The Blog Post of Shame... Current Projects Part 2!

 Hello again!

I've been putting this post off - my list of current crochet projects on the go.  In fact, I said to a friend of mine I might skip this one and move onto quilting projects, until she pointed out on my last post I had promised to show and tell crochet projects next...  So here goes...

All of these projects are quite elderly now, as I seem to have gravitated to knitting lately.  The most recent, and one that really isn't included in the list of shame is my Friendship Blanket.  This is, by design, a lengthy project, as it is the second blanket I am making using leftover bits of 4ply sock yarn, this time all donated by my lovely friends.  I love it more and more as it grows and I think of my knitty friends every time I take it out to add a few more blocks (which are solid granny squares, instructions by my friend, Lucy -Attic24)

The next project is so nearly finished it's embarrassing it's on this list!  It's an adaptation of a vintage waistcoat pattern that I have made before, but this time I am making it in Rowan Lima, more of an Aran weight, instead of the DK the pattern calls for.  I was after a long, relaxed look, and I think this will meet that brief.  All I have left to do is sew up the side seams and finish the armholes!  Why haven't I done this????  I will definitely get this finished.

The next is a cardigan I fell in love with - A Good Vintage Cardigan - which I purchased from Ravelry.  I was going along so well with this, but then discovered the sleeves were nowhere near long enough for me, so I had to order some more yarn.  By the time it had arrived I had started something else.  Then I discovered the ends to sew in.  Oh, the ends!  However, my good friend, J, gently enquires after this cardigan every so often, so yesterday I surprised her by bringing it along to our get together and sewing in the last of the ends.  J, I promise it will be finished sooon(ish!)

Next there is a summer top in the making that I don't think I will really wear once it is finished.  I have made one before and wore it quite a bit but now I find it just too warm to wear.  So I have decided to pull it back and reuse the lovely Rowan 'Siena' 4ply cotton for something else that I will wear.  I was inspired to do this by the very lovely Emma Varnham, who I met with recently, and who dismantled a finished article to make something she now loves.  It was just the nudge I needed and the yarn will (eventually) be made into something I am sure I will love more.  Thank you, Emma!

The final (thank goodness!) WIP of shame I can date precisely, as I found a blog post about it here!  October 15th 2018!  Mystical Lanerns, by Jane Crowfoot.

I have actually finished all the lanterns, and am in the process of edging each one in a cream wool, and joining them together.  Or maybe I should say 'was', as not much has happened on this for well over a year.  

So there you have it.  I have come clean and revealed all!  I am going to finish the cardigan first.  In fact, I might get a few rows in before bed!

PS:  For my lovely readers who have signed up to receive email notifications of new blog, Google have announced that this service will cease this month, so you will sadly no longer receive these notifications.  Alternatives are to click the 'subscribe' link to subscribe using popular feed readers, sign up using the 'follow' box using a Google account, follow me on Instagram, as I always post notifications of new blog posts, or just pop by and say hello!  Whichever way you choose, I really appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings, and I especially love to read your comments.  Thank you all so much xx

Donna xx

Current Projects - Part 1

Hello there!

Last time I promised you a run down of my current projects.  As I have quite a few on the go, I thought I would break them down into sections, otherwise I fear you may nod off halfway through!

I have a couple of reasons as to why I have so many things on the go, the first being I am a process person, and decide each day anew which project I feel like working on, so I never feel I 'have' to work on something if I don't feel like it!  That might make me a little fickle, but everything gets finished in the end, and I very much enjoy the process of making them.

The other reason is more practical.  I have some problems with my left thumb, which causes me pain from time to time.  I find switching around between projects helps to alleviate the strain.  Even switching between different size knitting needles helps!

So, to start, here are my current knitting projects:

I mentioned previously the fabulous book - 'Knitting Magic - The Official Harry Potter Knitting Book'.  I am making the Hogwarts House Cardigan, in the colourway of Gryffindor, for my daughter.

