April FNSI - Project hopping

 I seem to be on a roll both with FNSIs and with writing blog posts this month!

FNSI came around at a perfect time for me this month, plenty of crafty things planned and underway.

First task of the evening was to cut out out the fabric for my dress, which was achieved.

After a fairly late dinner, I had a a choice to make whether to start sewing the dress together or to practice my free motion quilting before my class on Saturday afternoon.

The free motion quilting won and I watched the instructional videos and started working on my feathers.

Not too bad and nothing a bit more practice won't improve. I've enjoyed this course (although could definitely have practiced more) it's all been online over 4 weeks and we've covered petals, leaves, spirals, flowers (which you can see to the left of the feathers) and feathers. If it had been a face to face course it would have all been squeezed into one 6 hour day and I probably wouldn't have been able to attend as it would have taken place somewhere more than two hours away from my home. For anyone who is interested the course was run by The Crafty Nomad

As it was now getting quite late and I find myself not able to concentrate on sewing if I'm tired I swapped onto knitting. I've decided that it would be a good idea to knit at least 4 Xmas presents this year, luckily if also decided to start on them early in the year.

I can't show too much in case the recipients are reading  but the yarn is Coop Knits Socks Yeah DK and the pattern is by Andrea Mowry. I'm finding this an enjoyable (and fairly quick) knit thanks to all being in knit stitch and no more than 2 colours per row. It's looking likely that I'll achieve at least one knitted Xmas present this year!

If you want to see what everyone else got up to this Friday pop over to the sign up page over at Wendy's blog  Sugarlane Designs.

Baking Part 2 - Easter Items

 After my recent bread success I felt I was on a yeasted baking roll and wanted to widen my repertoire, with Easter approaching hot cross buns seemed to fit the bill nicely (and conveniently my newly trusty Paul Hollywood book had a suitable recipe. Easter weekend was also the date suggested by a friend for a virtual bake off of a Jane's Patisserie recipe, given the time of year Creme Egg stuffed cookies were settled on.

Hot cross buns seem to require quite a bit of proving and as I didn't fancy getting up suprr early on Saturday to make them i decided to risk a rise in the fridge overnight and bake them for Saturday breakfast.

Still learning the nuances of a new oven, so they came out a little darker than I expected.

But once split and buttered they were fine, slightly chewier than a shop bought hot cross bun but definitely nicer and worth making myself.

The creme egg stuffed cookies?

Yum! Soft cookie dough wrapped round slightly melted creme eggs. I expected them to be epically sweet as the creme egg I'd sampled prior to baking had been almost too sweet for me but I found them delicious slightly warm and oozy (I had a cold cookie a day later and it did seem sweeter so the recommendation from Jane's Patisserie to warm the cookies slightly in a microwave before eating is a very good one). I now want to try out some of the other stuffed cookie recipes available at www.janespatisserie.com (not an ad just a very pleased, slightly over chocolated baker who wants to share a good recipe site).

A Very Productive Day

 Last Sunday was one of those lovely days when you have no real chores or DIY tasks planned (Saturday was a whole different case). So as I sat sipping my tea I decided that I should really have a look at some of the crafty chores I'd been putting off.

Having finished my crochet wrap (more of that in another post) I was left with a few ends to sew in.

In reality my end sewing in pile looked exactly like the photo above. A wrap and a shawl that can't be blocked until the (surprisingly low number of) ends are sewn in and a pair of socks that will be able to go in the sock drawer. Miracle of miracles the ends were sewn in well before midday so I was inspired to look at what else needed a little bit of work to keep it progressing.

Next candidate for my attention was my temperature project which was languishing around late March. I have to admit this didn't get as far as Friday (last date for which reliable temperature figures were available) but it did move on a little and this is definitely a project which benefits from little and often.

I then worked my second mitten to the start of the thumb gusset, only a handful of rows were ended but this now means that the mitten knitting is back to a relatively low attention section which means it's ideal for listen in work calls, or gripping tv episodes.

This ideal day of crafting was then interrupted by my going for a run. Sunday is generally the day I try and go for my longest run of the week, it's not always a happy experience but I always feel great afterwards. To fit in with the success of the rest of my Sunday I'm pleased to say that my run was very enjoyable, i made my route up as I ran and got quite a way around the town,  and I managed slightly further than I hoped to go and didn't feel completely worn out by it. To cap it all off the weather decided to remain almost perfect for a run while I was out (random snow showers have been a feature of our weather over the last week).

