Making Movies

My lovely coverstitch machine, ousted byEuphy, has gone to a new home.

I put her up for sale locally, and also on specific/relevant group.   The seller contacted me via the group, and I was amazed to find that she was local - in the next town along.

Covid restrictions made it impossible for her to come and try the machine,  so I offered to do a quick video so she could see it working.  She asked if I could also show her how to thread the machine (in a video).  

So, I made a series of short (just a few minutes each) videos covering different aspects of the machine, using my phone and one of my handy gorilla stands with phone grip.   The videos covered General tour,  sewing with her,  sewing in the round,  threading the loopers, threading the needles,  sewing on woven.  A couple of them I had to record more than once because I had a mental block, or I fluffed up zooming in.

I had to get DH to take the video of me doing the thread changes, as I couldn't position the camera to see both the distance and the detail, and do the threading at the same time.

I quite enjoyed making them. Once I got into the swing of it, they went quite well,  I played them back to make sure they were coherent, and I was happy with them (for their intended purpose). 

The lady liked the videos, liked the machine, and was happy to buy.

She arrived yesterday evening to collect,  and we did it all responsibly distanced.   She was a lovely lady, and I hope she gets on all right with it.

I'm counting the whole process as a craft learning activity.

 

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Total crafty things this year: 20
(Sewing based makes: 12;   learning activities: 7;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

 

Knit Wit

I was trying to convince my older brother to try his hand at knitting.   

He was struggling for activities in Lockdown, and I suggested knitting would be worth trying. He didn't have to take it up as a permanent hobby.     He refused.

I can't knit.  Well, I can do the stitching bit, but I can't cast on, I can't cast off, and I can't do anything other than a basic knit stitch.  I also can't knit more than a few rows without accidentally increasing the stitches, and dropping the odd one here or there.      I haven't tried knitting since I was about 9 years old.

The other week I was looking at the mounting piles of wool that had been coming in (in anticipation of my Embellisher arriving), and I decided I should at least try and learn how to cast on. 

I ordered some bamboo knitting needles and, when they arrived,  I set about finding a video to learn from.   After much trial and error, I found a video that I could follow, and I learned the long tail method.  The person who made the video assured me that, if I was only going to learn one method, this should be it. 

Afterwards, I sat down, and knitted many, many rows using some gorgeous Sirdar Faroe wool. .  My hand ached a bit. the needles I'd used weere a bit small for the chunkiness of the wool.  I got a bit bored. 

Some time later, I decided to try again, using some Sirdar Firefly yarn.   That was a complete fail.  I couldn't even cast on with that.  I tried small needles.   it was a mess.

I picked up the Faroe wool and some bigger needles, and  ar down to see if I Could remember the casting on method.

I did!

I knitted to the end of the ball (there was only half a ball or so as I couldn't bribg myself to undo the knittting I'd done before)..   

I need longer needles.   I've ordered circular needles now to see if they help.

I'm aware that it's not up to much,  but it's probably more knitting than I've done in the rest of my life, and I'm proud of it.

I don't think I'll be taking up knitting as a hobby.   But I might try and watch a video on casting off.  And maybe doing a different stitch for variety.

I'm adding this  to my "learning activities" tally. 

 

Total crafty things this year: 19
(Sewing based makes: 12;   learning activities: 6;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

Always something to learn

I had an opportunity to join a Zoom workshop for my new covertsitch machine today, and I took it.

I'm already quite competent at using the machine,  and using several of the attachments.  It's a lovely machine,  very easy to use.  I strongly believe, howeverm, that there is always something to learn, or to be reminded about,  so I was very pleased to do the class.

And it was worth it.  

I learned the solution to the problem I'd been having with one of the binders (use 45mm strips, not the stated 42mm.  I'd already guessed that the strips needed to be wider,  and it was great that I now have a size to work to).  I also learned that the rake needed adjusting.

I learned how to coverstitch a circle (using the middle needle marker as a guide).

I learned how to move the needle, and move the threading, without having to unthrad and rethread. 

I learned about some new stretchy thread that's worth trying (Seraflex. And maybe Seraflock)

I was reminded about using other threads in the lower looper, and I learned about using shirring elastic in the looper.

 I learned that I could use the coverstitch to gather, so that's an option instead of my overlocker, next time Im doing a gathered neckline).

