Bicycle Adventures and Other Things
James Houston I’ve recently acquired a classic Mini, and it’s great. Every journey is an adventure and it brings smiles to people’s faces. There’s a long list of things to address, and as I tick things off the list, new items appear, but I’m enjoying the learning curve and slowly getting to understand the mechanics of it all.
If you’re on Instagram, you can follow along with my joy of classic Mini ownership on the channel I’ve set up: @london_mini
I knitted this hot water bottle cover and miraculously didn’t puncture the bottle with a knitting needle. Yarn: Anika 4-ply non-felting superwash sock yarn – a Lidl middle-aisle special 🙌 Needles: 3.5mm HiyaHiya sharps (3mm for 1×1 rib). Pattern: Me
I made this film during a visit to Eltham Palace. Filmed on Fujifilm XH2S with Viltrox 13mm lens. Subtitles contain more info, or just watch without subtitles and enjoy the scenery. The choice is yours 🙂
I made a video during a visit to Castle Farm in Kent. The video features the Lavender Farm Tour, as well as shots from Shoreham to Eynsford via the farm.
I filmed this on my Fujifilm XH2S and got a free loan of the new 16-55mm lens from Fujifilm to test out. The lens was great. This was my first attempt at doing a 4k HDR film so a bit of a learning curve, but all good.
A 5-minute video giving an overview of a recent project to program an inkplate4 Tempera e-paper device to show me the live times of my local trains. It works well and e-paper is a suitable medium as I’m only refreshing the display once per minute. Watch the video here:
I gained two more certifications in wool from Woolmark Learning Centre – ‘Introduction to wool processing‘ and ‘Sustainability and wool‘. It’s a really useful resource for learning about wool. 🐑
I can’t believe I actually finished a jumper not in summer for once.
This is the #everyday_sweater pattern by @atelierknits_strandsoflife knitted for Min.
I used two yarns held together:
🧶 No Waste Wool @knittingforolive in chocolate (RWS certified, 50% recycled wool, 50% extra fine traceable non-mulesed Merino) from @myivoryroom
🧶Titicaca by @holstgarn in Frv. Mahogany (100% alpaca)
I was initially going to knit it with a contrasting hem, but I didn’t like the look of it. I made some test swatches and decided to go with a two-colour fisherman’s rib with the more orangey yarn at the front and the deep brown at the back. It looked quite good, but I kept making mistakes and having to undo huge chunks, so in the end I just went with the standard 1×1 rib, which l think looks great anyhow.
As per usual, knitted with @hiyahiyaeurope circular sharps and moral support by the @knittingsos crew.
New finished object… Nice big, soft, warm jumper for me. Already packed away for a triumphant return in cooler weather.
Pattern: #whatamansweater by @nynneeh
Yarn: Pura Lana + Cashmere Lace by @gepardgarn from @myivoryroom – thank you Valentina for help with yarn selection
Needles: @hiyahiyaeurope sharps
Coffee and chat: The @knittingsos crew
I’ve written a detailed account of my attempt at riding the 2022 Transcontinental Race on a Brompton, which you can find here:
https://www.jameshouston.com/tcr/
Make sure you click on the lolly at the top of the homepage 🙂
A simple blue cardigan. This is the #yourscardigan pattern released this week by Naoko Ogawa @atelierknits_strandsoflife
It’s very comfortable and will be perfect for the cooler Autumn days. This is the first time I’ve done test-knitting (knitting a pattern before it is published) and the process went really smoothly. Test knitting also gives a deadline for motivation to keep knitting.
Knitted with West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite wool/silk blend in Regal 438. Size 6, on HiyaHiya needles.