Usually this would signal the end of any chance of Sunday productivity but my partner took part in a online quiz after dinner so I had some more time to myself which I put to use pressing the fabrics for my next two planned sewing projects.

It's recommended that you was fabrics before using them for garment sewing but what no one ever mentions is that after washing you have to refold the fabric and press it ready for the cutting out. I had hoped to progress onto cutting out some of the top fabric but achy muscles after my run persuaded me otherwise.

And as the online quiz developed into an epically long session I had just enough time before bed to cast on for my first Xmas present of the year.

I don't think I've ever achieved so much during a lazy Sunday afternoon before!

Baking - Part 1

 I enjoy baking but it's not something I do often (especially over the last year) as there's only two of us to eat the outcome. However I've recently started dabbling in bread making. I had succumbed to the sourdough trend but unfortunately my starter has recently expired and I'm yet to start a new one. We decided that we wanted bread for lunch last weekend so I dug out one of my baking books (Paul Hollywood's How To Bake if you want to know) and had a go at a white loaf.

Previous attempts at bread baking have left me with yeast scented bricks.

Pleased to report that it wasn't so this time.

Definitely a recipe I'll use again and I'm glad that I hadn't got round to throwing out the book as I'd planned.

More baking opportunities are coming up over the next few weeks so there'll be a few more posts aappearing. 

March FNSI - A study in grey

 This month's FNSI was pretty productive for me, although there was definitely an unintentional colour theme to what I worked on.

Whilst waiting for my partner to finish work (and free up the table I use for sewing) I added some more stitches to my Jumping Dots wrap/scarf in Scheepjes Whirl and coordinating dark grey whirlette.

The main plan for my FNSI was to continue with my toile for my Sew Over It Marguerite dress. I decided that I needed to insert the nexf size up waistband so I cut a new waistband, interfaced pressed and started to sew it to the bodice when I discovered I'd made a mistake whilst tracing which meant that one side was an inch too short! I was very tempted to put it in the naughty corner but remembered I had the smaller waistband all cut out so I cut a bit off and added the misding inch to my waistband. Not a particularly pretty solution but it kept me sewing.

By the time I was too tired to continue sewing I had the bodice and skirt attached and am all prepared to start inserting the zip. So far so good, looking forward to getting the zip in and finally checking the fit.

I finished my knit with some simple knitting on the thumb of a mitten.

And to avoid inventing second mitten syndrome I managed to cast on the second mitten.

Pop over to Wendy's Blog to see what everyone else got up to. 

Spur of the Moment Project - sort of

 Over the last year or so I have noticed various temperature projects underway, quite a few knitted or crocheted ones and the odd quilted/sewn ones. I have really liked them and wanted to try something similar but couldn't quite find the right thing to make, i didn't want it to be something that just ended up in a cupboard which was likely with blankets and scarves and the idea of making a temperature item that recorded the temps in shades of a colour has only recently become apparent to me, which would have made a quilt an option. Anyway... in my wanders through the internet early this year I came across Jardin Privé who had a couple of cross stitch temperature project designs available and this seemed the perfect option.

As you may be able to tell from the content of this blog I don't cross stitch much, in fact I don't think I've ever completed a cross stitch project that I've started (cue the comment from my sister regarding rescuing a project from my inaccurate counting). So a cross stitch project was the obvious choice.

As I have no cross stitch supplies there was a bit of a delay as I chose fabrics and thread, but I eventually made a start.

And it became apparent from day one that I'd forgot to check how low UK temperatures got in January (the buildings are the daily high temp, the roof the daily low).

But I've persevered and enjoyed the project, sewing a house each morning before work and trying to catch up with the actual calendar in my free time. 

I think this may be the cross stitch project I actually finish (although I'm not sure I'll get round to filling in the doors and windows!). 

February FNSI - Bits and Bobs

 Looking back on what I worked on during last night's FNSI I've realised that I worked on nearly all my WIPs and I did a bit of every craft I do.

Between finishing work and dinner I continued catching up on my temperature cross stitch.

