Wanton Destruction

...but it's for the best, I hope!

Yes, there's been some very destructive goings on around here.  Willing and wanton destruction of beautiful objects no less.  It sounds horribly wrong doesn't it?  Hopefully, I'll be able to change your mind about that though.

Take Exhibit A above.  A severed thumb.
Which looks, I grant you, like a piece of horrendous vandalism on the face of it.  But , it was all part of a well considered plan.

You might remember my Mulberry Mitts, I made them late last year and although I do love them, they were a pattern prototype and therefore a bit of a work in progress.  The thumb hole has never fitted right, the top part is far too long and to be honest I really have barely worn the things.

That's all fine, just part of the pattern tweaking process and I fully intend to keep tinkering away at them until I get them right.  In the meantime though, as I haven't enough yarn to re-knit them and I didn't think frogging this very wooly and 'sticky' yarn would be very successful, I needed a plan B.

Plan B, as it happened took the shape of a little knitty surgery.  I pondered on the idea a good deal but it seemed to me, that if you could cut knitting to make a fair isle jumper, why could you not cut the thumb off of some mitts?

So, figuring that nothing ventured would mean nothing gained, I attacked the poor unsuspecting mitts.  First I seamed up the hole, either side of the tumb gusset.  Not a perfect job, as you can see from above, due to the nature of the increases, but as we are talking salvage operation here, I decided not to be too picky.  After that, I turned them inside out and ran the seam through the sewing machine.  Just to make sure it would all hold.  

Then, I held my breath and cut.

And there you have it, one pair of extremely useful and eminently wearable wristies.  Much better.

I've just been turning the imperfect seams to the inside so they are less obvious and I am very happily wearing them inside and out now.  Wanton destruction has, for me at least, been very much justified.

But.... it doesn't end there.

No, because there is another exhibit to discuss.  For the sake of continuity, we shall call it Exhibit B.

 There it is, that lovely old desk.  Brand new to me from a local antique shop, but nicely old, worn and marked from it's long life so far.  Exactly the size, shape and height I wanted and have been searching for for a number of years.

It looks lovely up there doesn't it?  Nice clean lines, no wires everywhere.  Let's have a closer look underneath...

See, barely a wire in sight.  There is one, because computers and their assorted paraphernalia do need electricity after all, but it is at the barest minimum I could manage.  I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have it like that.  SO happy.  So happy, that I had to use capital letters!

'This is all very well and nice' I hear you say, 'but what of the destruction?   I see no damage here.'

Let me show you...

You see, in order to get this pared down look, more devastation had to take place.  All the wires have been hidden, cunningly in one of the drawers.  This one on the left to be exact.  Which required some rather basic carpentry work on my part to make a reality.

That middle picture is at the very back of the desk, behind the draw.  I had to cut a hole big enough for all the plugs, cables and what not to go through.  The smaller hole is in the back of the draw to allow the cables to poke out through.

Fairly destructive, I think you'll agree.  But hidden, very hidden and ultimately fixable... if ever it was necessary to restore to it's former glory.

Here is the comparison for you.

The hideous sight that was the computer table before: Ugly, messy and an offensive eyesore to all who had the misfortune to see it.

Then the joy of the computer table after:  A beautiful piece of old furniture given a new lease of life and a sleek  tidy, delightful sight to one and all.

Was this piece of wanton destruction justified too?  I think so, but do you?

S x

♥