This month I withdrew £120 at the beginning so that I could use it to challenge myself to a grocery challenge.
I shop every weekend and then that must last us the week.
Last weekend was the last shop for this week as the Saturday and Sunday of this week will be used to buy next weeks food etc.
I still have £43 in there!
I think that is the best I have managed since before I worked from home.
Back then I could spend £10 to £15 some weeks and have all we needed for a week.
That was when I grew nearly all the veg we needed.
I did find myself thinking of spending a couple of times.
I went to the cinema on Monday but took a sandwich,banana,chocolate and a drink with me. The ticket was from a survey site so the day out cost me nothing at all and I was chuffed that it had not, despite thinking of myself as being a seasoned skinflint.
Lidl had tillers last weekend and I was sorely tempted to buy one but I was there on foot and knew I couldn't carry it all the way home.
At home afterwards, I read about them and realised that tillers are not rotovators, they are more like my push hoe. They break up already dug earth.
The Azada and the push hoe can do that and they don't use electricity.
I also realised I would have had to buy a cable long enough to reach all the way to the bottom of the garden which might have cost anywhere from £30-£50 so not so cheap after all.
Friday 30 March 2012
Not spending money
It is sunny and bright here today.
The garden beckoned so I ""trudged"" skipped down there
My Azada was super useful.The garden beckoned so I "
I have still got quite a bit of ground to clear but with my trusty digging tool ,it is not back breaking work.
I think I have cleared enough space foe the potatoes, the beans ,and hopefully Brassicas.
The onions are looking healthy and not too weedy still.
Lizard lodgers
In the compost bin,there were at least 6 slow worms snoozing away.
One of the big grey males was minus his tail.
They can break off their tail if they are threatened and it will grow back again.
You can see where they have grown them back because they are always a bit smaller in girth.
The females are browner and the babies are copper coloured usually with a little brown line down each side.
Slow worms are lizards not snakes and you can tell them by their little dark eyes and blinky eyelids.
Snakes don't have eyelids.
That bin is the slowest to decompose and I often find inhabitants of the reptilian sort.
They are harmless and beautiful.
If I water that bin well,they will find another place I expect but I like them so they can share the bin with me and I will just wait till they are not around before I take any compost from it.
Potting on
I find potting on rather tedious.
You must do it when your seedlings become too large for the original vessel.
Having sown many of mine in those little sectioned trays this spring, I had plenty to pot up.
I chose Brussels-sprouts and Broccoli.
There were about 30 of each which seems loads but they wont all make it .
The slugs around here practice speed eating.
The newly potted up plants are in the cold frame and will be joined by Kale in a few days.
Seedlings are beginning to pop up.
Leeks are poking out above the black mud in their pot.
Cabbages are beginning to appear.
The carrots I planted in loo rolls are not out yet and I have a second lesser sowing to follow them.
Tomatoes are not showing and neither are spring onions or lettuce.
There is no hurry.
I was pleased to see some pea seedlings and some of the pole beans have made a start.
I love spring and growing things.
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Make do and mend Tuesday
Reframing the frame
The cold frame has seen better days.
It started off as an angled frame made from old shelving with half a glazed door for the cover.
After a couple of years, the cover got smashed when a piece of roof tile was blown through the glass.
Then for the last 2 or three years, it has had a PVC cover made from an old PVC greenhouse cover,cut down.
This last winter it split and became useless.
I decided it was time for a new top so this afternoon was spent sawing wood to make a sturdy frame on which to affix some more of the greenhouse cover(I never throw anything away if it looks to be future recyclable.
The cover is tied down to a hook on the main body of the cold frame so hopefully will last a while before needing replacing again.
Our big shed windows could do with replacing too.
They are made from old push chair PVC rain covers.
The covers have eventually split (after about 20 years of use).
There is easily enough PVC Greenhouse cover left to remake them.
Shoe goo
My zip up shoes have needed mending for ages.
They are light weight ,comfortable shoes but the sole, being light weight ,was splitting and two pieces had fallen out of one shoe sole.
I bought some shoe goo a while ago and have used it to mend some slippers for indoors but this is the first time that it has been used to mend out door shoes.
It is a black, rubbery substance that dries flexible, black and shiny so ideal for shoes.
They are drying off in the shed (the shoe goo is quite strong smelling) and I will try them outside in a few days.
The cold frame has seen better days.
