January FNSI - Featuring actual sewing!

 I do enjoy taking part in the monthly Friday Night Sew Ins hosted by Wendy, they encourage me to make the most of my Friday crafting time.

This month I started at 4pm and got a good mix of things done. 

I sewed two more blocks for my scrappy round the world quilt (following guidance from Quiltville Quips and Snips) and figured out the best use of pressing and seeing time in order to increase the number of blocks I can make in an evening.

Whilst I had the sewing machine up and running I zig zagged the edges of a piece of fabric for a future cross stitch (white on white so not that easy to see).

I added a couple more lengths of thread to my blackwork project; this big block isn't feeling as intimidating as it was before I started the purple stitching as the pattern grows quickly.

And I got to the halfway point on my Musselburgh Hat and added the second colour, they always seem to go faster from this point.

If you want to see what others got up to on this Friday night pop over to Wendy's blog or look for the FNSI group on Facebook.

Crafty Corner

About once a week my boyfriend plays XBox online with his friends for an evening, this gives me an evening of crafting time for myself. Often I will spend it in front of a sewing machine as it's the one type of crafting I find difficult to do of an evening whilst we are together watching tv or listeing to music! However last time the XBox session occured my sewing table was otherwise engaged supporting our Xmas jigsaw (we do all the coolest stuff!) so I decided to do some sofa based crafting in the lounge.

This was my spot for the evening and my crafty project of choice was my new cross stitch (found out that the lighting in this room isn't great for stitching on linen...but that's by the by).

When I stood up for a break I couldnt resist taking the photo above as my space was ready for almost any crafty eventuality...

Circled in red, pattern weights ready for cutting out fabric.

Just visible in the orange circle, crochet books under the sofa.

The yellow circle is two full sets of interchangeable knitting needles.

Circled in green is my knitting bag with various bits and bobs of yarn and knitting notions.

In the blue circle is the cross stitch kit I was actually working on and, hiding at the back, in the purple circle is my sewing table (and jigsaw).

Plenty of crafting options in arm's length on this evening!

A New Crafting Crush

 New is probably not quite the right word for this craft but I have recently got back into cross stitching after many years break and many half finished projects and it seems that we now get on really well.

It started innocently enough with my temperature cross stitch (which still needs some finishing touches).

Then a little dalliance with Blackwork and Samplers at the stitching show in the spring. Stitching bloggers led to flosstube and suddenly I have a selection of kitted up projects.

To date I seem to be sticking with this infatuation and have my first ever completely finished by me cross stitch.

I got close once before but needed someone else to do the French knots for me.

So far I seem to be a monogamous stitcher, waiting to finish the Xmas before I started my Blackwork project.

However that might all be about to change as I've signed up to a 6 month long stitch along starting in January! 

Fighting the FOMO

 It's October and for many knitters that means Stephen West's Shawl MKAL. I have knitted a couple of these and, even though I am nervous about the unknowwn mystery aspect, I have enjoyed the knitting and the outcome. The major downside with these shawls is that they require a significant amount of yarn - five 100g fingering weight skeins for each of the last 3 shawls. This added to the mystery element and the "fear" of not liking this year's design meant that I wanted some sort of distraction project so that I didn't sign up for the MKAL (this does not mean that the shawl will not get knit at some later date*).

What better distraction from a Stephen West Mystery Shawl than another Stephen West shawl - to be specific Pierre. This DK weight shawl had caught my eye some time ago and based on an idea from the (on hiatus/ended) Wool Work podcast (formerly Knit British podcast) I decided to knit it in British undyed yarn.

(Apologies for the poor lighting I mainly work on this in the evening so photos are often taken under electric lights).

The yarn I chose was Fleece Jacob DK from West Yorkshire Spinners, taking the opportunity to work yarn from a breed I have never knowingly used before (although I have to say I generally am not great at tracking the breed of sheep my yarn comes from but anyway...).

This shawl relies on texture rather than zany colour combos for its feature. I'm liking how it's working up to date. The shawl should be thick and squishy, perfect for the threatened cold winter and all the other possible fun and games this winter. I think the colours may give it a rustic but wearable look. As to the feel of the yarn, at the start I thought it felt scratchy but I wouldn't say that now. I haven't had it next to bare skin (other than my hands) but I think it will be wearable and am interested to see what effect blocking has on the yarn texture.

