ScrapHappy # November & a happy dance!

Today is the day I link up with Kate, Gun and a big group of other crafters worldwide, to share photos of what we’ve made this month from scraps.

I am so thrilled to be having a happy dance this time, with a finished lapquilt.  Before I do the unveiling . . . here are photos I shared with you during the process.

I started off with my bags of scrap and cut some 2.5” squares . . . and the lapquilt took shape from there.

and then the happy dancing!

Quilt is only small: 37” squares (or approx 94cm if you prefer) but I am thrilled to bits with how it turned out.  Fabrics on the front are all from previous patchwork or clothes-making projects over the years.  While the spotty dotty fabric on the back is (almost) the last of a huge piece I bought as backing fabric for my F2F2 quilt.  Since the F2F2 quilt, the spotty dotty fabric has featured in baby toy sewing, doll clothes, a tunic for myself, and now this colourful lap quilt.

Below is the list of links of all ScrapHappy members.

Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Jean,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline and Sue L.

“Nature’s Walk” CAL progress

Above photo to show you my new colours which arrived . . . so I finally have colour scheme sorted for Nature’s Walk.  I’m using Stylecraft DK Special in:  Spring Green, Meadow, Magenta, Wisteria, Clematis, Bluebell, Sherbet & Cream.

Here are the most recent set of 6 squares crocheted up, in Wisteria

These are following the pattern “Buds”, and have a “popcorn” stitch.  Quite fun to make, but these squares will definitely need blocking as they tend to be a lot springier than the others.

So far, I have 6 of each of the above.

I won’t promise to have the next 6 squares done by next week, because I’ve allowed myself to become side-tracked with knitting and sewing for dolls. 

If you’d like to see these being modelled by dolls . . . you’ll have to hop over to my other blog: Claire’s Collections.

SAL update “Bag Ladies “ # 19

Ooooh the end really is so close now!

Three weeks ago, I showed you this

and now

That’s the final bag stitched!  Now there’s one more cat to make an appearance, and a fair bit of backstitch to catch up on.

How have other SAL members been doing?  Let’s do some blog hopping on links below to find out.  A few members have left the group since last time due to other imperatives in their lives, and Connie joins back in the fun.

Avis, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie

And next update on 24th November.

best layer of the month # October

I’m having to use a photos from a few weeks back, as I’m waiting for a new battery charger to arrive for my camera . . .

to show you Florence, our Miss October!  Both young hens have been laying really well but Florence won by just one egg.  Total egg count, with 4 hens for October was 74 eggs.  Florence, our black Medicis hen laid 23 of those!  Ruby and Mauricette took a close joint-second place with 22 eggs each.  And old Miss Moneypenny laid 7.  She’s getting on in years now but she was also having a massive molt. 

CAL “Nature’s Walk” update

I’ve just finished my third batch of squares, for the CAL “Nature’s Walk” designed by Cherry Heart.

This square is called “Berries” and I crocheted using Stylecraft DK “Magenta” on a 3mm hook to get the required size.

That’s 18 done, and still quite a way to go.

it’s a dog’s life!

Photos today of Gibbs, and some crafting for dogs!  First up, a couple of Gibbs during one of our daily walks in the park, where Gibbs burns off all that excess energy . . . either swimming

or simply charging around, enjoying the freedom of wide open spaces

After a good run around,  Gibbs usually zonks out for a nice long nap in the afternoon . . . and, as I showed you recently, I decided he needed a few new bed covers, to allow me to wash & dry regularly.

After the fairly stitch/embroidery intensive bed cover, made using strips of denim from old jeans, which looked like this

I had a rummage in my boxes of heavy-weight fabrics, and set to work on a second cover.

This one was a lot quicker to make, since I just have one main panel and two bands on one side.  Reverse side is a boring khaki fabric.  I had enough of this “bordeaux” fabric to go ahead and make a second cover.

Zooming in here, to show you a close up of the central panel.  This second cover is going to be for our neighbour’s dog:  Moka, a chocolate labrador.  I’ve got enough of my recycled bed quilts to make a mattress to fit.  There’s no reason why Gibbs should be the only dog to enjoy a comfy bed!

fingerless mittens

I’ve been having fun, making my first pair of fingerless mittens – yay!

After searching on youtube, and finding several really great videos, I opted to start off with a very simple one.  A big thumbs up to Bag-O-Day Crochet.  Video was excellent!

I’ve got rather large hands so I began with a bit of trial and error, getting the number of stitches & rows right, for ribbing the cuff.  And couldn’t resist crocheting in one of my very bright yarns!   This is an acrylic DK yarn, bought not long ago in ACTION.  Lovely & soft to work with, and grogeously bright – you know me by now, I can’t stand to work in (what I consider) drab colours.  If I’m going to make something it has to be bright! 

Some people might not like seeing the colours striping diagonally, but I knew this was going to happen, since I was crocheting in the round and not joining (slip stitch, chain 1) and I can’t honestly say it bothers me to have the funny stripes. 

I’m just happy that I managed to sort out stitch count, alter number of rows where necessary to make them a custom fit for me.  I solved one problem – needing width for main hand, but not wanting it to gape at opening – by keeping the same number of stitches all round but changing from a 4mm to a 3.5mm hook for the last few rows.   If I follow this pattern again, I’ll probably also do the ribbing and first rows  on a 3.5mm hook too.

I made them a lot longer, over the fingers, because these are going to be my “walking Gibbs” mittens and we’re heading for colder weather soon.

Now it’s time to get back to CAL squares!