Put away your purse & become debt-averse

Baileys_Babe

Those mittens are beautiful and I am sure your sister will appreciate all the time and effort that you have put into creating them.

QueenJess

Those mittens are amazing! You could probably get yourself a profitable sideline there selling them on Etsy etc.

Humdinger1

Glorious mittens @foxgloves! I hope your cats don't become the naughty kittens of the nursery rhyme; you know, the ones that have lost their mittens; and start playing with them? Love Humdinger xx 

2Scratters

@Tescodealqueen I actually now use the barbers shop in the next village keeping costs at £10, needs must 

Tescodealqueen

2Scratters said:

@Tescodealqueen I actually now use the barbers shop in the next village keeping costs at £10, needs must 

Great idea unfortunately we have gone the other way. My husbands barbers closed down during the pandemic and he now gets his hair cut at my hairdressers😂  she charges him a tenner which is four pound more than the  barber charged him with a pensioner discount lol

EssexHebridean

Those mittens are fantastic Foxgloves - well done for getting them finished, too! 

I think you're right about people generally keeping a closer eye on energy use. It's easy to forget that those of us on here are the exception, not the rule, and that while we might always have been more mindful of the cost of heating etc, the vast majority of Jo(e) public are having a very rude awakening now about it. If it sticks in peoples minds going forwards, even if we do see a drop again at some stage, then it can only be good. it's a bit like the covid thing sorting out who really knew how to wash their hands properly, and who needed to be taught - sometimes it takes a bit of a crisis to get good practice into peoples heads doesn't it! 

My little monitor told me this morning that we'd used 21kWh overnight - which is a little over £3 before we even take into account the regular through-the-day background. 

foxgloves

Awww, how lovely to come on here to update my diary & find so many visitors - thanks for joining in the chat & for the nice comments about the mittens. I think my sis will like them. She's a very good knitter herself, so I know she'll be inspecting them to see how they are constructed, etc. I like knitting things in one piece, like socks & this type of mitten, where the knitting is pretty much 3-D with no annoying seams to sew up afterwards. I enjoyed that about knitting my gansey a couple of years ago too.
@Blackcats - Yes, smart monitor producing scary figures atm - It's still a shock to go into the utility where it lives & see figures that we haven't ever seen before,

@Four_Seasons - I've been considering using some of my yarn stash to crochet some granny squares which would eventually be a blanket. My granny squares can be a bit wonky though - I'm definitely a knitter rather than a crocheter. Perhaps it's time to revisit some squares & improve my technique.

@QueenJess - I have sold handcrafted stuff in the past......I made jewellery in my early 30s & sold it at local craft fairs, but gave up because as enjoyable as I found the fairs, it was rare that I ever sold sufficient to cover the costs of renting a stall. I have sold handknitted socks & also knitted them on order in the past, but the problem is that I can't charge anything like what I realistically need to in terms of my time. At least I can knit socks in 3 sizes without looking at the pattern, so I can do them while watching TV in the evenings. Those mittens would be a no-no because they require close following of a chart for the colourwork plus a separate sheet of instructions to cover the construction, so there are a lot of hours work in a single pair. Back in the summer, when I was in town & wearing something I'd knitted, a woman stopped me & asked if I took orders for knitting. I said I didn't because the amount I'd need to charge even to begin to cover my time would make the garment too expensive. She said 'How much are you talking?' (she must really have had a pattern she wanted knitting!) I said people would have to supply me with the pattern, the yarn & that £200 would not be an unrealistic amount for my time for a jumper or cardi. Knitting for myself or presents for friends & family is a labour of love, but for anybody else, it would be a business transaction & my time & skills would need paying for, which is why I don't take orders. I suggested she learn to knit herself as it isn't difficult  - I always say if one can cast on & off, knit & purl, then everything encountered in a pattern will pretty much be a variant of that. I'd love to tutor a little group in basic & intermediate knitting skills.

@Humdinger1 - Too right! I did have to cut out a couple of lengths of chewed yarn. A previous cat I had used to chew silently through the yarn without me noticing, until I would suddenly find I'd come to the end & it was decidedly soggy!

