purple knitting

On 10th of this month, I showed you a knitting project, actually begun on 29th September of a long plain cardigan I’m making for myself.  It’s a stash-busting project, using some acrylic yarn I’ve had in my stash for a number of years and a Sirdar Hayfield pattern bought a couple of years ago.

Since my last update, I knitted both fronts, and both sleeves, remaining consistent with my raglan decreases.  And, after watching a couple of videos on youtube, to remind myself on how to assemble my pieces . . . I’ve sewn the 4 raglan seams – yay!

Here’s a photo of the first one.  I’m so pleased with how it turned out!  This photo shows you the true colour of the yarn.

Anyway . . . next job will be to knit the neckband and button bands.  I put back & sleeve stitches onto stitch holders, rather than doing the cast off as pattern suggested.  Will just need to increase evenly by a few stitches on those parts, when also picking up on the 2 fronts at neck line.  Am very optimistic that I’ll have a finished cardigan to keep me snug, by the end of the month!

SAL “together we are magic” #9

It’s time for the 3-weekly link-up with other SAL members.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny,

Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

who have all been busily stitching (I hope!) on their currents projects.  Mine is a kit by Letitstitch, and last time I had just begun on page 2 (of 4) of the chart.

Since then, I allowed myself to get distracted by other projects, so sadly, I didn’t get much done.

Still having to juggle with lots of different blues for the background, but I did also add some beige which is the beginnings of an ear.

We’ll be back in 3 weeks time, on 7th November.

ScrapHappy # october

It’s 15th of the month, the day to link up with other ScrapHappy people around the world and play around with our scraps.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule,
Gwen, Bekki, Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L,
Vera, Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Bear,
Carol, Preeti, Edith, Debbierose and Esther

Last month I didn’t have anything to show you except this photo

of leftover yarns and a pattern I’d found on the internet by Zhaya Designs.  The pattern is to make what Zhaya calls “smooching balls”.  I thought I’d give them a go.

Mine are still a work in progress.  I’ve made one little “fellow” but he needs to have his pink feet sewn on and then some kind of hair & facial featurees.  The second one is just a stuffed ball for the moment.  Also needs a face, legs and some kind of hair.

knitting & stash busting

After a couple of crochet projects to help with my yarn stash busting I picked out a knitting pattern (from my stash) that would be suitable for using some DK yarn I bought at least 6 years ago.

The yarn, bought before I really knew much about knitting, was sold in bags of 10 x 50g balls.  Label gives tension as DK equivalent, and the bags stated that 500g would be enough to knit something in a size 42 (EU sizing).  Therefore, at the time, I bought TWO bags lol.

I also had this pattern, bought a couple of years ago, but never knitted . . . of a very ordinary looking long cardigan/jacket in stocking stitch.  Pattern model made using a self-striping yarn. I  bought this pattern because it’s so simple, and is something I would wear in the colder months.  So, with colder months not far away, I finally got around to casting on

Pattern is Sirdar Hayfield #8159.  It’s all 2×2 ribbing and stocking stitch.  Nothing very exciting but, with the raglan sleeve style, after over 22″ of rib & straight stocking stitch, I finally got some practice with my decreasing over 60 rows.

So far, after many many hours of knitting, due to the fact I’m knitting this in a very large size, I have a back – yay!  And, after racking Avis’ brains, plus lots of watching of videos on youtube on how to decrease neatly, when the pattern just says “dec 1 stitch at each end on every row”  or “dec 1 stitch at each end of next and foll alt rows”, without specifying which decrease method to use . . . I opted to not just do the K2tog or P2tog at both ends, but to try the SSK and the SSP where appropriate to work on getting my stitches sloping inwards.

Not sure if I’ve done it properly, but it looks neat enough to me.  And big sigh of relief when that back part was done because it’s huge and was getting quite heavy on my needles.

SAL “together we are magic” #8

It’s the 3-weekly meet-up with other SAL members, organised by Avis, to show photos of the projects we’re stitching.  We’re an international group, all working on different projects, with the SAL being our way of motivating each other.

Full list of members.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny,

Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Last time I had managed to complete page 1 (of 4) of the chart of my project: “Together we are magic”, a kit by Letitstitch.

For this time, I began work on page 2.

Next update on 17th October.

a bit of this, that & the other (sept)

My time is often spent flitting from one crafting project to another, simply because I can.  So today, a little mish mash of photos of what’s taking shape.

A dolphin cross stitch design, kit by Royal Paris.  I don’t pick this up very often therefore progress is slow, but there’s no hurry.

A new crochet project.  I was going to jump in and start hooking a third doll, but after a rummage in my yarn stash, I came across a couple of sunglass-worthy coloured yarn that I’d bought in a local discount store a couple of years ago.  A quick flick through my big pile of crochet books and I found a pattern that tickled my fancy.  I’m not going to tell you what I’m making just yet . . . it will become more obvious the more body parts I make.  Let’s just say that shocking pink isn’t the colour one would expect, but I reckon the finished design will be very cute!

I’ve begun a new diamond painting project.  Working in various shades of blues & teals . . . overall picture will look like this.

Again, there’s no rush to have this finished.  It’s just a new hobby I discovered recently, and I enjoy putting in a few hours from time to time.

