked well, especially with gold leaf added. The ‘darker’ colour is a bit too light: the players will have to concentrate! .
As usual, it was making the box (in the gallery below) that took the longest time.
I finished the Lewis Chess set, cast in plaster, with home made gesso, made from rabbit skin glue and whiting. The red ones are coloured with iron oxide – rust, basically – which I use a lot in glazes. They were then polished with shoe polish, for the red; and a clear wax furniture polish for the white. I bought the polish from the Mylands factory shop, they are still manufacturing nearby in West Norwood!

Wagga Quilt, from Quilted Planet, by Celia Eddy