It started off as an angled frame made from old shelving with half a glazed door for the cover.
After a couple of years, the cover got smashed when a piece of roof tile was blown through the glass.
Then for the last 2 or three years, it has had a PVC cover made from an old PVC greenhouse cover,cut down.
This last winter it split and became useless.
I decided it was time for a new top so this afternoon was spent sawing wood to make a sturdy frame on which to affix some more of the greenhouse cover(I never throw anything away if it looks to be future recyclable.
The cover is tied down to a hook on the main body of the cold frame so hopefully will last a while before needing replacing again.
Our big shed windows could do with replacing too.
They are made from old push chair PVC rain covers.
The covers have eventually split (after about 20 years of use).
There is easily enough PVC Greenhouse cover left to remake them.
Shoe goo
My zip up shoes have needed mending for ages.
They are light weight ,comfortable shoes but the sole, being light weight ,was splitting and two pieces had fallen out of one shoe sole.
I bought some shoe goo a while ago and have used it to mend some slippers for indoors but this is the first time that it has been used to mend out door shoes.
It is a black, rubbery substance that dries flexible, black and shiny so ideal for shoes.
They are drying off in the shed (the shoe goo is quite strong smelling) and I will try them outside in a few days.
Books again
Growing up Amish
By
Ira Wagler
I have just started reading this one.
Another Autobiography,this time by an author who was born into an Amish Community.
Mine eyes hath been opened! but not quite in the way you might imagine.
I never thought about bullying in Amish schools for instance or the way childbirth is seen as hum drum or children as an every day occurrence.
Ragged dirty kids ,oppression and massive peer pressure are described in vivid detail.
Not quite the idyllic world I expected.
I love the idea of a world without vices or over extravagance but not if it means you have no freedom or modern amenities when you really need them.
By
Ira Wagler
I have just started reading this one.
Another Autobiography,this time by an author who was born into an Amish Community.
Mine eyes hath been opened! but not quite in the way you might imagine.
I never thought about bullying in Amish schools for instance or the way childbirth is seen as hum drum or children as an every day occurrence.
Ragged dirty kids ,oppression and massive peer pressure are described in vivid detail.
Not quite the idyllic world I expected.
I love the idea of a world without vices or over extravagance but not if it means you have no freedom or modern amenities when you really need them.
Thursday 22 March 2012
Global Economy or a drain without a plug?
It isn't all that long ago that I was working from home .
I had a little business and managed to keep myself busy and get paid to do so.
The Business was chugging along nicely with minimal outlay .
Then it plummeted into the abyss.
My clients were it seems ,all interconnected.
The main client (Client A) ,it turned out, also employed 2 of my other clients (client B And C) who in turn, employed me.
So when Client A decided that they could get a partial service from workers in India who would do the basics for 20p an item, they dispensed with my own more extensive services at £1.50 an item and also with those of Clients B and C,who as a repercussion, could no longer employ me .
At first sight this would seem logical and money saving on the part of Client A but if you look into it a bit more carefully, you will see that the money that previously was paid to the workers in the UK, instead of being used to buy things within the UK and therefore remaining in the UK economy, is now paid to workers in India who buy things in India and have no intention of spending it elsewhere(India having a lower cost of living ,who can blame them?).
Client A are not the only company contracting out to the far off lands, several other companies also do so and some companies (even our local bus service) recruit from far away, despite the fact that there are people in the UK queuing up for jobs back home.
The workers that are recruited, send money back for their family to live on and so there again, the money leaves the country,never to return.
While the Government is cutting costs all over the country, there is still a schism that is leaking the economy and they seem blind to it.
I don't blame the workers in these remote countries, they are being given opportunities and who would not jump on the gravy train if they saw it beckoning?
I do think that there needs to be a brake on the practice though or this country is going to become a population of massively overcrowded ,overweight, depressed ,embittered people with no prospects ,relying on unhealthy vices to keep them from either rebelling against the system or warring amongst themselves.
We need laws that give priority to those in this country where work is offered by companies here.
Prospects?
Recently there has been some news regarding the work opportunities given to those on Job seekers allowance in the UK.
Some companies signed up to a scheme in which the JSA claimants would work for them, receive the same JSA that they are paid anyway and expenses and nothing more.
People quickly pointed out that if they did no work, they got JSA and if they worked for these companies, they got nothing else.