After the class I did some tests on gathering.  I switched to a chain stitch (so one needle and the looper), and I cut some fabric so I had several identically sized pieces.

I then did a gather using just the differential (top in pic); I then put shirring elastic into the looper, and tried that, with no differential feed; And then I did shirring elastic AND the differential (bottom in pic)

The difference was interesting.

I was thinking thse might be good for cuffs, as well as necklines.   I need to try and incorporate one or more of them in something. 

It was a well spent few hours, and I'm really grateful to Jane at Jane White Tuition for organising it.

 

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Total crafty things this year: 18
(Sewing based makes: 12;   learning activities: 5;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

 

 

 

Jibber Jabber

I had my jab on Friday.

I was very grateful to be called up for it.  Everything was well organised.

I had a bit of a reaction Friday night and Saturday,  and spent Saturday in bed.  Things were improved by Sunday,so I was up ad about but not doing much;   and much better by Monday.     I've reported the reactions via the Yellow Card online system,  in case they are linked to the medication I take.

I tried cleaning the bathroom on Monday, using a mop thing that is made by the same people (Air Craft)  that made the floor cleaner I use.  It's designed to clean walls and things, and it's a one head, adjustableangle, version of their floor mop,  specially designed for walls and...things.     I cleaned all the bathroom walls (it's all tiled),  the walk in shower (walls, floor, and ceiling).   I used the various brishes to lean the shower tray, the seat, the air vents.  It worked quite well, but I was not 100% fit when I started and I ended up with a problem in my hip or glutes. 

I'm not quite sure where the problem root is, or what I did. I couldn't sit down comfortably, I couldn't lay down comfortably.  I couldnt stand for too long. 

I managed to get an appointment with my Chiropracter on Tuesday,  and that helped a lot but hasn't fully fixed it yet.

DH and I went out for a short (3/4 mile) walk this afternoon, to see if that would help. It didn't particulaay feel the benefit tomorrow.  

I'm well behing with my daily fitness activities. . 

End result is I'm a little out of kilter.

I finally managed to finish two of the three tops this morning.  The third one I managed to need to unpick, and dug a hole by mistake (not in a temper,  it's think fabric and easily done).

The one with the cats the correct way round has a rubbish neckline, but lovely armhole piping.  It's still wearable, and I'm counting it as a win.    The one with upside down cats has a goodish neckline, and not great armholes.    It's definitely wearable, and I quite like seeing the cats looking up at me when I look down. 

Definitely a win. 

 

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Total crafty things this year: 17
(Sewing based makes: 12;   learning activities: 4;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

Pig of a day

DH collected half a pig from our friend Shirley today,   whilst I took Izzy to the Vet and then went off for my Covid jab.

When I got back we had a late breakfast, and then set to work on the porker.     My hips and back are really aching now, I've been standing for hours.

This time DH wanted to make some back bacon and to try making chorizo.  We've got some belly joints, some schnitzel,  the tenderloin, deiced pork, minced pork,  I'm rendering the fat for lard,  and we have a mountain of pork for sausages.   Last time we made so many sausages that we were able to have sausages pretty much every week;  we may be in the same situation this time. 

I *should* have kept some shoulder chunks for use  the pressure cooker,  but I didn't think of it until it was too late.  Maybe I'll remember next time.  Probably not.

F U N E X?

S, V F X!

At last! It's been a very long time since we last had an egg from the girls, so I was really excited to see two of them (Ping and Astrid) trying out the nest box this morning.

The Old Wives say that the hens should come back into lay around Valentine's day.   They are about right then - for 1 out of my 15 girls anyway.

I'm not sure who laid it.    It's probably Ping, the Dorking, as it's not really a pure white egg.  But i'm recollecting that my Leghorns didn't lay china white eggs,  so they must have something else mixed in with their heritage.

But here it is, in all its glory.

 I'm not ready to cancel my weekly egg order just yet though.  

Stuck in a bind

Some things just aren't meant to be.

Following on from my binding adventure,  I cut another tee shirt.  I went to the sewing roo to sew the shoulder, and I realised that I had cut it upside down.

Luckily, I had plenty of the fabric, so I cut a third one.   I decided to try the slightly bigger binder on the neckline.  The bigger one required 2mm strips and makes a 12mm binding (the one I had used before was 36mm/10mm).    I cut a huuuugely long strip of fabric, and my problems began.