This is based on the Jardin Privé 2020 temperature cross stitch design with the houses indicating the high daily temperature and the roofs the low temperatures. I hadn't realised how low UK winter temperatures were so I need to purchase another colour skein of thread for the missing roofs. I started this towards the end of January, nce ive caught up im hoping to sew a house a day.

After dinner I managed a few rows on my latest sock which is being re-knit due to poor size choices. Luckily the yarn is stunning (dyed by Mothy and the Squid) and I've now memorised the pattern. 

On a Friday evening my partner XBoxes so whilst he did that I started sewing a toilet together for a new dress.

So far so not very exciting but it seems to fit okay. Next step is to carefully follow (puzzle out) the instructions for the sleeve cuffs. The pattern is Marguerite by Sew Over It.

By the time the bodice was sewn together it had gone 10.30pm so I moved on to some simpler crochet while watching a bit of catch up.

I seem to have adopted this technique of butterflying between projects at the moment, keeps my interest although things are progressing slowly - hopefully there will be a rush of finishes all together.

If you want o know what everyone else got up to during their FNSI pop over to Wendy's Blog

First finish of 2021-Lovenote

 As the Lovenote sweater was started in late 2020 there was a very good chance that it would be my first finish of 2021.

I am so pleased how it turned out. The pattern is Lovenote by TinCanKnits knitted in Meadow Yarn's Pightle 4 ply, in the shade Some Enchanter's Wand, held with a strand of Drops Kidsilk Mohair in navy.

So many shades and colours in the Pightle.

I haven't got round to blocking the sweater yet but I couldn't resist wearing it as is. M am definitely making myself another of these in a brighter colourway (love the dark blue and it goes with some much of my wardrobe but a colourful sweater would be great too) and I'm even hoping to knit the odd one as a gift I enjoyed knitting it so much, also helps that it's a pretty quick knit! 

And as an added bonus it's one item off my 2021 list!

January FNSI

 Wendy has decided to continue hosting the monthly Friday Night Sew-In, so I will continue joining in as often as I can.

I've made a good start by joining in last night with other crafter round the world and I had a very enjoyable evening. 

I started off before dinner with a row or two of my Jumping Dots wrap. 

I'm not a particularly fast crocheted so this is my big yarny project for the moment. It uses tapestry crochet to combine the two colors and will be purple and grey on one side, and grey and purple on the other. If you've ever used a Scheepjes whirl the next bit will make sense - I'm waiting impatiently for my first fuzzbuzz - the point in the purple yarn where a new coloured strand in incorporated. I'm also hoping that a better contrast between the colours will mean easier crocheting in evening lamplight. Jumping Dots is designed by Jellina Verhoeff (jellina-creations.nl)

I then bit the bullet and made some good progress on the Alice EPP cushion.

Top and bottom borders added (by machine) and the whole piece basted and ready for hand quilting. Figuring out how the borders should be attached had left this languishing for too long. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared in the end, although I'm very thankful that I've got the hang on consistent seam allowances! (I have a patchwork I made when I was around 12 and the original 4 inch patches end up anywhere as small as 2.5 inches in places! I know that was a long time ago but until very recently I'd still been massively reliant on my 1/4 inch foot for accuracy). I didn't start the quilting but I know what I want to do. The evening ended with a little more crochet.

Whilst crafting I also watched and listened to crafty things. 

I've recently come across the Fruity Knitting podcast (fruityknitting.com) so I dipped into a couple of episodes of that and one of the episodes led me to the Wool Work audio podcast from knitbritish.net. I only listened to the first episode (from 2014) so plenty to go but seems interesting so far. Does anyone have any recommendations for crafty podcasts? I've only recently come across them and would love to watch and listen to more.

So that's all from me, if you want to see what everyone else got up to pop along to Wendy's blog Sugarlane Designs

2021 Plan

Having a plan for crafting in 2020 seemed to help keep me focused so I'm going to try the same again. Although having put my list together I seem to have made a 21 in 21 type of thing unintentionally, I have no aim to complete all the items on it.