The companies were offering 'work' but not advertising it for people to apply for and be paid a wage for.
When the scheme has run it's course, because the companies have not openly stated that there were vacancies,they can dispense with the 'workers' because they don't have a position for them to fill.
Our own graduates are unable to find work having studied for 3 or 4 years and clocked up a student debt.
The Government want young people to continue on in Education past the compulsory 16 years of age but with no additional prospect of being employed when they obtain their degree.
Young people are pushed from one training scheme to another with no target in mind.
They are told that training will lead to employment.
They are asked at 14 to choose their subjects to study so that they can use them to get a job but no one at 14 has any great idea of how their life will progress and so often the choice is blind or made on the balance of teachers liked, lessons friends will be in, amount of effort needed,likely hood of getting rich quick.
(Performing arts are a popular choice in school).
I had a little business and managed to keep myself busy and get paid to do so.
The Business was chugging along nicely with minimal outlay .
Then it plummeted into the abyss.
My clients were it seems ,all interconnected.
The main client (Client A) ,it turned out, also employed 2 of my other clients (client B And C) who in turn, employed me.
So when Client A decided that they could get a partial service from workers in India who would do the basics for 20p an item, they dispensed with my own more extensive services at £1.50 an item and also with those of Clients B and C,who as a repercussion, could no longer employ me .
At first sight this would seem logical and money saving on the part of Client A but if you look into it a bit more carefully, you will see that the money that previously was paid to the workers in the UK, instead of being used to buy things within the UK and therefore remaining in the UK economy, is now paid to workers in India who buy things in India and have no intention of spending it elsewhere(India having a lower cost of living ,who can blame them?).
Client A are not the only company contracting out to the far off lands, several other companies also do so and some companies (even our local bus service) recruit from far away, despite the fact that there are people in the UK queuing up for jobs back home.
The workers that are recruited, send money back for their family to live on and so there again, the money leaves the country,never to return.
While the Government is cutting costs all over the country, there is still a schism that is leaking the economy and they seem blind to it.
I don't blame the workers in these remote countries, they are being given opportunities and who would not jump on the gravy train if they saw it beckoning?
I do think that there needs to be a brake on the practice though or this country is going to become a population of massively overcrowded ,overweight, depressed ,embittered people with no prospects ,relying on unhealthy vices to keep them from either rebelling against the system or warring amongst themselves.
We need laws that give priority to those in this country where work is offered by companies here.
Prospects?
Recently there has been some news regarding the work opportunities given to those on Job seekers allowance in the UK.
Some companies signed up to a scheme in which the JSA claimants would work for them, receive the same JSA that they are paid anyway and expenses and nothing more.
People quickly pointed out that if they did no work, they got JSA and if they worked for these companies, they got nothing else.
The companies were offering 'work' but not advertising it for people to apply for and be paid a wage for.
When the scheme has run it's course, because the companies have not openly stated that there were vacancies,they can dispense with the 'workers' because they don't have a position for them to fill.
Our own graduates are unable to find work having studied for 3 or 4 years and clocked up a student debt.
The Government want young people to continue on in Education past the compulsory 16 years of age but with no additional prospect of being employed when they obtain their degree.
Young people are pushed from one training scheme to another with no target in mind.
They are told that training will lead to employment.
They are asked at 14 to choose their subjects to study so that they can use them to get a job but no one at 14 has any great idea of how their life will progress and so often the choice is blind or made on the balance of teachers liked, lessons friends will be in, amount of effort needed,likely hood of getting rich quick.
(Performing arts are a popular choice in school).
The cost of waste
It came to me yesterday as I was cutting up Onions for our evening meal of Bolognais that in the dim and distant past, the servants of a big house would have been punished for throwing away anything that was of use to the family that employed them.
The punishment was more likely than not, a reduction in the servants pay.
Things such as
We are having to relearn the habits that were obvious to our forebears.
There were other things that got used that maybe were not the responsibility of servants
For example Urine was used to
bleach hair
treat Dandruff
bleach fabrics
as a mordant in dying
a compost starter
People have become far too fussy,too squeamish to see what is in front of their own eyes and nose.
We have an abundance of materials on which to live and many of them are thrown out like the proverbial baby with the bath water .
Some people are talking about how we will all cope when the Oil stops either being produced at all or at least offered in the west.
I think we will have to go back to the ways of our Ancestors and start to rediscover the resources we once had.