The pattern calls for an Aran yarn, and I have substituted that with Drops Air, which is a fabulously soft and warm yarn.  I have knitted all the pieces and now I'm doing the making up.

For myself, I am making a short sleeved cardigan from a Simply Knitting magazine my good friend passed on to me.  I am using the yarn specified, which is King Cole Cottonsoft, but I picked this bright fuchsia!

The yarn is really soft and squishy, and it should be a nice cool cardigan for the summer months.

Finally, for the knitting projects - socks!  I always have a pair of socks on the go.  These are a second pair of winter walking socks for me, using West Yorkshire Spinners DK sock yarn.  I make my socks using the patterns by Christine 'Winwick Mum' as a starting point, and then making them knee length with some shaping at the top.  I find with the DK sock yarn 3 x 100 balls makes a pair each for my husband and myself, as long as I use a contrast for the top of mine.  This also helps me tell them apart in the laundry, as my feet are quite large and it's not always easy to tell them apart! 

So there we have it.  Three knitting projects, on three different sized needles! Next time I will show you the crochet projects! ;)

Donna xx

Spring Projects

Hello!

I was looking through photos on my phone yesterday, and realised I haven't shown you these finished projects!  

Regular readers will know I always have several things on the go, as I like to flit between knitting, crochet, dressmaking and quilting.  I had a concerted effort to finish some knitting projects, mainly so I could actually wear the things!  Here are two of my new knitted garments:

You'll remember this cardigan, from a vintage pattern my sister sent me.  

It was a lovely pattern to knit, and being mostly stocking stitch was good for when I didn't want to have to concentrate too much!  The yarn is Drops Cotton Merino, and having worn it A LOT and washed it a few times, I can attest to the fact it is super comfortable - not itchy at all - and washes really well too!  The photo turned out to be a bit of an 'action shot' but never mind, you can get the idea!

This next one required a bit more concentration, on the front at least, but I enjoyed the pattern.  It is part of a twin set, and I have started the cardigan, but butterflied away to do other things... 

Quite a bit of maths ensued, as the pattern was written for 3ply and and the yarn I wanted to use was Rowan Wool Cotton 4ply (now discontinued).  The maths worked though and I am very pleased with the fit.

Good friends of our were blessed with their first granddaughter, and I knitted these little bootees, from Sirdar 100% cotton.  The pattern was from a magazine, torn out years ago, and I'm not sure which one!

Quilting has absorbed quite a lot of my time over the last year or more, and you may remember I had two King Size quilts on the go, one for our bed and one as a marriage quilt for my daughter and her fiancé.  Well, I now have three!  My son has a new, double bed, and so I am making him a double bed size quilt.  I haven't any photos of that yet, but I will take some next time I am working on it.

In the meantime, I needed a little 'placemat' to put Daisy Dog's food and water dishes on, to stop her pushing them around the kitchen floor!  I made this one from my scrap boxes, and the block patterns are from Anita Goodesign's Dogs and Cats.  It's just the job and I can confirm it survives the washing machine really well!

I didn't make myself many clothes last year, so I felt I needed a new dress for summer!  I looked in my fabric cupboard and found a length of Liberty cotton Tana Lawn, in a bright cerise colour.  A hunt through my patterns was next and I decided on this New Look pattern 6370.

I combined a couple of different views as I fancied a sleeveless, day length dress, and adjusted it to make it a bit longer.  This is the result and I wearing it as we speak, as I am shortly going to meet a good friend at a garden centre outdoor café.  

I love the way Tana Lawn presses into knife-sharp creases.  

As you can see, the fabric is quite translucent, so rest assured, dear friends and readers, I am wearing a waist slip. (The bodice is lined.)

The buckle is vintage, bought as part of a job lot a while ago.

So there we have it -  a few of my completed items.  What am I working on now?  Well, far, far too much, as ever, but I kind of like it that way!  I will show you my Works in Progress next time.

Donna xx