@EssexHebridean - Yes, some very sobering figures appearing on these energy monitors. I've put the thermostat in the lounge again today, rather than its usual home in the cold spot. Today's the first day I've felt properly chilly, but tbf, I did start off wearing a warm aran weight wrap over my dress & jumper. I took it off while I was washing up & like an idiot, have left it downstairs. I do like shawls & wraps & find they make a difference on the layers-wearing front.
Anyway, had better get on with today's post.
F x

Kantankrus_Mare

Just popped in for a catch up and see you have been in the wars @foxgloves!! Hope you are all healed and well now?

Mittens look great!! I know what you mean about not being able to sell knitted goods for a profit. My Nanna was a fantastic knitter and made us loads of jumpers as kids with intricate patterns. She used to do some beautiful baby jackets and shawls. Everyone used to say she should go into business but like you.....she said it took hours and hours to make anything and she got enough pleasure from seeing us wear the results.

foxgloves

Hello Wednesday Pence-Wranglers,
Pleasantly busy old-style day so far:
*Prepped Christmas cake fruit & put it to soak overnight in white rum (supermarket own brand, of course).
*Filled some of our little plastic snack pots with leftover dried fruit from the above, inc. apricots, sultanas & pineapple, as these will do for work snacks.
*Wrapped my sister's mittens & was surprised how nice the parcel looks, considering that I used all recycled wrappings & a handmade tag.
*Made Mr F's birthday card. I've probably mentioned this annual custom in previous years. Mr F is into quite a lot of geeky stuff, sci-fi, etc, & when we were debt-busting, I made him a birthday card themed on that with him & our cat at the time involved in the scene. He was ridiculously chuffed with it & so I've made it an annual event (he's kept them all). The challenge is for me to make these cards without using any tech/photoshop-type stuff, etc, apart from google & the printer. The other part of the challenge (because it began as a frugal project) is that I'm not to buy anything, so can only use materials I already have at home. Today I used some corrugated purple foil card for the main body of the card which I think must have come from my Mum's craft stash & I found a recycled envelope in my writing basket which was exactly the right size. The rest was collage, printed out photos & a few embellishments. It's funny, the sort of things which become an annual custom in relationships, isn't it? 
*Payment problem with survey site sorted out - I emailed & didn't receive a reply, but when I signed in this morning, my missing points had been restored, so I was able to re-claim my £10 voucher & add it to my 'turkey tokens' total. I think I'm unlikely to manage any more before Christmas Eve, but I will keep going.
*Did a few other surveys (PA) - my earnings from those are cashed out monthly & added to my Personal Spends.
*Listened to 'Moneybox' programme on Radio 4, which was about the cost of Christmas. I was shocked to hear that paying online by these BNPL companies is quicker than inputting card details - it must be so tempting to use those with money being tight for so many at an expensive time of year. I know I would have been all over them back when I was spendy, had they existed then.
*Easy meal tonight.....last of the leftover roast pork I divvied up the other day used with some veg & the  last portion of Hairy Biker curry sauce I batch-cooked for the freezer during the tomato glut. have also defrosted poached cinnamon pears for dessert (because up-market brands of yoghurt are so expensive now, we have halved what we buy) & a microwaveable mug of smoky black bean chilli also thawing for Mr F's work lunch tomorrow. 
The only other task left today is some mending - not a lot, but I'd rather get it out of the way while it is still easily achievable. 
OK, I'm off. Time to close all the curtains & keep as much warmth in as possible on what is going to be a raw night.
Love & peace,
F x

foxgloves

Thanks, @Kantankrus_Mare - Yes, I have been in the wars - I went absolutely flying. It could have been a lot worse though, I know that. If I'd fallen on my fingers, wrists, etc, or onto my face. We live in a historic town with cobbles. I am canny enough to avoid the cobbles except where necessary to cross the street, but it didn't save me on this occasion as the pavements are not in very good condition with uneven slabs & humps & hollows all over the place. I shall have to be like a child & avoid stepping on the cracks.
Yes, that's exactly the issue with knitting for money. Jumpers, cardis, jackets, etc, just take too long to make it viable in terms of what people would pay. I could knit tiny things like Christmas decorations & probably make on those, & I've been thinking about doing that over next summer to make enough to sell to raise funds for a local animal rescue charity. The spring before my Mum died, she designed a sweet little knitting pattern for a Christmas tree decoration which she wrote down for me, so it would be nice to use her idea to help with funds. I'll have to see how I get on with knitting them & how many I can do in a week. 
F x