We are much luckier than they, as we know about Solar and Wind and water turbines and how to store Energy in Batteries.
I cant help thinking that life would be cleaner and Healthier if Oil were to become a scarcity.
There are plenty of people who are already trying their best to reduce their own impact on the earth and finding that in the process their lives are enriched and become less stressful.
One of my favourites is the No impact man
The punishment was more likely than not, a reduction in the servants pay.
Things such as
- Ash
- soot
- dust
- bones
- peelings(I had just added ours to the compost tub in the kitchen)
- old paper
- card
- broken pots
- food left overs
- Fat
- Blood
- rags
- string
- Shells
We are having to relearn the habits that were obvious to our forebears.
There were other things that got used that maybe were not the responsibility of servants
For example Urine was used to
bleach hair
treat Dandruff
bleach fabrics
as a mordant in dying
a compost starter
People have become far too fussy,too squeamish to see what is in front of their own eyes and nose.
We have an abundance of materials on which to live and many of them are thrown out like the proverbial baby with the bath water .
Some people are talking about how we will all cope when the Oil stops either being produced at all or at least offered in the west.
I think we will have to go back to the ways of our Ancestors and start to rediscover the resources we once had.
We are much luckier than they, as we know about Solar and Wind and water turbines and how to store Energy in Batteries.
I cant help thinking that life would be cleaner and Healthier if Oil were to become a scarcity.
There are plenty of people who are already trying their best to reduce their own impact on the earth and finding that in the process their lives are enriched and become less stressful.
One of my favourites is the No impact man
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Book of the week
This week I am reading Feet of Clay which is yet again by Terry Pratchet.
This has a very interesting plot and reminds me a little of Bicentenial man meets Roots.
The main characters this time are known as Golem which are a sort of crude man-like drone.
I guess the nearest we would come to in human terms would be a Yunok although I find the idea that their life purpose is written on a piece of paper that is kept in their heads a little too much like a programming language and the term 'Garbage in ,Garbage out' would be very apt .
I am plagued by the whirring of the spare laptop at present.
It is virus checking which takes a few hours so i turn it all on and then disable the screen to save energy and just let it get on with it.
This has a very interesting plot and reminds me a little of Bicentenial man meets Roots.
The main characters this time are known as Golem which are a sort of crude man-like drone.
I guess the nearest we would come to in human terms would be a Yunok although I find the idea that their life purpose is written on a piece of paper that is kept in their heads a little too much like a programming language and the term 'Garbage in ,Garbage out' would be very apt .
I am plagued by the whirring of the spare laptop at present.
It is virus checking which takes a few hours so i turn it all on and then disable the screen to save energy and just let it get on with it.
Seeds ,knitting and 1st cutting for the grass
It was lovely and sunny yesterday, I couldn't resist getting the mower out.
We have a big hover mower that we bought when the kids were little ,it is a 30" cut with a grass box behind.
The grass was just about cut-able, a bit slippy where the shade was still on it but it managed.
It took me 2 1/2 hours to cut the back lawn and tidy up the edges with the strimmer.
I had forgotten that the cat flap was blocked so had to plug in round by the back sliding doors instead. The local cats get quite interested in our house so we do have to watch out else we find them scampering about inside.
I don't mind the scampering but they are almost always Toms and that means the spraying of acrid pong that goes with a territory statement.
If you remember, our own cat was killed 18 months ago by a neighbouring dog that was not secured properly in his garden,so we haven't really needed a cat flap but as it is a permanent hole in the wooden back door, it is handy for plugging in machines without having a door open.
I block it in winter as it is too cold to leave it.
All the grass went into the new compost bin that my Son made out of the old rotten shed. Usually the grass from one cutting will fill a Dalek style compost bin but this time ,it was only about 8" over the bottom of the new bin!
The knitting loom progress
I finished my knitted socks and am now almost finished one of a pair for DS who has the most enormous plates of meat,like a Hobbit.
Seeds and sowing soil
This weeks seed sowing was
Tomatoes
Cabbages
Spring Onion
Lettuce
Cucumber
Courgette
Pumpkin
Runner Beans
Early Peas
Main crop Peas
Last weeks were
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Leeks
Kale
I still have left to sow
Radish
Carrot
Chard
Beetroot
French Beans
Cauliflower
As usual I made the seed compost myself
I sieve compost and then add equal amounts of Earth and Sand.