The edges curled terribly, and I couldn't get them to stay open in the binder.  I ended up using most of the strip trying to sew a test piece.   I did another strip.  I tested this on my upside down garment, and it went on quite well.   I decided to do it on my 3rd garment, and it was a disaster.  

I unpicked it,  cut more,  went out and bought starch and tried starching the fabric,  it was rubbish.  I'm sure that 42mm isn't wide enough.

I went back to my smaller binder.  I cut a strip of the corresponding size, I changed to 2 needles (remembering my learning from the other day) and it went on really well.    I modified my joining technique, and it was  mess.    I decided to try binding the armholes.  That went well, I adjusted my technique again, and that was dreadful.  I'm hoping that it won't show up as I don't really go around with my arms up, and I still intend on wearing the top.  I think I may have figured out where I'm going wrong on that.

I googked for help on the binding, but couldn't find the answer I needed.  Most people use bands (where the a circular band is made and applied),  and that's what I've always done until now.  Although a lot of people advcocate making neck binding in the flat (leaving one shoulder seam open), none of them really show how you close the seam withte binding in.  Gail Yellen does have a video on th etopic, but she doesn't use her overlocker to do it.

I had some binding left over, so I decided to bind the armholes of the upside down garment.   I did a beautiful job on the first one.  Shame it turned out that I'd bound the side instead of the armhole

I unpicked it, and decided I'd sew up the garment anyway (as I can practice my latest 'technique' for joining bindings on the neck) and I'll just hem the armholes.

I've got to hem all three of them, and I'd like to get that done today so that I can get on with my next project.   I had a fab selection of 92% COtton/8% Lycra delivered from Textile9, and I'm going to try that bloody boxer shorts pattern again.

 

 

What a bind

I made another sleeveless tee shirt today, and today I was determined to  use my binder to apply the neck binding.

So, I cut out my fabric, and I gathered the neckline using my overlocker.  

It was beautiful. 

I could have cried.  

(In case I ever forget this,  I used the overlocker, not the knife,  from the top of the shoulder, down a few inches. Then, I changed the differential to 2, and carried on to the same point on the other shoulder.   I switched back to N, and carried on to the top of the shoulder.  This also had the benefit of stablilising the rest of the neckline a bit.

Next, I wanted to tackle the neckbinding, so first I watched a really helpful video by Gail Yellen.  She just happens to use a Babylock, so her video was perfect.

 

Beautiful Binding

I set up Euphy.  Feeding the binding into the binder was a little tricky as  the binding I was using was a bit curly at the edges - this  caused problems later.  

I did as Gail suggested,  and then I took a deep breath and added my tee shirt. Off I went, slowly and carefully, starting at the back to any teething issues would be hidden by my hair. 

 And it worked!

 

 

Oops

 

Well, it worked except for the bit where the fabric had curled before going into the binder accessory, I hadn't noticed, and didn't notice until I'd finished.   Sadly it's on the front of the garment, so it's pretty disastrous.

I also should have used 2 needles, not 3, which I realised perfectly well before I started but I carried on anyway.  This only caused minor issues. 

Despite the issue I had, I'm really pleased with that part of the process.

 

Of course I made a pigs ear when I overlocked the second shoulder together.  I lined up the binding, but I lined it up so itwas correct from the inside and it wasn't correct when turned out.   I'll try harder next time.

Finally, I used the down turn feller  to hem the armholes, and that did a good job.  I migh ttry binding the armholes next time, as I need the practice, but that will mean I need to be even more careful when it comes to overlocking the seams. 

I've still got to hem the bottom, and I'll do that later.

Luckily I have enough fabric for a second one.  Maybe tomorrow. 

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Total crafty things this year: 15
(Sewing based makes: 10;   learning activities: 4;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

  

 

Gutting

It's been 3 weeks (21 days)  now that I have been having my post-biome analysis gut health smoothies.

I'm acclimatised - mostly - to the taste.  Usually I put half a banana in.  If I've go fresh bananas i put half of one in a smoothie and the other half in the freezer.  That way, I don't end up with a load of overripe bananas, and I have a freezer bag of half bananas for when I don't have fresh. 

A while ago I found some tiny  tubs of some berry puree (tayberry I think) at the back of a freezer drawer.  The water had frozen into a separate layer on top of the puree, so I hoiked that out and added the very concentrated puree to my smoothie.  It was lip puckering.     I had several tubs, so what I've been doing is defrosting a tub , and then using a third of a tub.  I guess I'm having 3 days puree, then a few days of banana, then back to puree.  It's been in the freezer for years, so I'm really happy to have found it useful.