For those of you wondering how the husband is getting on with the mirror . . .

He has begun cleaning up the back (while still debating about how to repair the stucco on the mirror side).  Took out these short planks and discovered

This, stamped on the back of the mirror.  So, his original guess of approx 1870 was out.  Stamp reads 1897, 31st March, Paris.  Renovation work continues.

SAL “together we are magic” #7

It’s time to link up with a world-wide group of stitchers, to share progress on the diverse projects we’re working on.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan,

Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

My project is a kit by Letistitch: “together we are magic”. It’s 152 x 200 stitches big, stitched on 16 count aida and is full coverage.  I decided, from the start, that I needed to grid my fabric and take this one page at a time, otherwise I’d get lost (and lose motivation) along the way.

Last time I showed you this photo

For this time, I am rather proud of myself, because . . .

this is where I’m up to.  Although I haven’t added backstitch detail yet, I have completed page 1 (chart is printed on four pages of A3) and, if you look at the bottom right of chart, you can see the arrows that mark the centre of the design.  I said design is 152 x 200 stitches. Page 1 covers stitches 80 x 110  which means I’m more than a quarter of the way through, even if I’ve still got 3 pages to tackle.

Here’s a close up

And here’s a reminder of what I’m actually working on.

 

It’s slower going that I had originally thought, but I’m feeling motivated knowing I “only” have 3 more A3 pages to follow!

Next update on 26th August!

a WIP and a happy dance

I have some very colourful photos to share with you today!  First, a WIP with the beginnings of a new patchwork project. Inspired by the photo below, of a design in the book “Quick & Easy quilts for kids” by Connie Ewbank.

My version looks like this

As you can tell from my choice of fabric print, I’m making a baby quilt.  It’ll be a lovely “I spy” & rainbow coloured snuggle quilt when finished.

I’ve also been having fun in the evening with some diamond painting and have finished a very colourful unicorn.

Canvas is only 30cm x 30cm which makes the actual picture only approx 25cm x 25cm.  I’ll be buying a frame for this, and it will be wrapped & gifted to one of our little neighbours on her 4th birthday later this month.

 

SAL ” Together we are magic” #6

Today’s SAL update happens to fall on 15th of the month, which is also ScrapHappy day . . . so if you came looking for that, it’s in a post published earlier today.

For SAL members . . . summer weather, hot sweaty hands, and sticky needles, mean I got distracted with other crafting these past 3 weeks, and only put in a couple of stitching sessions on unicorns.

This is the photo I posted last time.  I’ve been filling in.

Still working on page 1 (of 4) but the picture is beginning to take shape!  Apart from the second butterfly, you can now make out one of the unicorns, with the neck & jawline appearing (if you squint) bottom centre of this photo.

I’ll be plodding along and hope to finish page 1 over the next 3 weeks. In the meantime, I’m going to see what other SAL members have been up to.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan,

Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

and we’ll be back on 5th September.

knitting & diamond dotting

I seem to have being doing nothing but knit or diamond dotting this past week.  Sewing, patchwork, crochet & cross stitch all seem to have fallen by the wayside, but I’m sure I’ll get back to them soon.

Knitting is what I feel like doing at the moment, since I cast on a new project, to make a short-sleeved cardigan for myself.

The pattern is Sirdar 7283 and I’m knitting with a Rico Design cotton (which I’ve had in my stash for over 6 years).  Pattern has sizing from child through to XXL adult.

This is the back all done!  I have also completed the left front, and am busily working on the right front.  A little disappointed that I didn’t “react” when I saw a stretch of pale lilac appear in the yarn in the lower section of the back. I saw it, and carried on knitting, because I thought there would be more of the same as I worked my way through the ball. There weren’t.  There must have been a minor dye fault which has resulted in that horizontal row of knitting.  Oh well, I won’t see it when I’m wearing the cardie and I doubt anyone else will be looking too closely.  My other worry: tension on the lace pattern bands seems to be pulling up the ribbing (it’s happening on the fronts too).  I hope I can correct this with blocking once the cardie is finished.   Anyway, I am really enjoying this project (apart from the neck shaping on fronts which is confusing me because I have to decrease but keep in pattern – but I’ll get there!) and looking forward to having all pieces ready to assemble.

I’ve also been relaxing my brain with some diamond painting.  Only the other day, I saw this in a local shop, priced at 12.95€.

They did have A3 size, but I decided A4 would be big enough for my needs, ie, to use as retro lighting while diamond painting.

When switched off, it looks like this.  Just a white board.  It has a touch sensitive switch and 3 different light intensity options.  And I was pleasantly surprised to see how it does, indeed, make diamond painting much easier on the eyes.  Before, I was having to wear my magnifying glasses (on top of my normal glasses).  Now, just my normal glasses are sufficient to see symbols clearly.

After the really big feather project, I’ve just begun a colourful unicorn.  You can see here how the retro-lighting really lights up the area to be covered, and makes it much easier to spot the isolated vacant symbols.

With the brightpad switched off, this is what the current project looks like.  Canvas is only 30cm x 30cm, which makes the area to cover approximately 25cm x 25cm.  I chose this design with one of our little neighbours in mind.  Cléo’s little sister, Mona, will be 4 years old in September . . . and I’m pretty sure that she’ll love this rainbow unicorn.