Part of me thinks to go with the flow and let this be a long term project, that's the part that is aware of my two other WIPS, projects needing finishing and my long list of wanna makes. The other part of me wants this off the needles as soon as possible - winter is coming! We'll see how that goes. And either way I might actually rememebr to share the finished item!!! 

*And it also doesn't mean that I won't cave in and cast on a MKAL shawl befoe the final clue is released

September FNSI - All About the Patchwork

I joined with Wendy of Sugarlane Designs and friends around the world for this month's FNSI on, unsurprisingly, Friday night.

Having just driven 2 and a half hours home from work I thought I might be too tired for much of an FNSI but it turns out I have reserves of energy for crafting.

I started off working on a couple more blocks for my neutral scrappy Trip Around the World quilt...

and had a quick check that my planned layout would work...

This is for a king size bed and a rough calculation is that I will need 48 blocks to fit the bed - so this is going to be a long term project.

From sewing I moved onto cross stitch and my Mini Christmas Patchwork Sampler.

I'm making steady progress on this and there's a realistic chance of this being finished by Xmas (I even have a frame which might fit it).

And for the last bit of the evening I worked on the sixth square of my Cozy Memories blanket.

This is quite additictive and it's tempting to just make more squares but I'm trying to only use scraps from projects I have finished this year (and following years as this requires several more squares to become a blanket - currently its table mat size!).

If you want to see what everyone else got up to visit Wendy's blog or look up the FNSI Facebook group.

Newark Park and the unheralded quilt

 I'm currently on a stint of working away from home from Sunday night to Friday evening, so me and my partner/boyfriend/other half (not sure which term I prefer, probably should decide) are trying to make the most of the weekends.

Last weekend we paid a visit to nearby Newark Park (near Stroud and Tetbury), which is a National Trust property. Despite it's name there is a park, garden and house to visit.

It was a really interesting place - built as a tudor hunting lodge (though not visited by a Tudor monarch - I suspect not many of them were*), modified and extended several times and finally lived in by two Americans who restored the building on behalf of the National Trust and were living there to the early 2000s.

As well as beatiful location and views...

It was possible to see some of the original tudor structure, giving a feel for the original building; this was helped by a really interesting talk with a model of the house demonstrating the phases of the building.

It's not a massive property and very little of the contents are original to the house, and as such there is little explanation of the furniture etc.

One item did catch my eye...

This quilt was evidently random scraps of fabric...

Hand sewn onto a blanket. 

Maybe technically not a quilt as that generally sugests three layer of fabric but I'm not picky! Absolutely zero details about its history but interesting notheless.

If you're ever in the area I recommend a visit, and a walk in the grounds if you have time.

* The original builder's main property, Acton Court in Iron Acton, was visited by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - we haven't visited it (yet).

A Break in Cumbria

 We've just returned from a very relaxing few days in Cumbria with my family. Here follows my random (but scenic) holiday snaps... 

The only knitting I managed was in the car on the way up. 

From the 1900ft summit of a pass we could just about see Scotland.

Hidden away in the village we were staying we found this miniature village all made by one may over 25 years and now raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance. 

The final full day was dedicated to waterfalls... 

Low and High Force

And a rather gnarly Juniper tree (probably)... 

Knitting Pile

 Showing off WIPs either artistically staged or one be one seems to be a thing. Due to some TV watching last night I had dug around in my knitting back for some suitable projects and when I looked next to me on the sofa* I saw the following...

Almost all my current knitting WIPs in a pile with the exception of two that are NSFTV**. There are the TAAT socks, a Musselburgh hat, my Tree Tram Tro slipover and to at the top left is a previously unmentioned project. 

This is the start of a scrappy blanket based on the Cosy Memories Blanket pattern. No definite plan for this but I think I'll use leftovers from 4 ply projects as I finish them, I've also got some other plans for 4 ply/fingerings weight leftovers but more about that another day. 

*couch or settee 

** Not Suitable For TV

FNSI - Best Laid Plans

 Actually despite the title I didn't deviate too much from my planned FNSI.