This gives a nice light soil without too much water retention.
The pots are reused every year so cost nothing.
Next to do is make the Bean frame after clearing some ground for them.
Cheesy Grins
OH noticed that the co-op have reduced cheese when he is on his way home sometimes.
He has been keeping his eyes open and last week brought home 7kg
We used to buy Cheese in a huge block from Costco but we aren't members anymore because we found we weren't really recuperating the cost of the membership once the kids were finished school and with the Dartford Tunnel being a Toll road and petrol having soared in price.
Anyway, the cheese was all half price and we buy a KG about every 2 weeks so this is a very nice saving.
It will keep fine in the fridge as long as it is kept airtight.
We have a big hover mower that we bought when the kids were little ,it is a 30" cut with a grass box behind.
The grass was just about cut-able, a bit slippy where the shade was still on it but it managed.
It took me 2 1/2 hours to cut the back lawn and tidy up the edges with the strimmer.
I had forgotten that the cat flap was blocked so had to plug in round by the back sliding doors instead. The local cats get quite interested in our house so we do have to watch out else we find them scampering about inside.
I don't mind the scampering but they are almost always Toms and that means the spraying of acrid pong that goes with a territory statement.
If you remember, our own cat was killed 18 months ago by a neighbouring dog that was not secured properly in his garden,so we haven't really needed a cat flap but as it is a permanent hole in the wooden back door, it is handy for plugging in machines without having a door open.
I block it in winter as it is too cold to leave it.
All the grass went into the new compost bin that my Son made out of the old rotten shed. Usually the grass from one cutting will fill a Dalek style compost bin but this time ,it was only about 8" over the bottom of the new bin!
The knitting loom progress
I finished my knitted socks and am now almost finished one of a pair for DS who has the most enormous plates of meat,like a Hobbit.
Seeds and sowing soil
This weeks seed sowing was
Tomatoes
Cabbages
Spring Onion
Lettuce
Cucumber
Courgette
Pumpkin
Runner Beans
Early Peas
Main crop Peas
Last weeks were
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Leeks
Kale
I still have left to sow
Radish
Carrot
Chard
Beetroot
French Beans
Cauliflower
As usual I made the seed compost myself
I sieve compost and then add equal amounts of Earth and Sand.
This gives a nice light soil without too much water retention.
The pots are reused every year so cost nothing.
Next to do is make the Bean frame after clearing some ground for them.
Cheesy Grins
OH noticed that the co-op have reduced cheese when he is on his way home sometimes.
He has been keeping his eyes open and last week brought home 7kg
We used to buy Cheese in a huge block from Costco but we aren't members anymore because we found we weren't really recuperating the cost of the membership once the kids were finished school and with the Dartford Tunnel being a Toll road and petrol having soared in price.
Anyway, the cheese was all half price and we buy a KG about every 2 weeks so this is a very nice saving.
It will keep fine in the fridge as long as it is kept airtight.
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Aloe Vera and vinegar remedy
In the garden yesterday trying to clear the strawberry patches of moss and weeds, I encountered an angry wasp.
He was sitting on my hand ,digging his sting into my finger at the time.
I let him go or rather ,he flew away and I hared it up the garden pronto to get a tissue soaked in vinegar.
Vinegar is excellent for dealing with wasp stings because it is acidic and wasp stings are alkaline,therefore it neutralises the stinging.
The way to remember if you should use vinegar for wasps or bees is easy...
Winegar for Wasps and Bicarb for Bees
I sometimes get spots on my chin from the fleeces I wear in the winter.
The collars come up past my neck and rub my face but I like the warmth of fleeces.
Aloe Vera works well to eliminate the spots.
I break off a leaf and open it up.
Scrape out the gel part(you can eat it to help with digestion) and then use the wet leaf to clean round the spots. It is soothing and helps to reduce the redness in a matter of minutes.
I have quite a lot of Aloe Vera plants. I bought 2 small ones in a charity shop about 8 years ago and have been potting them on ever since.
They produce mini plants which are easy to pot up on their own.
He was sitting on my hand ,digging his sting into my finger at the time.
I let him go or rather ,he flew away and I hared it up the garden pronto to get a tissue soaked in vinegar.
Vinegar is excellent for dealing with wasp stings because it is acidic and wasp stings are alkaline,therefore it neutralises the stinging.