My list is as follows:

1 Aran squares x 3 (WIP) 

2 Xmas Stars (WIP) 

3 Wedding quilt (WIP) 

4 Jessa trousers

5 Grace 2/ Marguerite 

6 Lovenote sweater (WIP) 

7 Jonie

8 Xmas mini

9 Socks x 7 (WIP) 

10 Jessa shorts

11 Snowflake quilt

12 Billie dress

13 Billie top

14 Hitofude

15 Bird quilt 

16 Cross stitch bookmark (MIA) 

17 Rainbow quilt (WIP) 

18 Xmas Lucy's Terrace

19 Cat quilt 

20 Jumping dots

21 Bag

Some are already started, some are from last year's list and one is playing hide and seek!

I also hope to get some handmade gifts made throughout the year, but I'm not including these on the list.

I will try to remember to provide progress updates through the year. 

The Plan - The Outcome

 At the start of the year I set myself a fairly loose list of projects that I wanted to work on which I called my Plan. The aim wasn't to finish everything, I didn't want the stress of feeling I was failing to hit a target, more to give me a focus and try and stop me buying lots of new materials and stashing them away.

I think it has been mostly successful, here's the latest update:

UFOs were as follows:

1 Hue Shift Afghan        
2 Floozy                        
3 Sparkle Punch Quilt
4 Alice cushion              EPP complete, borders and quilting left
5 Aran squares              One complete plenty more to go!
6 Pumpkin mini

7 Xmas stars                 Still a WIP
8 Wedding quilt            Still going
9 Opal socks                 Replaced by other socks

10 Jessa shorts            Toile complete now going to be trousers

The 'Ready to Gos' were as follows:

1 Highland cushions       To be started
2 Colourwork stocking
3 Scheepjes hat
4 Scheepjes shrug          Change of plan to a wrap (not started)
5 Hitofude                     To be started
6 Blythes Spirit 
7 Lottie and Albert Blanket   Removed
8 WM quilt
9 Bird quilt                    One EPP project at a time
10 Xmas mini                Needs to be started soon!
11 Socks
12 Cross stitch bookmark    Playing hide and seek

Not much change since October although the biggest change is that the Sparkle Punch Quilt is complete and gifted. I also decided that I don't need a Lottie and Albert Blanket and I can't think of a recipient for one so it's off the list.

As well as the items above I have also completed a Grace dress, Slipstravaganza shawl (still to be blocked), a Billie sweater, two Xmas stockings and five pairs of socks.

I like the use of a list, or lists, to keep me aware of what I have already got materials for. It also has worked as a place to list all the new projects that catch my eye and then I can decide whether to do them or just keep them as possibilities. I have definitely stressed myself out less this year by not planning to try and do everything, although I have slipped a little with sock yarn - though I'm working through it and variety is nice! My stash has gone down this year, although that has been helped by a couple of ruthless clear outs.

I'm going to adopt the same list approach next year, trying to balance out the crafts and project sizes so I don't get bored. I will refine it over the next few days and share it here as it has been fun to look back. 

December FNSI

 In preparing to write this blog I've realised that before photos would've been useful - but I was keen to maximise my crafting time.

First project was a bit if reworking on my Billie sweatshirt. As you may expect it's a Jersey top and as it was the first time I'd ever worked with jersey there were a couple of points where I'd created unintentional pleats. After a bit of unpicking and restitching I had a much smoother waistband.

The rest of the evening was then devoted to working on a pair of socks that will become a Xmas present for my partner's mum. 

A focused effort means that I only have a few inches left to knit. 

A very productive and enjoyable FNSI. 

If you want to see what everyone else got up to head over Wendy's blog:FNSI

Instant gratification and a slow burner

In an unusual turn of events I have achieved two sewing finishes this weekend.

The first was an Xmas Stocking which I started Friday late afternoon and had completely finished and pressed before midnight. 

I followed a tutorial by Cluck Cluck Sew and it turned out really well; I did find that clipping the seams helped the stocking look more snooth. This could have been finished earlier in the evening but I also worked on a second stocking.

This one's taking a little longer for what is hopefully obvious reasons. I only have a fat quarter of each of the three fabrics which isn't quite enough for the size of stocking I want so this is the more time consuming solution I've come up with. 

Before starting the stockings I finished stitching the binding and sewing in the ends on a quilt that has been a WIP for about 8 years. 

Pattern is Sparkle Punch Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. I couldn't even begin to say what the fabrics are, I think most of them were purchased from an online US store. 

I do know its backed in a Tula Pink extra wide backing fabric from Sew Hot. 

This quilt is destined for my, very patient, sister and her husband.