I had Friday afternoon off work so amongst running a couple of errands I manged to start crafting early in the day.

I got totally sucked in by a cross stitch which hadn't received much love recently.

I probably need a larger frame for it, as I'm having to move my round one frequently as can be seen from the creases. I think its called Mini Christmas Patchwork and there's a chance it might be complete by Xmas. 

I finally got round to seeing in the threads on a t shirt I have recently seen. 

Then I moved onto cutting up strips for my low volume scrappy trip around the world quilt. 

I think I need to cut 38 far quarters into 2.5 inch strips to have enough to make blocks for a king size bed. I'm a few fat quarters short, but I have enough to keep me busy. 

And this is the point my plans changed.  I had intended to have dinner and then continue pressing and cutting fabric, maybe sew in the threads on a pair of trousers and then knit. 

What actually happened was an impromptu trip to a couple of bars in Cheltenham.  A very enjoyable distraction, but we were back early enough (and sober enough) for a few rows of knitting for me and a bit of X Box for my partner.

All in all I think I had a bumper FNSI. 

If you want to see what everyone else got up to pop over to Wendy's blog Sugarlane Designs

Snaps From The Weekend (13/14 Aug)

 

A Satisfying Heel Turn

 I'm currently working on a pair of Geek Socks (Knitty link) two at a time (TAAT) as an Xmas present. The pattern directs you to use an afterthought heel so as not to break the stripe pattern. I've done afterthought heels previously but to date I have a 33% failure rate (socks ending up too small despite following measurements that work for other pairs). The other thing is that the point of doing TAAT was in an attempt to make the sock knitting process feel quicker, which afterthought heels feel the opposite of - two socks almost finished and then having to work two individual heels. Anyway I decided to go freestyle and use short row heels instead.

At this time I can't quite figure out how to do these heels TAAT but it was possible to do them in tandem and then continue the sock feet TAAT.

To me these heels seem to be working out perfectly, I love the slightly offset stripes. These heels do break the continuity of the wibbly stripes (they don't seem to work out in the intended zig zags with this WYS yarn) but with the little extra knitting I've done I think I can live with it although maybe boomerang heels would've been a little less disruptive. Now on with the feet.

Hooked On Bags

I've finished my first crochet bag...

 It's the Molly Market Bag by Iron Lamb (not a Ravelry link) in the suggested Drops Paris yarn. 

I loved making this bag - simple enough for a novice crocheter, quick (it took me but a few days and I was working round other projects and general life), and the yarn is very cost effective. The only issue I had was self created in that I don't think the bag is made to the expected measurements as I didn't check my gauge beforehan, which I also think lead to me using 4 balls of yarn rather than the listed 3.

And I say my first crochet bag because...

...I may have purchased a little bit more Drops Paris!

Scratching the start-itis itch!

 So as happens to many crafters I seem to be going through a bout of start-itis.

On top of my other WIPs I just had to start a crochet project...

This will be a Molly Market Bag by Iron Lamb, so far enjoyably simple and quick although I think I probably should have considered a gauge swatch. The reason for this start made sense, I want to make a number of these bags as gifts for Xmas so as it's currently Xmas in July in my world this seemed the ideal time to make a test run. (Yarn is Drops Paris)

This is the early days of a Musselburgh Hat by Isolda Teague. Currently I'm living in two places due to working away from home during the week. With the current warm weather I was sure I would need some suitable for outdoor knitting at the weekends and the two projects on my needles at homedidn't really lend themselves to that (heavy DK wool and white yarn) so the Musselburgh Hat made sense. I also had a quiet hour to myself to try out the Pinhole cast on (Tin Can Knits tutorial) for the crown. Cast on was so fun I might need to cast on another Musselburgh! (Yarn is dyed by Felted Fusion - Black Rainbow colourway I think)

And last night I decided I needed another at work project just because so thus started the cuff of the first of a pair of socks in beautiful limited edition yarn from Meadow Yarn.

And I don't regret a single cast on. And don't feel that I'm neglecting any of my other (4) WIPs. I might regret a second Musselburgh before I've finished the first though!