The way to remember if you should use vinegar for wasps or bees is easy...
Winegar for Wasps and Bicarb for Bees
I sometimes get spots on my chin from the fleeces I wear in the winter.
The collars come up past my neck and rub my face but I like the warmth of fleeces.
Aloe Vera works well to eliminate the spots.
I break off a leaf and open it up.
Scrape out the gel part(you can eat it to help with digestion) and then use the wet leaf to clean round the spots. It is soothing and helps to reduce the redness in a matter of minutes.
I have quite a lot of Aloe Vera plants. I bought 2 small ones in a charity shop about 8 years ago and have been potting them on ever since.
They produce mini plants which are easy to pot up on their own.
Monday 5 March 2012
French knitting upgraded
For a few months, I worked on the Amazon turk site.
This is a site on which you can perform tasks.
These range from writing articles to translations,surveys and odd text adaptation.
At Christmas ,I thought I would buy someone a knitting frame using the Amazon.com cards I had earned with it.
I found the knitting frame, clicked to order , put in my details and was met with the text
'There is an error with your order, it will not be fulfilled'
or some such thing.
After several more failed attempts, I gave up and decided to order some seeds for the veg garden.
It took quite a lot more attempts and I eventually emailed Amazon america to discover what I was doing wrong.
Turns out you can only order from Amazon .com where international shipping has been arranged and there was no search facility .
After much googling I found amazon.com worldwide-shipping
Hooray a search that shows shipping to non US countries!
However I was foiled at the last fence
No one was doing a knitting frame in this criteria.
I did find some seeds and ordered them and later two wifi dongles to use up my almost redundant Amazon.com vouchers
Then last week I noticed on Ebay,someone was selling knitting frames just like the one I wanted to order.
My order was placed and my frame arrived(in 2 days )
So I have been playing at French knitting for a few days.
My frame is this one which weirdly they now have on Amazon UK
This one is £1 more than mine cost on ebay(including delivery) but looks like it is the same seller.
I am enjoying it so far, it is adjustable and so can knit tubes of different circumferences.
Ideal for knitting socks which is my reason for wanting one.
The way it is arranged as a rectangle makes it easy when knitting short rows for turning the toe and heel because you can instantly see half the amount of stitches without needing to count them. The beginning of a row is equally obvious as it is a corner and the wool tail shows which corner.
Anyway having tried one for myself and found it to be robust and useful, I have now bought another for the person to whom I was going to give one at Christmas.
Haven't sent it yet so I won't say who it is, just in case they stumble across this blog however unlikely that may seem.
This is a site on which you can perform tasks.
These range from writing articles to translations,surveys and odd text adaptation.
At Christmas ,I thought I would buy someone a knitting frame using the Amazon.com cards I had earned with it.
I found the knitting frame, clicked to order , put in my details and was met with the text
'There is an error with your order, it will not be fulfilled'
or some such thing.
After several more failed attempts, I gave up and decided to order some seeds for the veg garden.
It took quite a lot more attempts and I eventually emailed Amazon america to discover what I was doing wrong.
Turns out you can only order from Amazon .com where international shipping has been arranged and there was no search facility .
After much googling I found amazon.com worldwide-shipping
Hooray a search that shows shipping to non US countries!
However I was foiled at the last fence
No one was doing a knitting frame in this criteria.
I did find some seeds and ordered them and later two wifi dongles to use up my almost redundant Amazon.com vouchers
Then last week I noticed on Ebay,someone was selling knitting frames just like the one I wanted to order.
My order was placed and my frame arrived(in 2 days )
So I have been playing at French knitting for a few days.
My frame is this one which weirdly they now have on Amazon UK
This one is £1 more than mine cost on ebay(including delivery) but looks like it is the same seller.
I am enjoying it so far, it is adjustable and so can knit tubes of different circumferences.
Ideal for knitting socks which is my reason for wanting one.
The way it is arranged as a rectangle makes it easy when knitting short rows for turning the toe and heel because you can instantly see half the amount of stitches without needing to count them. The beginning of a row is equally obvious as it is a corner and the wool tail shows which corner.
Anyway having tried one for myself and found it to be robust and useful, I have now bought another for the person to whom I was going to give one at Christmas.
Haven't sent it yet so I won't say who it is, just in case they stumble across this blog however unlikely that may seem.
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