The jar containing the kefir grains is out on the worktop, so it's very productive.  I strain off the kefir infused milk each day, and put the strained stuff in the a lidded jar in the fridge for drinking the following day.  I top the grains up with fresh goats milk, and put it back on the worktop.   I have to strain it off every day, otherwise its overfermented.

Chuckling Goat was having a flash sale on biome tests and, as I want to have anothe rone when my 90 days programme is over,  I bought one ready. It's fairly short dates, which is probably why they are having a flash sale,  but it is still good for more than a month after I need it.      

Once the 90 days is up and I've sent in my next biome sample, I'll most likely continue with the gut health smoothie (minus the Monkey Tail Mushroom powder, which is 90 days only) while I wait for the results to come back.    I signed up for an auto delivery of the prebiotic powder as it was significantly cheaper per bag this way, and I'll be needed a few bags still.

I tried to get DH interested in doing  biome test, but he declined.

Maybe he'll be interested when we've seen the results of my next test.  I think I'm seeing some improvement in my rosacea,  but it varies so much from day to day that its hard to be sure.

 

 

Jacket Required

The Girls have been on Flockdown for.. I don't know how long.    They are doing quite well.  

DH put up yet another netted area, to give the first one a rest.  The grass is already showing the stress of 15 pairs of feet, and 15 bored beaks.

None of the girls have come back in to lay yet, which has surprsed me.  I thought the two leghorns would have started laying by now.   It may be that they are laying , and the eggs are being eaten.  I look for evidence, but haven't found any.    Traditionally it's Valentines day that marks the time they should be coming in to lay, so we'll see what happens.

We're very lucky that there is a "local" place that delivers eggs, so we've had 18 eggs a week delivered for some time now.     

The forecast for tonight is -4 degrees.    Tome to roll out the extreme temperature jacket!.

I bought the Jacket many years ago, as soon as Omlet started selling them. Back then we had only 1 Cube, so I only bought one jacket.  It's sat in MyShed since the day it was delivered.    We didn't think about it last time we had a cold snap.

This time, I decided to try using it.

We have 3 Cubes.  One has 7, or 8, or 9 occupants in, and so does not need insulating;  One has 5 occupants and that was the one I was initially considering jacketing,  and one has 1 or 2 or 3 occupants, depending on who has been allowed in the first one.

I wanted to do the 5 hen cube, because the 5 girls all squash in the nestbox. I have no idea why, but I think it's because the Cube is more exposed.      But if we have a Cube with ony 1,2 or 3 girls, surely that needs it more?

In the end, I did the Cube with the fewest occupants.

I'm not at all sure about it.  It covers all the ventilation (apart from the vents at the front), and that's not usually a good idea.  Still, cold is cold,  so I'll leave it on tonigjht and take it off tomorrow if the temperature is going to increase. 

The auto close failed.   It failed because I'd put the jacket on, and it was blocking the door pull thing.    

The pic is before I realised what was going on.  

 

 

Gathering pace

Last night I decided that today I would make a sleeveless top.   

I had my sleeveless top pattern out as I was trying scanning and importing into Inkscape for manipulation, and projecting.  I had mixed results,  but I did learn a lot from an online intro done by one of the members of the Projectors for Sewing Facebook group.     I will be able to do a lot of manipulation of bought PDF patterns, and I'm looking forward to doing that.

Anyway, as I had my template out, I thought I might as well make a top.    I cleared the cutting table, got some fabric from my stash, and cut out the simple back and front.

This particular pattern of mine has a gathered neckline instead of bust darts.   I decided to try gathering using my overlocker.    I watched a video, just to make sure I knew what I was supposed to be doing, and had a go on a test piece.  I used a lomg stitch,  overlocked for a few centimetres, then changed the differential to 2.  This should mean it gathers, say, 5cm of fabric into 2.5 cm.

It worked like a dream.    I didnt gather enough - that is, I started too late and ended too early roud my neckline -  which has affected the way the item hangs,  but the gathering was gorgeous. 

I will definitely be  trying this method again next time I make this pattern.

I finished the item on my coverstitch machine.    I used the large Single Down Turn Feller to do a triple stitch hem.    The  Downturn Feller lets me hem without having to iron first.

