Bits and Pieces

 

- I've swatched for my next knitting project, Tree Tram Tro by Kate Davies (not a Ravelry link), with West Yorkshire Spinners BFL DK. I think I've got gauge though I'm not too sure that the fabric is quite as I like it, it seems a little loose.

- I have seven skeins of the BFL so I probably either need to start liking the fabric or come up with an alternative pattern for it.

- Either way I'm fighting the urge to take the yarn and pattern with me on my work trip next week. I'm sure I should take one or two of the things I have in progress. I'm trying to figure out if I am someone who can have five WIPs.

- I also made cookies, NYC Cookies from the Jane's Patisserie book. SO glad for a well stocked baking cupboard as they were a spur of the moment decision. Very tasty and large. Rather than baking all eight I just cooked two and froze the remainign dought as they can be cooked from frozen. The only thing I would change is to squash them flatter prior to cooking.

- I finished the remaining Meadowland Quilt blocks last night and I think I've decided on a layout. I love the finished look of this but I think I'm definitely a person who prefers a squarer quilt.

- Hopefully the planned backing fabric (which I have had for years) is big enough, probably should check that along with ordering some batting.

- I wish Blogger had a spell checker, although I am glad it doesn't have an auto-correct!

Reverse Yarn Chicken

I understood brioche knitting to be a yarn eater, but now I'm not so sure.

 Five days ago I had the small ball of pink yarn left, I had my next cake of yarn ready to go, but didn't want to have too much of the original skein leftover.  So I worked on paying close attention to the amount of yarn left as I want to join the new yarn in at the start of a row.

Last night, and 28 rows (full two pass brioche rows, so 28 using the pink) I had the small ball of yarn above left. I then managed 2 more rows before finally losing my nerve and joing the new yarn. Wish the grey yarn would take a leaf out the pink yarn's book, it has no staying power and I've had to buy another ball of it as I know my original four won't make it to the end!

FNSI - February 22

 It has just taken me too many attempts to write this blog title - I really need to buy myself a calendar!

Wendy of Sugarlane Designs has once again kindly hosted the Friday Night Sew In, a virtual gathering of sewists around the world via blog and Facebook group.

For rthis FNSI I went old school and worked on some quilt blocks. I have been sewing the block for my Meadowland Quilt together individually , and while this has been satisfying I did wonder how long it would take. Yesterday I decided to give batch piecing the remaining 9 a try. 

 I feel its working, though after 3 hours I don't have any finished blocks to show (and the making process isn't particularly photogenic) but I am at the final press and sew stage on all of them. Only one moment of slight panic when I was pressing and decided to put the Flying Geese bits with their respective centres and spent a few minutes thinking I'd sew the wrong bits together, but I'd just paired them up incorrectly so simply solved.

I'd taken the day off work yesterday as I had to spend the morning driving back from a Dinner I'd attended on Thursday night so I had plenty of time around sewing the blocks together to work on a few more (colourful) projects.

I'm playing catch up with last year's temperature cross-stitch but I am determined that this will be the second cross-stitch ever that I fully finish (my sister will probably be glad to hear that as she inherited the last project I lost interest in and it's fundamental counting error!).

I when it was too late to trust myself to sew correctly I moved onto some knitting for a while.

Bit hard to tell but this is destined to become the first half of a pair of fingerless mittens.

If you want to see what everyone else got up to visit the FNSI post on Wendy's Blog.

Some Actual Quilt Progress

 I have some garment works in progress and a long list of things I want to make. But after moving my fabric into a new cabinet I've become enthuastic about make some of my lovely colllection into a quilt or two (or...).

First quilt to be made is a Meadowland Quilt as designed by Then Came June (you've probably seen one or two of them on social media).

I had a bundle of fairly recently purchased Cat Tales fabric earmarked for this.

It is so gorgeous and detailed and the colours should go well in my sewing room.

Cutting out took a while. I mistakenly thought that this was the first quilt I'd made from a vairiety of different sized fabrics and then I remebered the pumpkin quilt and the basketball quilt. 

Next step was deciding which fabrics to use in each block, I took the don't over think it approach to this and hopefullt each combo is unique but if not life's too short to worry.

Three bloks complete so far and I'm liking how they look.

I especially like this block above as all the black cats in the diamond are miraculously the right way up.

Just 9 more blocks to go.