I didn't need it to be triple stitched,  but I already had 3 needles in, and I thought I might as well.

For the armholes, I used the tiny Single Downturn Feller and simply hemmed them rather than adding a binding,   This worked really well. 

Finally, I put a neckband on.   I was going to use the binder attachment, but this requires one shoulder to be open, it can't be sewn in the round.  In case I stuffed up,  I decided to do it my usual way, with a band cut to the right size and sewn into a loop.  This way, if something went wrong, i would know what was caused by the gathering and what was caused by the neckband.

That would have been OK, if I had actually done what I intended,   Instead, I cut the length and forgot about sewing it into a loop.  So I was attaching it to a closed loop, and of course I completely stuffwd up the final join.  And then I made a complete pigs ear of coverstitching.  It was the worst of all worlds!    

Serves me right for being cocky.   

It's not bad (apart from the neckband), but it would be improved if I had gathered more.    I might make another version tomorrow.  I might even try the binder attachment.

In other news, some really Useful Drawers arrived today and I've installed them in the small bedroom (where the A0 table is) and they are now full of wool.    My embellisher wasn't in my Dealer's delivery today sadly,  but she has sent me the additional feet I ordered.     I hope they come soon, while i'm in a "making things" frame of mind.

Total crafty things this year: 13
(Sewing based makes: 9;   learning activities: 3;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

Spinning a yarn

I started mildly shopping for remnants of interesting wool. Yarn, I mean.   My Embellisher will enable me to thread yarn,  and I wanted to get some interesting colours and textures.

It turned out to be a bit of a rabbit hole.

A deep rabbit hole,

I've already received a couple of small bundles.     Now, I'm actively looking for specific wools, sorry, yarns.  I wish I could knit,  some of them are amazing, not at all what I remeber from my childhood.

 I've had to start a spreadheet to keep track of my Facebook Marketplace purchases!  Partly so I can make sure I keep track of what's still to arrive,  but mainly to avod be buying two lots of the same thing accidentally.

I've had to make myself start saving some of the things I'm inerested in and then leaving it ab hour or so and coming back to it.

I have no idea whether any of this is going to work in the Embellisher, so I am trying not to look any more.  It's almost as bad as buying fabric.

 

 

 

Cushioning

DH decided to put a brighter bulb in the floor lamp.   Afterwards, it was horrible.  It was slow to warm up, cast a funny colour, and was reflected in the middle of the TV screen so it interfered with my viewing.   

He open to trying a new bulb, but I wanted to try something different.  It occurred to me that an old fashioned standard lamp might work.     I started to scour FB marketplace, Gumtree and Ebay to find something suitable.

I didn't find anything.  Either they weren't what I wanted, or were too expensive, or were too far away (we're in Lockdown, so I needed something localish).

My searches meant that my Facebok ads were all about lamps.   A lady who makes handmade shades popped up on my feed,  and they looked lovely - but not what I wanted.   It did make me do an impulse search of Standard Lamp Shades and one of the first ones I saw was  perfect.

I showed the picture to DH, and he said he might be able to adapt the current lamp so it could take that sort of shade.  I ordered the shade, and it arrived the next day,

I burst out laughing when I saw the shade, because I realised why it had appealed to me so much.   Stacked in my stash,  I have several metres of upholstery fabric, in two colourways, with the same design!

I decided I'd make a matching cushion.  

Originally I was going ot use the same fabric, but use the different colourways on each side   I changed my mind when I retrieved it from my stash as I found some other fabric that was waiting patiently to be used.

 

I was going to put piping round the side, but parked that when I decided to do a zip at the bottom.   It's been a while since I've done a zip, and I had to use a tutorial to work out how to get it in place properly if it wasn't going the whole length of the bottom (This was the tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M3XWdjDry0_.  ) I realised I was going to have to use my sewing machine (instead of my overlocker and its zipper foot), so I parked the piping.  I regret that a bit. 

The resulting cushion is fine, I'm happy with it. Of course I could have done it better, and maybe I will next time.  

 I will probably make a second one,  but I don't have any more cushion inners and they aren't really an "essential" purchase.

I placed the cushion straight for the photo, but normally it is angled so it is standing on one of the corners.    It occurred to me that maybe I should try changing the orientation of the fabric on my next one, so that the images are the right way up when the cushion is on its corner.

I'm definitely overthinking this now!

 

 Total crafty things this year: 11
(Sewing based makes: 8;   learning activities: 2;  Non sewing based craft makes: 1. )

Blankie

As well as accidentally cleaning the ovens, I did lots of other Domestics.  I moved all the furniture in the living room to do a proper vacuum and floor wash.  Moving one of the side tables, I found a box underneath.  In the box was a heated blanket. It belonged to Miss T.

Well, it didn't really belong to her,  but she claimed it as hers, we referred to it as her blanket,  and she used it every time she was here.   The thought of it made me smile and, paradoxically, the urge to cry welled up inside me.  

Instead,  I took a picture of it and WhatsApped her.  I said I'd been cleaning and found it, and that I missed her. She messaged straight back, twice.

I miss you too

followed a few seconds later by

And the blanket.

 

I do love her!
 

Accidental Oven Cleaning

Yes, really.

The kitchen was a mess.  Nothing unusual in that, except it was a bit of a grubby mess.   I woke up with a headache,    but still got up and did Day 2 of our latest 21 day challenge.  Then, after I had showered and we'd had breakfast,  I had a second cup of coffee.

Since last summer, I've been drinking cold coffee.  Ice cold.    It started with a bargain from Lakeland, a Kitchen Aid Cold Brew coffee maker.   We'd been having cold brewed for a while, and I'd been using my Severin frother to do the milk.  

Last summer, when it was hot,  I tried making coffee with foamed cold milk.  The Severin does a bang up job of foaming cold milk,  and it was quite pleasant.     I carried on like that all Summer.  

In the Autumn, I tried hot coffee, and I couldn't drink it.   It just tasted....wrong.  So, I've only had cold coffee since then.    

I was running out of coffee. I wanted to make sure I had some for tomorrow, so I drained the remaining coffee out of the pot, washed it, and DH made some fresh (it won't be ready to drink until tomorrow).   I had my usual coffee,  but there was enough left for a second cup.  It seemed silly saving it for tomorrow, which is why I had a second cup.  

Anyway.   DH unloaded the dishwasher, and put a couple of bits in.   I wanted to try and get things straight, so I started my usual "points" game,  and started clearing and cleaning as I went.    I put a couple of things in the dishwasher,  and I thought "I could put the oven racks in".   I'd noted the other day that they needed clraning.    So I went to our main oven, and got out the racks and put them in.  

They take up a lot of space.  I thought to myself, I might as well put in the racks from the other oven then. 

Then I thought "If I take out these few items from the top basket, I can get side brackets in.   So I did.  And I put the dishwasher on.

The glass door of Number 2 oven was really greasy.   I thought about putting some Oven Mate on it.  Then I looked in the oven, and thought "No, if I do that, I'll have to clean the whole thing".  But then I realised that I'd be putting clean metalware back in, and I'd probably regret not doing it.  So,  I did it. 

And of course I then had to do #1 oven as well.  Then I had to clean the splatters off the floor becaise of the kittens.  I'd put newspaper down, but I'd managed to splatter the floor.   Then I realised I'd better wash the floor.

Which meant I had to vacuum. 

Which meant I had to clear the floor.  And as I was washing,  I needed take the mats out and beat them.

And as I was doing it,  I'd better pull out the printer unit from under the kitchen table and vacuum and wash under there.  And then move the butchers block thing.  And then clean the stools.

As I was replacing things, I had an accident.  As soon as I realised that I was in serious trouble, I shouted for my  husband.    We have a Varier Move stool which has a gas lift, I'd been putting it back under the table and had been trying to put the bag of waste textiles on it.  Somehow I managed to operate the lift, and my wrist became trapped against the metalwork of the electric desk.  Because the stool was underneath the desk, I couldn't get the purchase on it to force it down.  My writst was getting more and more squashed and, because there was a metal bar running across the underneath of the desk, I was concerned that my wrist was going to break.

DH came in to see why I was shouting. At first, he thought I was joking, but then he saw that I really was stuck and worked out how to free me.  He tried but failed to suppress his laughter at my predicament.  

I'm just trying to finish the cleaning now.    I've still got to finish cleaning the ovens - I've got to get the gunk off and wash them out.    About now, I'm slightly regretting starting,  but I will be glad I've done it, when it's done.

I normally only have one (very large) coffee a day, and today I had two.   I suspect the extra caffeein is what put a rocket up my b*m.